Behind the Red Door: August 2011

I am excited to be back {again} from a hiatus. Well, maybe I've been working on this project for two months. Or, maybe the hours of sanding ust felt like months!

I repainted this set almost two years ago. In decorating years, that's like 17 years. Here's how it has looked since it's last paint job:

So, we dragged it out to the garage for a little TLC. Here's a closer look at the top. Not digging the stain.

So, I took out my BFF (my little palm sander) and, with 80 grit paper, started sanding. And sanding. Then I sanded some more. And it started to look like this.

After about an hour, I had one WHOLE side sanded. At this rate, I'ld be done just in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Then, the unimaginable happened. My BFF overheated. RIP little guy.

So, I headed out to Home Depot and got a new BFF.

A BFF with a lifetime warranty.

And, I started sanding again. My new BFF is stronger and much faster. And comes with 60 grit paper.

I got it down to the bare wood. To make it smooth, I went over it again with a 100 and then a 220 grit paper.

At first, I was going to stain the top. But, I've always loved what Layla at The Lettered Cottage did with her dining room table, so I ditched the staining plans and went for paint. I made a whitewash mix of 50/50 water and white paint (Swiss Coffee by Behr is a staple in our house).

Here's what it looked like after a couple coats:

Here's when things got a little crazy. I wasn't really liking this look, so I did a couple of dry brush coats with the Swiss Coffee (without water mix). For dry brush, dip your brush in the paint, wipe most of the paint off and paint away. Then I got out my little jar of Valspar Antiquing Glaze and lightly painted some on. A little goes a long way!