Last week I told you about my partnership with the Jacksonville Home & Patio Show, but here’s a quick catch-up in case you missed that post: I worked with Marketplace Events, the company that produces the Jacksonville Home & Patio Show, on a furniture rehab project for their spring show last weekend. The feature was called “Drab to Fab,” and the concept was simple: take some drab pieces of furniture from local thrift stores, and make them FAB! They asked me to keep the projects simple, so people at the show would see them and feel inspired; not overwhelmed. So I decided to focus on changing all six pieces with paint, because seriously, almost anyone can paint! This project was such a good experience, and I’m excited to work with the team again this fall. Yay!

Thanks so much to all of you who stopped by the booth and gave me feedback. I really appreciate it! And since a lot of you aren’t local, I wanted to share two more “Drab to Fab” pieces and some shots from the weekend!

Supplies:
Valspar Paint + Primer – Spring Moss (Flat Finish) This is my favorite paint color right now. It’s a great mustard yellow!
Drawer Knobs (From Hobby Lobby)
Sandpaper

Process:
1. First I removed the hardware and sanded the table. The top had a layer of varnish or something that was already peeling off, so I wanted to make sure it was all gone. I sanded the whole thing but spent the most time on the top.

2. After all the sanding, I cleaned the dust. It was everywhere! This step sounds a little “DUH” but it’s so important to paint on a clean surface!

3. Next I taped off the legs, then removed the drawers, and applied three layers of paint to them and the table (with drying time in between).

4. Once the paint was completely dry (I waited until the next day to be sure) I distressed the table by sanding over the parts where I wanted the wood to show through – mostly all the edges.

5. More sanding = more dust, so I cleaned again before attaching the new hardware!

I do want to mention that some people like to add a sealer at this point. But I’ve had the best luck with this paint in flat finish. If you’re working on a piece of furniture that will get a lot of use, a sealer is a great idea. I’m definitely on a flat paint kick, because I like the look when it’s a little bit distressed. And it could be a total fluke, but the flat finish seems to hold up better.

Supplies:
Valspar Paint – Polished Silver and Rosita
Ceramic Knob (From Hobby Lobby)
Sandpaper

Process:
Pretty much the same as above! I just added a pop of color by painting three coral strips along the front.

A little paint really does make a huge difference, and I hope these projects inspire you to get out your paintbrush! Working on them definitely made me want to do some furniture makeovers in my own home. In fact, our picnic table is currently getting the fab treatment. 🙂 I’ll let you know how it goes!

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