HGTV doesn't paint furniture like this!

The "Mud Mastermind" will be sharing her dirty mind in this segment of "how to paint with colors you already have".  The shade is called, (by my husband) Mud. "oooh, lovely! she says sarcastically"....

                                                                 Materials:




                                                          Beginning with a victim.....

Hopefully you have a furniture piece with SOLID WOOD and extra details, such as spindles or carvings that can catch some of the aging technique I'll share at the end of the blog.
              

                                                      A couple brushes

 2 cheap brushes  like above, found at Home Improvement Stores, referred to as chip brushes and run around a dollar each. They clean with soap and water when using latex paints but can be disposable as well.


                                                             Primer in a can (water based)

                                                Leftover Paint or Hardware Store Ooops
                                                        (also recommend water based)
                                                        

                                                       Red, Blue, Yellow and Black Craft Paint

 

 

 

 

A container with a lid (metal not recommended)

 

 

A Metal Household Spatula or Frosting Spreader

 

 

 

 

 

 plus

 

 

 

 

 WATER and a RAG

 

Now that you have your supplies, take the furniture piece and check for dust, oil, loose nails, hardware and any other distractions.

 

Realize, I DID NOT MENTION STRIPPING OR SANDING! Very rarely, and I do mean very rarely, has sanding been a part of the equation when a simpler method is available. 

 

MIXING your COLOR

In this project, we're looking for neutral tones so.....

Here is a guide:

If your oops or leftover paint is:

Too Red or Pink? Add Green (blue+yellow)

Too Green? Add Red or Pink

Too Yellow? Add Blue + Red

Too Blue? Add Red + Yellow

 

The colors above will probably be too bright and clear for a distressed, antiqued finish but by following the directions below, you'll find the shade you need. 

Mix

 

Pour your oops paint into your coffee can, 2/3 full.  Add 1 cup of Primer. Stir. (I prefer stirring with the standard kitchen wire whisk). Add a squeeze of red, yellow or blue craft paint. I don't do a lot of blue simply because I like the warmer side of neutrals.  Now Black. Why Black? It mutes brighter tones and gives a hint of age.  I call this graying down.  If your color is too dark, add the lightest color you have until you reach target color. It WILL darken after dried! Don't be afraid to add water both for lightening and thinning if needed.  Often times Hardware store leftovers are too thick.

Brush

  Brush on with the idea of always keeping stokes straight. Try to do one stroke from top to bottom without breaks in between. Your first coat may be a bit transparent due to the primer. If so, go over it again in a few hours when its dry.  With the chair or dresser or table is almost dry and feels a bit tacky to the touch, get out your kitchen spatula.

Scrape

Scrape with your spatula or a kitchen butter knife (or both) gently around corners and edges. You will see the scraped paint bunch up.  Remove after drying with your fingers or a rag.

 

 Once you have a smooth surface,  You can take it one step further and add dimension and instant antiquing with something else you may have in the cabinet.....

Antiquing

Shoe Polish in a Brown shade.

Using your chip brush, add brown polish to crevices and scraped areas. You will think you've messed up your fabulous new project!  You have not.  Get a generous supply in these areas and then wipe. The wiping is to soften strokes and remove excess.  No Sealer or Poly urethane needed as this is a part of the character.

 

Finished Project

 

 

 

Time Spent?

Application: 30 minutes

Drying:  3 hours 18 minutes

Scraping: 15 minutes

Antiquing/Wiping: 5 minutes

 

I actually could've been 1/2 way done in the time it took to do this DIY blog!  However, I get so many requests through the store on the kind of paint to use in painting furniture along with the questions on how to distress furniture.  There are so many methods out there but I have made a living on using what I have readily available. Both for profit margin and because I just don't believe in waste, I have learned many shortcuts for time and budget that I thought I'd share this one. Hope you enjoy and please comment if you have questions or ideas.  I will do a follow up blog on why I prefer one method over another so stay tuned!!!