Our First Custom Job
When I started The Restored Dogwood in August 2020, I knew I wanted custom work to be a part of our business. Custom work can really stress some people out because they feel limited by what the customer wants, plus there’s that feeling of not wanting to screw up someone’s furniture. While it can be worrisome to be trusted with furniture, I choose to look at custom work as an opportunity to work on a piece without the worry of storing it until it sells! Plus, fixing up furniture, modernizing, changing the aesthetic…whatever you call it…are all synonmous with “sustainable style.” Instead of buying something new (and let’s face it, won’t be built that well), let’s change what you have and give it a new look! That is what I find most exciting and appealing about custom painting.
All that is why I was thrilled (and honored!) that a friend asked me to consider painting her vintage Thomasville cabinet and give it a new look to highlight its vintage vibe, but in a modern, classic way. When I went to see it in the beginning of March, I could see it was a solid build and in good shape. It had a funky paint job, but didn’t need any big repairs. Just a new color to highlight it’s cool faux bamboo style!
Now that I’m writing about working on this piece, I realize how many new techniques I tried…all at the same time! I used the Surf Prep Sander for the first time, Country Chic Paint and Wax for the first time, and a new Home Right paint sprayer! Plus, I figured out how to calculate, draft and send a invoice for time and materials! Like a real business!
Process and Materials
Since this piece was previously painted with an unknown paint type, I decided to hit it with my Dixie Belle BOSS (stain blocker) and do some light priming. I didn’t want to lay the primer on thick because I didn’t want pooling around the bamboo details. I share most of my techniques in videos on our IG page, so be sure you’re following @the.restored.dogwood. I believe in taking the time to prep a piece correctly, so that meant light sanding, taping, BOSSing and priming. All things you can see in our IG reels. My client chose Country Chic “Elegance” for the outside and “Crinoline” on the inside. If you’re not familiar with Country Chic Paint, I highly recommend you check out their page and all the fabulous painters on IG who use their products. I love that it’s a Canadian brand with a focus on being eco friendly. Canada is leaps and bounds ahead of the US in terms of product safety, banning more harmful ingredients from products than the US, so I knew the paint would be on the very safe side for using inside.
Unfortunately, I only documented my surf prep sanding in reels and IGTV so I don’t have any pictures to share here, but the surf prep is as awesome as everyone says. 😉 Another fun technique I used for the first time: decal transfers! My client saw the Cosmic Rose pattern from Redesign with Prima on our inspiration piece, and it just so happens the Dixie Belle retailer at Vintage Magnolia is also a Prima retailer! So I ordered the pattern through her supporting Both her small business and Vintage Magnolia. Win! It is super easy to apply and very forgiving; it doesn’t have to be perfect, that’s saying a lot coming from me who is Miss Perfection when it comes to anything furniture. There are gobs of videos on how to use so I encourage you to try out on some drawers that are too nice to paint, but need some pizzazz.
The entire project took longer than I anticipated, and towards the end I switched from hand painting to spray painting. I still have a lot to learn about the paint sprayer as there’s a big learning curve, but if I can get comfortable with it, I think it will help me be more efficient. The final night, after a full day of working a new part time job at a local home gift store, hottie husband helped me hand wax the entire cabinet from top to bottom.
This piece was so big and heavy I decided all painting would be done in the garage, and staging as well. I created a staging wall from peel and stick shiplap wallpaper and a big plywood panel. Even after all that, I still wasn’t able to get a good shot of the entire cabinet after it was complete, but I did what I could, and thank goodness my friend sent me a picture of it in the final location.
We were very happy with the final result, but the most important thing was the CLIENT was happy!! I can’t believe how much I learned through this process; immediately after we delivered the piece I was already thinking about what I could work on next. 😉
What do you think of this piece! Drop us a comment we’d love to hear!
