I’m so exited for you to meet Annabel!
| Annabel (After) |
She’s a dainty and delicate beauty from the 1920s. She wasn’t looking so pretty when I first saw her:
| Before |
Her white paint job wasn’t the best and she was filthy:
| Before |
Nothing a good wash couldn’t fix! I really wanted her dark wood top to be restored so I consulted Miss Mustard Seed’s website to figure out how to strip paint. Her tutorial is so helpful. Marian recommended this paint stripper:
| Strypeeze Paint Stripper |
Strypeeze is a biodegradable paint stripper and didn’t smell bad at all. I did it out on the deck just to have more fresh air. I waited for the desired time and this is how the paint looked, almost a crackle effect:
| Stripping Paint |
I couldn’t contain my curiosity of what the wood would look like underneath that horrible white paint. I used a paint scraper and carefully ran it along the surface. This stripper worked great! It was so easy to use. I discarded the pealing paint into an empty Illy can. I’m happy to report her wood is absolutely gorgeous:
| Stripping |
That was after the first time with the stripper and I decided to do a second time to get the rest off. If you look closely you can see gold leafing. I left some on to add to the character of the piece. After all the paint was off, I lightly sanded, washed with alcohol.
| Down to bare wood! |
I then stained with Minwax in Special Walnut and sealed with four coats of hemp oil. Annabel was then painted with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Duck Egg Blue (my favorite). I lightly distressed her and sealed with two coats of clear wax.
I added an antique crystal knob:
| Crystal Knob |
and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Primer Red for inside the drawer:
Her warm wood is glowing again:
| Refinished wood |
All her little details really stand out now.
What do you think of her? I’m donating Annabel to The 2013 Scituate Food Pantry Benefit which is being held at the Maritime Center in Scituate on Saturday, May 18th. I encourage as many as possible to attend and would love you to bid on Annabel, your support of the auction could help so many lives in our local community. Annabel and I look forward to seeing you there!
| Annabel (After) |
