Even though I have never painted before, ever, I've decided to turn my hand to upholstery/upcycling. I have been interested in upcycling for a while now, and I've decided to give it a go.
My sister, Susan, gave me some planks of wood she didn't want. I took them off her, not knowing why I wanted them. I hadn't decided to try upcycling then. I'm glad I kept them, they're ideal for my first upcycle project. I won't be making anything with the wood, just painting them, but I will be able to practice my sanding, using primer and undercoat and, most importantly, my painting.
I watched a few videos on YouTube on how to prepare and paint my wooden slats.
Tracy Metro - "How To Paint Wood Furniture" - in collaboration with Dunn-Edwards Paints
Miss Adire Mateo - "DIY Thrift Store Chair Remix"
Both ladies walked me through what I needed to do, but I also had help from Pinterest.
Christine - "The DIY Dreamer"
Angie Holden - "The Country Chic Cottage". Angie has tips and tricks on painting a chair.
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| Three sets of slats washed and ready to be primed |
To start with, I washed down the board and sanded them with my electric sander and sanding sheets No.80. I then wiped down the wood after sanding and left them to dry. After drying, I put on some primer.
I let the primer dry for the rest of the day and the next day, I sanded with No.400 and put the first coat of undercoat on. Again, I left the board to dry for the day and the next day, I again sanded then put the second coat of undercoat on.
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| Slats, after primer/undercoat was applied |
Next day, I sanded and put the first coat of red paint. I let that dry and the next day I sanded, yet again, then put the second coat of red paint on. I like the look of the project after the second coat, but I'm thinking of doing a third coat, just for luck.
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| Finished painted slats after two coats of red paint |
I know I am doing a lot of sanding, but it was recommended to sand inbetween coats and I believe good preparation makes for a great finish. The one thing I would recommend is to get good quality primer, undercoat and paint. Cutting corners is not doing you any favours.
Now for the next two. I'm going to do one in white and the third one in duck egg blue. Quite excited to see how they turn out.
I've been wondering what to use these planks of wood for and I suddenly thought about putting things on them, eg. flower pots, books, pots and pans etc.
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| Ideal to put flower pots on |
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| Great for storing pots and pans |
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| Extra shelf space for magazines, books and dvds |
As a first time painter, I've enjoyed the experience a lot and I look forward to doing more upcycling.
