Montgomery Ward Chair Trash to Treasure

Just in case you think that bloggers have got it all together, let me give you a little background on this project.  I started this back in January and this is July.  I'm very good at putting things off, also known as procrastinating.

I usually finish my projects once I start them, but will make no promises as to when that will be.

Here is the chair that was given to me by a dear friend.  I have a collection of chairs that come in handy when we have a large dinner and I run around the house collecting them to put around our dining table.

This chair closely matches my buffet which I hope to paint sometime in the future.  (Note the Christmas decorations on the buffet.  I told you I procrastinate.  This photo was taken in early January.)

My husband had to cut a new plywood seat.  Even though this one was terribly cracked it was sturdy (more likely petrified) beyond belief.  But, to be safe we replaced the wood.

This is the Mongomery Ward tag that was attached to the bottom of the seat.

If you read my blog you know that the table did get finished way before this chair and I blogged about it here.

This was the dingy/dirty chair cover that I removed.

Nasty/stinky padding was removed.

I used left over fabric from my window coverings to replace the old chair fabric (please ignore the dirty window)...

and cut new padding...

The chair was painted as per the instructions for the side table above.  You can check out the link for the "Side Table Transformation" for that information.

I found some blue and white checked fabric napkins in my buffet that I used to cover the chair back and added a button in the center.

What do you think?  Should I paint the buffet?  What year do you think I might get that done?  

I'm linking today with:

Fabulously Creative Friday... Linky party!

Table and Chair Makeover Beginning Stages

I've finally started my furniture makeover that I had planned for January.  There's nothing like waiting until the end of the month to do a monthly project.  If I hadn't mentioned in my blog that I was going to paint these two pieces, it would still be on my list of things to do.   Once I start a project though, I finish it.

I started by taking the seat off the chair and giving it a good sanding.   The table I did not sand because I'm doing a test to see how well my primer adheres without sanding first.  I used Zinsser Bullseye 1-2-3 Primer.  It is supposed to work on glossy surfaces without sanding.  An end table doesn't get as much abuse as a chair plus with all the detail it would not have been much fun to sand.  I'm not lazy; this is a test.  Just keep that in mind.  I've used a deglosser before and don't like using products that require ventilation in the middle of winter.

The above photo shows the pieces with one coat of primer.  Today I decided to add a second coat of primer and one coat of paint and will share that with you soon.  

Makeover Projects For January

I found this table over a year ago at my neighbor's garage sale and posted about it here.  

I had big plans for this table and it still looks like this.

A good friend gave me this chair a while back and I put it in the basement until I had time to work on it.  This Christmas we needed some extra seating so we brought this up and put it at the dining table.  Believe it or not, before I show you the next photo, this chair is extremely sturdy.  It held up all through Christmas dinner.  

Looks like we definitely need to cut a new seat before I recover it.  What do you think?

Now take a closer look at that tag.  Just in case you can't read the writing, it says Montgomery Ward, Kansas City, MO.  

Probably not what some people would consider quality furniture, but Montgomery Ward sure brings back childhood memories.

I will be painting and sharing the process soon.

Painting the Kitchen Cabinets Saga

It's been a very long process, but I'm about to see the finish line as I continue painting the kitchen cabinets.  Here are the stages I've gone through:

1.  Wash cabinets

2.  Sand lightly

3.  Fill holes

4.  Drill new holes for new hardware

5.  Wash again to make sure no saw dust remains

6.  Cover knot holes with knot hole sealer

7.  Caulk

8.  Apply one coat of sealer

9.  Apply two coats of paint

Rick picked up a second gallon of paint for me the other day and told the salesman that I would do a commerical for their Benjamin Moore Advance Satin paint because I love it that much.  Brush strokes level out and you are left with a very smooth finish.

I'm seriously in love with this paint! 

This cubby is for my new white microwave but is temporarily housing items from across the room.

Here the bottom cabinets were finished and I was about to tackle the top cabinets.  My husband loved the knotty pine cabinets and I liked them too, but they were in pretty bad shape.   He does admit that they look much better now.  See all those pesky knot holes I had to seal.  If you don't apply knot hole sealer they will bleed through the paint.  I know this from experience.

Everything from the top is now stored below. 

That black dishwasher is headed out as soon as I sell another large painting. 

I'm loving this new cottage look with the white paint.

The only thing left is to finish up painting the doors.

I'm lining drawers and shelves with the red and white check liner.

Only one more coat of paint on my doors tomorrow and then three days to dry before putting them back up.  With a 16 hour dry time between coats of paint,  it becomes a very long process.  Hopefully next week I can put everthing back and share the completed project with you. 

I hope to be back to painting on canvas again next week!

Catherine Holman

Painted Furniture

Miss Mustard Seed is hosting "Furniture Feature Friday".  So, I decided to share some of the pieces of funiture that I've painted over the years for our home. 

Cabinet in our dining room:

Sorry about the Christmas decorations, but this is the table that I painted to match the above cabinet. 

Side view of the cupboard in our kitchen:

Front view of the same cupboard:

Closeup of the cupboard at Christmas:

This is not exactly a furniture piece, but it's a faux fireplace that I painted in our living room as well as the pediment above it:

Closeup at Christmas:

I've got lots of pieces still to paint and feel the need to get started after seeing these photos once again.  What have you painted lately?  Stop by Miss Mustard Seed's blog to get some great furniture painting ideas.