My submission for Casa's "Open House: Renewing Your Home":
I recently acquired a "liquor cabinet" from craigslist. As soon as I saw the picture I could see the potential in it. I love its lines and plan on re-painting it.
These are the pictures I saw online:
I thought that it was solid wood, but it is not (I still do not regret the purchase). The whole top of it, the drawer, the front of the swivel cabinet and the shelf were covered with faux bois contact paper. When I pulled the paper off it removed some of the wood veneer, and a corner of the table must have been chipped underneath.
Damaged Veneer
Chipped Corner
I know I want to paint it with a very high gloss paint to give it a lacquered look.
I also have color issues- I think that down the line I might want it white to put in an entryway with pale gray walls (when I eventually have a house), but for now I am in a rental with white walls and it would disappear if it was white. I'm thinking a light grey (my living room is black and different grays).
Here are my issues:
1- Should I use wood putty to fill in the corner?
2- How should I treat the areas where the veneer was removed so that the paint looks smooth?
3- What kind of paint will adhere best to the smooth wood veneer? Do I need to ever so slightly scuff it first?
4- Should I use a spray paint or liquid paint?
5- Any color suggestions?
Cultbeauty
I tried putty to fix some bad edges on a dresser and it didn't work so well. You may want to think about buying some wood trim and nailing it around the edges. That will cover the bad spots and even can create a nice decorative addition.
1Cool piece! I think it will look great when finished. Yes on the wood putty, but don't try to do it all at once. Build it up slowly, allowing each coat to dry before applying another and sand as you go. Then, sand smooth. You can use this method on the areas missing veneer as well.
You'll want to sand the slick areas to give it "tooth" and rough it up a little. Also, I would prime the piece with a primer coat before applying the color you wish to use.
Since paint can easily be re-painted, I would go for a bold look with a strong accent color that you plan to use; you use always re-paint to use somewhere else later!
2ooh this is a fun project. i would definitely start by buffing/scraping/sanding off the entire thing, so that its all one texture. then you will want to seal the wood, and paint it with a primer before using the color. and do NOT use spray paint. liquid paint is the way to go.
you can definitely use wood putty for the corner.
as for color, i would go for a more muted tone right now. definitely in the light gray family - but with a blue or purple undertone.
3and remember, when choosing a color, always picture it 2 X darker than it is on the pantone, because thats how it comes out.
Hi! I'll be posting on this in the near future on Casa, with readers' suggestions along with a suggestion from a pro.
4i love craigslist for furniture! the job ads however are a little sketch.
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