Flippin Furniture Blog

I rarely pass up a cedar chest in good shape and I have had several through the years.  I love to get a hold of them and it’s super fun if I can actually personalize it just a little bit, also! As with most projects, I start by cleaning up the piece and getting up close and personal, looking for any areas that need extra help.  Sometimes the piece might need extra reinforcements or putty or any number of things.  Luckily this one did not. My next step was to sand the whole piece just enough to give the paint something to grab onto. Next, clean it all up with again and let dry completely. Since I was going with white, I needed to use a stain blocker first.  My go-to is always Dixie Belle’s “Boss”.  I only used one coat.  But please read the instructions on the container if you have any questions!  They suggest you do a test spot of paint and if it bleeds through then you need a second coat, blah, blah, blah. Anywho, after the stain blocker was dry, I was ready to paint.  I used two coats of Dixie Belle’s Cotton (my favorite white paint), using a 2” angled brush.  The brush I used was from Miss Lillian’s.   And of course I waited for the first coat to dry completely before I did the second coat. Now is the funnest part for me!  Adding something that makes it unique.  The cherry on top.  The personalization.  I chose this stencil.  It just happened to be the right size and sentiment for the look I wanted.  I’ve had my stencil for years and I can’t remember where I purchased it, so I found a few on Amazon that you may like instead. To do the stencil, I laid down an old blanket and then tipped the whole chest backwards so that that front of the chest was now facing up.  I hope that makes sense!  It’s just easier to stencil in that position for me.  You can use painters tape to hold the stencil in place if that makes you more comfortable.  I generally do not, but sometimes wish I had. Once you have the stencil where you want it, taped down or not, and have your paint for the stencil ready, grab your paint dabber and load it.  I used Dixie Belle’s Caviar for the lettering. Just gently get a little of the paint on the surface of your dabber and then off load just a little.  Then you can try it on a paper plate or whatever you choose, just to check the coverage.  When you are happy with that, start dabbing over your stencil!  Go lightly, but get it all covered.  Don’t press too hard or you can risk squishing the paint up under the stencil and you definitely do not want that!  You can remove the stencil once you have the whole stencil covered.  While the stencil paint was drying, I went ahead and got the antiquing glaze out.  I used Miss Lillian’s Antiquing Glaze in Truffle.  I put my finger inside a rag and then got just a little bit of the glaze on the rag, and then wiped it back off, leaving just a little of the glaze on the rag.  Then I just rubbed in on everywhere I wanted it to go.  I also took a cheap little chip brush with just a tiny bit of the glaze on it to get in the cracks that I couldn’t reach with my finger.  If you get too much glaze on and need to take it back off, you can use a damp rag, paper towel, or cleaning wipe.  Once the glaze was dry, it was ready to be sealed.  Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat in Satin is my favorite.  It doesn’t yellow with age, which is super important when you are painting light colors.  One coat of the clear coat and done.  This chest now has a beautiful new face-lift and should be enjoyed for many, many years to come!!! Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Dewalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/39lK2s4 Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/39nEqgT Dixie Belle’s Paint in “Cotton” Miss Lillian’s Antiquing Glaze in “Truffle” – https://misslillianspaint.net/miss-lillians-antiquing-glaze/ Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat in Satin – https://amzn.to/2SzJQ1K Miss Lillian’s 2” Angled Brush – Stencil – https://www.thestencilsmith.com/products/3233-home-is-where-your-story-begins?_pos=14&_sid=8c745b4f3&_ss=r&aff=6 Paint Daubers – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/jumbo-daubers-pack-of-6-notions Sanding Sponge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/paint-sticks-fusion Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/2OKo8H0

This sweet little vanity… I have had the pleasure of redoing it twice now! It was bought on an auction several years ago for 5 whole dollars!!! I used to be able to get three whole truck loads for $100! Unfortunately, those days came and went in a hurry.  Luckily I had the foresight or hoarder tendencies, potato, pototo, and managed to stockpile quite a bit. The first time I redid it was for my best friend’s daughter. As you can see, she was into all things hot pink, black, and zebra! We all found it terribly adorable at the time.  Fast forward 6 years and the little girl was no longer little and no longer in the pink, black, and zebra.  Thankfully they asked me if I wanted it back.   Vanities in good shape are a hot commodity! Come to Momma!!! Let’s Get Started! First of all, I cleaned it up to see what I was dealing with.  Next, I sanded the whole piece, including as much around the mirror as I could.  Nothing aggressive.  Just enough to give the next coat of paint something to grab onto.  Be careful around the mirror!  I have scratched a mirror or two with the sanding sponge or electric sander and I don’t know that there is a way to fix that! Next, came the stain blocker.  I use Dixie Belle’s “Boss” and it always does the trick.  You must use a stain block when using a lighter color, otherwise, you may just be wasting your time.  Without the block, the wood tannin’s have a tendency to react with most sealers and will bleed through which will ruining all of your hard work.  And I don’t want that for you!!  I use one coat of the stain blocker but a lot of people use two. After the “Boss” has completely dried, I brush on my first coat of paint, in Miss Lillian’s “Vintage Storm”.  It is a super pale gray that almost looks white in photos and is even very pale in person.  This shade of paint is so pretty!  Two coats of paint were brushed on. I could have left it alone, but I felt it was too blah, just my opinion. I couldn’t leave it like it was! This is where the antiquing glaze came in.  My favorite dark glaze is Miss Lillian’s Black Walnut Antiquing Glaze.  It is my go-to.  The glaze can be applied several different ways.  It mainly depends on what you want it to look like in the end.  I used a rag, wiping it on with a very light pressure.  You can always add more if it’s not dark enough.  And if you get too much on, you can wipe it off with a cleaning wipe.  I have used Clorox wipes and Great Value wipes with success.  A wet paper towel would even work, I just happen to have the wipes near me most of the time.  But if you need to pull some glaze back off, it needs to be done sooner rather than later or it isn’t going anywhere.    Then I allowed the glaze to cure overnight before I applied a top coat. I use different top coats for different reasons.  I used Dixie Belle’s clear coat in Satin for this one.  Mostly, this is my favorite top coat. In the past, I’ve used Polycrylic. I then was introduced to Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat.  Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat is a little thicker and helps avoid having as many runs. I went with black, all new hardware. And that’s it!  Vanities are always in demand.  This vanity was sold before I had it finished!    Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Sanding Sponge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/paint-sticks-fusion DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/2OJxNxx Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/2SxUuWP Dixie Belle’s Boss Stain Blocker – https://amzn.to/2HcjPjI Miss Lillian’s 2” Angle Brush Miss Lillian’s Paint – Vintage Storm – https://misslillianspaint.net/not-just-fifty-shades-of-gray-chalk-paints/ Miss Lillian’s Antiquing Glaze – Black Walnut – https://misslillianspaint.net/miss-lillians-antiquing-glaze/ Dixie Belle’s Clear Coat – Satin – https://amzn.to/39psGe2 Old Rag (To Apply Glaze) Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/2Sd6ldR

A lady left a message saying she had several pieces in storage that she wants to get rid of.…free and cheap.  Hmmmm…  I’ve heard this one before. Then you get there and it’s either really junky or their version of cheap differs greatly from mine.  But…I had her send me some pictures and prices and she was definitely on the same chapter, in the same book! This is just one of the many pieces I picked up from her in the two trailer loads that I picked from her! Let’s Get Started! To start with, this one was all white.  It was painted years ago so as a result it got lots of dings and scrapes but it was very well made so, of course, very heavy but I didn’t care for the decorative pulls.  Luckily they came off with just a couple screws! Sometimes, when a piece comes to me already painted white, I will just sand off anything loose, add more distressing, and just seal it.  White chippy, distressed goodness.  But…this one had these big beautiful boxy drawers that were just like a blank canvas begging me to do something special! I had been wanting to try out these furniture transfers for a while and this seems like was the perfect piece to use them on! After removing the decorative pieces on the front, I got busy sanding the paint off. I just wanted to sand enough paint off for the paint to grab onto but it sanded off so easily!  Down to the bare wood. The decorative pulls left two holes so I filled them in with wood putty and sanded them level once it was dry.  Then I just drilled new holes where I wanted the new knobs to go. After looking at the colors of the transfer, I chose Miss Lillian’s paint in Statesboro and got busy painting it.  I put on one coat and let it sit overnight, applying the second coat the next day.  Then came the fun part! I have always loved florals.  Floral shirts, floral jeans, flowers in general.  I remember my mom one time commenting that I looked like a “blooming idiot”!  All in good fun!  Not sure that it even had anything to do with my outfit actually! ? I painted it with two coats of Statesboro, and let it dry completely. I grabbed my transfer and decided what parts I wanted to use. The transfers come with a little wooden stick to press/rub the transfers onto the furniture.  You could also tape it down to help keep it in place while rubbing.  I generally do not because I am scared of pulling up the paint with the tape. (You also do not want to be too aggressive.)  I have and that caused the image to move which kind of messed up the image, (not on this project though).  But there are ways around that, too.  There are no mistakes in the paint world, lol.  I rubbed the transfers on and all that was left was to seal the whole piece.  I brushed on Dixie Belle’s Top Coat in Satin for the finish.  My mom ended up with this dresser for Christmas.  She told me to hold it for her and she would come pay for it but that helped me decide what to do for a Christmas gift, so win, win!  ? Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/2OJGtnD Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/2Sd4GF9 Wood Putty – https://amzn.to/3bnFgfH Bowl of Water/Rag Miss Lillian’s Paint – Statesboro – https://misslillianspaint.net/gorgeous-green-chalk-paints/ Fuchsia Sunset Prima Transfer – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/fuchsia-sunset-redesign-decor-transfer Dixie Belle Top Coat Satin – https://amzn.to/2UGHila New Knobs These transfers are so fun and different.  There are several in my stash that I want to try sometime in the near future!  I actually have quite a bit of this transfer left.  I could easily do another dresser with what is left, but I don’t want to overdo it.  Stay tuned!  And as always, I would love to see what you are working on!

Hey!  This is one of my favorite makeovers!  I don’t normally make time to go chasing after furniture or any items anymore however these were a different story. I think I saw them pop up in my Facebook feed and about fell out of my chair.  They were cheap.  $20 EACH.  And they had three of them!!!  SOLD  Yes, please…I’ll take them all!!!!  We got really lucky that I could fit them all into my SUV or I would have had to go back for my trailer.  I was not going to let these slip through my fingers.  We set up the time to meet and it was a done deal.  I absolutely love lockers in all shapes and sizes! My daughter and I picked them up from a local school from their Shop Class. They had been using the cabinets for storage and had recently gotten new, so they no longer needed these.  SCORE!!! The vision for this cabinet was mine, but I have to give my builder credit for the hard parts!  First, I had my builder put on low profile casters so it could roll easily because they have some weight to them so I felt it would be a definite bonus for whoever was lucky enough to snatch them up. Second, I had him add the thick lumber on top. The thick lumber added 2″ to the height of the piece. So, once he put on the casters and the wood top, it was back to my workshop… Unfortunately, I do not have hardly any pictures of project in progress.  This was before I started blogging so I did not realize at the time that pictures along the journey are a great thing to have!  Learning as I go! I actually did not do a whole lot to the cabinets themselves.  I’m usually about the path of least resistance.  To start, I sanded the whole locker with my little mouse sander.  I went pretty aggressively except for where the numbers were.  I pushed gently there, just enough to sand off the paint so you could see the numbers again.  If you sanded too hard, you could sand the number completely off and I did not want that!  The numbers add to the cool factor, for me anyway! After I sanded the whole thing and washed it all down, I was in love with how it looked.  I thought about painting it, but I just felt it was perfect and I wasn’t going to mess with perfection.  Once dry, I sprayed a couple coats of Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane, letting dry between coats.  Afterwards, it was time to work on the wood top.  I stained it with Minwax Stain in dark walnut.  I let the stain dry overnight and then sealed it.  You could use any number of sealers on there.  I used Minwax Polycrylic in Satin and brushed it on, letting dry a couple hours between coats.  I think I ended up putting on 3 coats. Supplies: This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Tool Shop Mouse Sander (Menards) Minwax Spray Polyurethane Satin – https://amzn.to/2w9iw2V Minwax Polycrylic Satin – https://amzn.to/2UEzSi3 Minwax Stain – Dark Walnut – https://amzn.to/2UIqOc2 Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/2SCPJLq And that’s all folks!  I did all 3 cabinets the same way and all three found homes right away!  I wish I could have kept one, but I already have a full house! ?

I felt like this sweet little yellow washstand was cute enough as it was, in its mustard yellow state, but it had been in my store for a bit and didn’t sell, so I brought it home to rejuvenate it! I asked my followers what color it should be and of course there were tons of ideas, but I wanted to stick with a color that would maybe fit into more homes. Let’s Get Started! I started by sanding the whole piece with my Dewalt sander.  Just a light sanding over the whole piece to give the new paint something to grab onto, and a little more time spent on the edges where I would be distressing it later. Next I just cleaned it up with a wet rag and let it dry.  Once completely dry, I gave it a coat of Dixie Belle’s “Caviar”.  I let that sit overnight and then put on a second coat.  After the second coat was good and dry, I went over the places that I wanted to be distressed, with the sander again.  Once I had everything distressed how I wanted it, it was time to wash it down again and let it dry. The last step was sealing it with Dixie Belle’s clear coat in satin.  Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/2SCOvji Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/2UFVV81 Dixie Belle Caviar Paint – https://amzn.to/2SCCAlP Old Wash Rag/Bowl of Water Dixie Belle Clear Coat – https://amzn.to/2uCZh0W It has a nice new look and would be so cute in an entryway and you could drop your keys in the bowl or add it to your bedroom décor?  Where would you use it??

We were actually using this filing cabinet at my store originally.  I think I painted it white, just one coat, and didn’t have time to finish it so we just used it this way for a couple years.  Now that I no longer needed it, it was time to work on it. Let’s Get Started! I washed it and then sanded it lightly, just to give the new paint some gription. Then I applied a coat of the Dixie Belle Caviar and let it dry a few hours and put on a second coat.  Once it was good and dry, then came the fun part!  This was my first time with the patina paint.  And it was so easy!  I just used a paint brush and lightly brushed it on where I wanted it to be!  Easy peasy.  Once that was completely dry (I let it sit overnight) and sealed it with Minwax Polyurethane.  Done!  Have you jazzed up your own filing cabinet? I also did one of my own a year or so ago.  Painted brown and numbered it.  Why should your filing cabinet look just as good as the other furniture pieces in your home? Please show me yours if you’ve done something fun with yours!!! Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Sanding Sponge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/paint-sticks-fusion?_pos=3&_sid=0b98db19a&_ss=r Dixie Belle’s Black Caviar Paint – https://amzn.to/2w19ip3 Miss Lillian’s Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/39oSlDq Dixie Belle’s Copper Patina Paint – https://dixiebellepaint.com/patina-paint/ Minwax Polyurethane – https://amzn.to/2SdMyek Paint Brush – https://amzn.to/39oSlDq

I used to do markets at my place when I had the store.  At the end of one of the markets, I ended up buying out one of the vendors.  He had lots of cool stuff and after the market, I was low on pieces in the store so win, win.  Anyway…this is one of the pieces that I held back to redo… Let’s Get Started! For the top of the table, I sanded it pretty aggressively.  People don’t necessarily want their tables to have seams because food gets stuck in there.  Knowing this, I decided to fill the seams with wood putty.  After the putty dried, I sanded it all again.  After it was smooth, cleaned and dried, I painted it with Heirloom Traditions burlap.  Just one good coat.  Then let that dry a few hours and came back with the Swamp Muds and striped them together on the top.  I will be doing a tutorial on this soon so if this is as clear as mud, the tutorial will be out soon. Let the muds dry several hours or overnight. Once the muds have dried several hours or overnight, you can then apply the glaze over the whole thing.  This really ties it all together nicely.  I use an old soft rag with light pressure.  If you get too aggressive or haven’t let the stripes dry, you can rub them off while applying the glaze.  That’s why you need to allow plenty of dry time and only apply light pressure. When you are happy with the looks of it and it is dry, you can then seal it.  I used Minwax Polyurethane, 3 coats, and let dry at least over night between coats.  I also very, very lightly took my sanding sponge over the table top and wiped it clean before the 2nd and 3rd coats. For the base of the table I got really lucky.  It was already white, so I just sanded it until I was happy with the amount of distressing and then I sealed it with the Dixie Belle clear coat. Done! Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Elmers Wood Putty – https://amzn.to/2UGzZtq DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/31Jx1Go Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/3br16if Heirloom Traditions Paint – Color: Burlap Dixie Belle Clear Coat Satin – https://amzn.to/37edP4B Miss Lillian’s Brown Swamp Mud – https://misslillianspaint.net/product/uncle-jeffs-original-swamp-mud/ Miss Lillian’s Gray Swamp Mud – https://misslillianspaint.net/product/uncle-jeffs-original-swamp-mud/ Miss Lillian’s Antiquing Glaze – Color: Truffle – https://misslillianspaint.net/miss-lillians-antiquing-glaze/ Minwax Fast Drying Polyurethane – https://amzn.to/2SeVbFh Butter Knife (to use the wood putty) Old Rag

I am slowly trying to get my house converted to the neutralized farmhouse look; the whites, creams, tans, browns. They just feel so peaceful and calm to me. But just because our gumball machine is red doesn’t mean it has to go! It is getting a new look that will make it fit right in! As with most projects, this was easier and went a different way in my head. I originally planned to brush on the paint because I have some and because it’s cold outside to be spray painting. BUT, I was not loving the way that was going so I switched gears. Hmmm, I’m getting ahead of myself here… Let’s Get Started! To prep, I emptied all the skittles out (the whole time wishing I hadn’t just refilled it a week ago with 123 ounces of skittles) and took it apart and removed the plexi glass. I used a sanding disk to rough up all the areas to be painted just to give the paint a little something to grab onto. Next, I cleaned it all up with just a damp rag and then let it dry. Once completely dry, commence spray painting! Do not try to get it covered in one layer! Light coats are better and make it easier to avoid paint running and make sure to let paint dry between each coat. If you are not able to do this outside, be forewarned that will go EVERYWHERE. Spray paint magically sticks to everything around it. Even your shoes so wear old ones! Once completely dry, I just put it all back together! Now I need to find a neutral colored candy to put in it! ? Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I make a commission, your price stays the same. Sanding Sponge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/paint-sticks-fusion?_pos=3&_sid=0b98db19a&_ss=r Rust-oleum Canyon Black Satin – https://amzn.to/2tPh7h4 Old Damp Rag Tools to Take Apart Gumball Machine

I’m not even sure this one should be a blog post.  It’s just too easy! This poor, tired step stool sat outside my store for months.  I think it was priced at $18?  No takers.  Even with the 30% off sale.  Then it came home and went to the junk pile… and then I dragged it back out of the junk pile.  I wasn’t ready to give up on it yet. Let’s Get Started! I started by sanding the whole thing.  Alternating the power sander on the seat and the disk on the legs. When I started sanding, I could see that it had been painted green at one time, so I tried to get some of that vintage green to show through. Then, I removed what I could of the black rubber from the pull out steps with a paint scraper.  Naturally, it did not all come off.  Occasionally, I would use the paint scraper and grab my hammer and hit the end of the paint scraper to try and get more of the rubber off, so I decided to try an iron.  I took a wet washrag, and I laid it on top of the black rubber and put the iron on top of the rag.  Let it sit a couple minutes and took it off. Watch your fingers!! It was just enough heat to loosen up the old glue that was holding it in place, and it came right off.  The same thing on the other pull out. Then I was left with some nasty residue.  I sprayed it with Citrol and let it sit 5 minutes or so and cleaned it up.  Most of it came off with that initial time but I did do it again just to get anything that stayed behind.  I have used Citrol to degrease several projects in the past.  It’s definitely a must-have in my arsenal. Clean Up Time! Get a bowl of warm, soapy water and a rag.  I washed the entire chair, and once it was all dry, I sprayed the whole thing with the fast-drying Minwax.  I did two coats, waiting till the first coat dried entirely before adding the second coat. Voila!  That’s it!  Now you have a super cool vintage display piece! Supplies This list contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I earn a commission, your price stays the same. DeWalt Orbital Sander – https://amzn.to/2SygDUN DeWalt Orbital Sanding Discs – https://amzn.to/31G8mSS Sanding Sponge – https://flippinfurnitureshop.com/products/paint-sticks-fusion?_pos=3&_sid=0b98db19a&_ss=r Iron (I have one in the garage just for projects) – https://amzn.to/2HdZpGV Minwax Spray Fast-Drying Polyurethane – https://amzn.to/2OIb1WW Citrol – https://amzn.to/31MfDAz Paint Scraper/Putty Knife – https://amzn.to/37gGI03 Hammer – https://amzn.to/2tLFpbL Old Rag Wash Rag Have you done something similar? I wanna see it!!!