Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Project Makeover

Have any of you ever sanded anything by hand before? I have not. But when I got this old fashioned sewing box for Christmas from my mom, I knew it needed a makeover.

This is the said (ugly) sewing box turned planter.
However, I was unsure what exactly I was going to do with it. Seven months later, I knew that I wanted to spray paint it white. Have you noticed that white furniture is popping (I accidentally wrote pooping instead of popping. haha) up everywhere? I have, and that's where I got my inspiration. BUT...I have no idea how to sand anything, or how to do it well. So I googled "how to spray paint wooden furniture" and I got some ideas. So I headed to good 'ole Walmart to get medium-grain sandpaper, wood primer, and spray paint.

Necessary Materials
I headed to my apartment complex's backyard, crossed my fingers, and began the long process of sanding. 

One down, three to go
Is this what properly sanded wood is supposed to look like?
I still have no idea if I did it correctly...
Then it was time to prime. Priming apparently allows the paint to show up more vibrantly or something? I'm not sure of the details, haha. I just wing it. I added several coats of the primer and waited for the coats to dry before I started spray painting.

All primed and ready to go.
I forgot my hair-tie in the apartment, and it was hot outside. So I figured out a way to use my sunglasses to keep my hair up.


Now comes the part that I actually know how to do. Point the spray can at the thing you want to paint, press down, and spray. I didn't want to get paint all over the grass (because I know someone will complain about it), so I tried to contain the paint in the tub while I sprayed.


If you don't get paint all over your hands, then
you're not doing it right.
I waited overnight and then added two more coats the next day to get the finished product!

Done!
For my first time sanding something to completely transform it, I'm rather proud of the way it turned out.

Stay cool, people! I really mean stay cold. But stay cool, too.

-Sar

4 comments:

  1. I am doing this exact thing with a dresser! (specifically: the dresser that I stole from kelsey when she moved out of the farm). I wonder if we were inspired by the same "how to spraypaint wooden furniture" blog post. Based on your pictures, it kind of looks like we were.

    However, I was really lazy w/r/t/ the sanding part.

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  2. Becky-Hahahhaa, that's awesome! I would be really nervous doing a big piece of furniture like that...but since doing this small thing pretty well, it gives me confidence that I can do something bigger. I've been thinking about possibly doing bookshelves that I got from Ikea. Our apartment is really dark (there's barely ANY natural light), so I was thinking that making them white might lighten things up a bit...Post pictures on fb when you're done with the dresser, I'd love to see how it turns out!

    -Sar

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  3. although I am impressed with the makeover, I am doubly impressed with the sunglasses hair genius!

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