Paris chic buffet makeover

About 8 years ago I purchased an amazing buffet from an estate sale for $50. I did a gorgeous diamond pattern paint job to it. The process was done by taking an 8 inch floor tile to trace the pattern. It was a long process to trace and paint, but I was very pleased with the end result.

Looks great from a distance, but when you get close up there is peeling veneer, peeling paint, water stains, and knobs have come unglued from the base.

To prep the buffet, I filled the area where the veneer peeled with compound.

Once completely dry, I sanded it to a smooth finish. Although I did not prime the entire piece before painting my new pattern (it was primed before the original paint job), I did prime the area I just covered with compound.

I always liked this color, but it has worn on me after all these years and it was time for a change. I wanted to go with a Paris chic style, so I decided to use the black paint from my bedroom. The color is called French Beret from Benjamin Moore. The contrasting color I used on this piece was the French Beret with a little white mixed in.

I was going to maintain the same diamond pattern. This can be very time consuming, so I wanted the project to go as smoothly as possible. I am not a big fan of taping off patterns on furniture because the lines can tend to be to perfect. So the next best solution for me is to hand paint each and every line. The best way to do this is by investing in a good brush. Many shy away from this because they don't want to spend the $20$30. Instead, many by $1 brushes from the dollar store, the flea market, or Wal Mart. Please trust me when I say you are going to end up spending $25 on those before the life of your good brush ends.

My favorite brush to use is my Purdy.

This brush has been lovingly used for 2 years. I have literally used it for hundreds of projects and room renovations. The condition is still great and it still has tons of life left in it. Well worth the investment. The key is to spend the extra time giving it a good cleaning after each use.

My Purdy brush was perfect for this project because the bristles move along smoothly and the angled bristles help me cut in along my lines and corners to perfection.

Yes, the project is long and tedious, but with out my Purdy brush, I never would have achieved these straight lines. Plus the project would have taken much longer with a crappy cheaply made brush.

When I came to an edge or corner, I used a piece of paper as a guide for my lines. The reason behind this is that the paper will bend where needed helping to continue with straight lines.

Here is the buffet after one coat of paint....

After this, I distressed the piece with my palm sander, repaired broken knobs with gorilla glue, and covered the entire piece with a coat of polyurethane. The knobs are my favorite part of the piece. I purchased these from Anthropologie years ago on clearance for $3 each.

Despite the amount of time, I am very pleased with the end result. I can't wait to refill the drawers and decorate the top.

Take care,
Lisa

I am entering this project in the monthly DIY CLUB contest.

The parties I am linking this to can be viewed HERE