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Furniture Makeover by The Painted Hive

10 August 2010

Hey guys! Once again I'm stoked to be back here at Remodelaholic to share another project. If you maybe missed my previous guest posts, please allow me to introduce myself: I'm Kristine and I write The Painted Hive blog. I'm still a bit of a newbie in town so you're forgiven for never having heard of me :-) Anyways, I love a good furniture makeover and here's one of my most recent ones. I found this cute little cupboard in the gutter.
Needless to say within a few minutes it had magically teleported itself to the back of my car!
I knew that with a little love someone would eventually prefer this little guy inside their home so got to work painting the body in rich ebony before distressing and sealing it.
Well, that was the easy part though because here's the main reason I imagine it was on the curb to begin with:
Someone had been waaay too zealous with an electric sander. Not only is there chipboard showing through the veneer, those lines you can probably make out are actually deep ridges. Sure I coulda just filled, sanded and painted the whole top though I wanted to make a bit more of a statement than that. Enter....my good friend gift wrap.
I adore gorgeous paper and for some reason have always been drawn to vintage maps -
which I thought would be just perfect for this project.
The sheet of gift wrap I bought wasn't quite big enough to cover the whole top of the cabinet so I took it to my local printer who scanned, enlarged and printed a new copy for just $20.
Before I started hacking away at my gorgeous new print I first created an accurate template using baking paper which I could use as a guide when cutting it out.
Once cut to size, I gave the map a few light coats of clear matte spray.
This just helps protect the ink and stops it from running if the paper becomes too damp during the gluing or final sealing process. It also helps to stiffen the paper and avoid bubbling.
To attach the paper I applied a pretty thick coat of slightly diluted PVA to the cabinet then smoodged (hey, it' a word) my map into place.
I then applied about five coats of satin clear sealer using a paint bush making sure to cover all of the edges really well.

To tie-in with the map theme I also created these cute little compass knobs using basic DIY decals. Anyone with a printer and standard copy paper can do this at home!
Simply paint a plain timber knob any colour you like then find or create a design on your computer and print it out onto normal paper.
(It's best if the background colour of your design matches the colour of your knob so it blends in seamlessly).
Here's my compass design if anyone wants to use it. Just re-scale it to the size you need
:-)
The process of attaching it to the knob is basically the same as that I used for adhering my map to the cabinet top.
Give your design a few light coats of clear matte spray, cut around it closely and then glue and smoodge (word of the day) it into place on your knob. Finish with a few coats of satin sealer to protect it and voila!
I loved making these and the possibilities are practically endless - you could use letters, numbers, symbols, little clock faces, cartoon characters...anything!
Seriously - LURVE it!
Anyways, before I sign off here are a few final before and afters just for comparisons sake:
BEFORE
AFTER
BEFORE
AFTER
I hope you enjoyed this little project.
There's always stuff like this going on over at my blog so if this kinda thing floats your boat feel free to stop by sometime.

27 comments:

Tru August 10, 2010 at 7:42 AM  

Oh, so nice... Great idea about the knobs. Just became your newest follower.

Belinda August 10, 2010 at 8:09 AM  

What a transformation! I wish I could find treasures like that to transform!

Jane, Naples, Florida August 10, 2010 at 8:54 AM  

This cabinet is fabulous! One of the
best makeovers I have ever seen! Thank
you for the inspiration! Just goes to
show you what you can do with found furniture!

Jane
Flora Doora

Amanda G August 10, 2010 at 9:01 AM  

I love the map idea! I think I may just have to borrow that one since the piece I was refinishing didn't get out of the rain in time and the veneer is splitting in one spot. :(
Amanda (from: myramblings.ca)

Lori August 10, 2010 at 9:27 AM  

Oh my gosh! This is one of the most beautiful furniture transformations I have ever seen. Not only is the map top totally cool, the compass images on the knobs just tie everything together! Fabulous!

Ms. Bake-it August 10, 2010 at 10:05 AM  

I love it! She did a fabulous job. The use of a vintage looking map and compass design on the knobs was quite ingenious!

~ Tracy

Anonymous,  August 10, 2010 at 10:16 AM  

what a great find, i adore this!!
lifeofperks.blogspot.com

Six in One Hand August 10, 2010 at 10:19 AM  

What an amazing job on such an awesome find!!!!
Your design is simply magnificent!!!

Molly Anne August 10, 2010 at 10:27 AM  

That cabinet has such a beautiful shape that I can't believe someone threw it away! Well you did an AMAZING job with it! It is just beautiful! That gorgeous map print on top and the compass knob are just inspired. *applause*

Robert August 10, 2010 at 10:51 AM  

Wow, this blows my mind! I've always liked vintage maps as well, and this is just...incredible! I'm tempted to say it's perfect, even though nothing is.

http://downonsanford.blogspot.com/

J & L August 10, 2010 at 11:04 AM  

I love this idea!! I'm wondering why she didn't use Mod Podge?!? I've been dying to try that technique and have heard it's pretty foolproof - this is another ingenius take on it, though!!

Completely Coastal August 10, 2010 at 4:20 PM  

The compass knobs are awesome. Got to keep that in mind..., or show it on my blog!! The entire piece looks really stunning!

Maya @ Completely Coastal

Cassie Bustamante August 10, 2010 at 9:00 PM  

that piece is just stunning. i love the map and the compass knobs... so unque and clever! wonderful, kristine!

Restyled Vintage August 11, 2010 at 3:32 AM  

Kristin I am already a follower of yours :) That is stunning! What a fantastic idea using the paper, and tying in the handles to the theme...simply brilliant!

xx Karen

Shabby Lotus August 11, 2010 at 2:35 PM  

Great job! I was hoping to do something similar w/ a colorful world map to my sons armoire. Hmmm....I might do it sooner than later after seeing this.

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