Faux Marble Painting On An Old Dresser

by THAT Painter Lady on January 21, 2010

It’s that time in our economy when “re-doing” old things is becoming popular again. We all still want to decorate our “nests’ and it’s just hard to justify “buying new”… when we can put a little elbow grease into doing a makeover on old dressers and other furniture.

Today… I received a great question in my in-box. It’s from a subscriber of my newsletter subscribers.  The question is very detailed and ask specific questions about Faux Marble Painting On An Old Dresser.

Debra -
I have really enjoyed reading your emails and your tips and tricks have been very helpful.  I have a new little project for myself and I could use your input.

I found a used dresser for $20.00 that I would like to do a faux marble finish on and use in my bedroom, primarily for a place to put the bedroom TV.

It’s modern, very square and nothing ornate on it, but it is not a huge piece.  The rest of my room has espresso colored furniture (bed and night stands). The bedspread is lime green and white Marimekko retro print. It is actually a brighter green than in the picture.

What I am thinking of using for color is a dark green that coordinates with the lime green for the background and white, espresso and silver for the marbling.

Ok, I am finally getting to the question.

I am thinking of doing the faux marbling on the entire piece – not just the top.

I want it to be an anchor piece in the room.

Is this a bad idea or should I stick to just doing the marbling on the top? Will doing the faux marbling on the entire piece give it a fake look instead of being impressive. If I do the marbling on just the top what do I do with the rest of the dresser color wise.  I don’t want to try to match the espresso of the other pieces.

I would really appreciate your input.  I have not tried to faux finish an entire piece of furniture so I am a little bit nervous about it, but I guess it is just paint.

Thank you for your help
Joani

What a fantastic project! I love that Joani is taking a risk – because she knows it’s “Just Paint”.

First… I would not suggest painting the entire piece in faux marble. The dresser will look fake and you will get tired of the results quickly.

Second… I was going to suggest a light colored marble top with a matching espresso finish on the rest of the piece. But that is NOT what Joani want’s to do. Sigh…

Third… If you paint the top of the dresser with faux marble – and then cover it with a TV and other bedroom “stuff”… all the effort to create a beautiful marble finish will have gone to waste.

So – what will I suggest?

Because “Silver” seems to be the accent material in the room -  (Brushed Nickle, Chrome or Sterling) – I think adding some silver highlights to the dresser is a good idea.

I think the top of the dresser would look fantastic in a broken silver (like mercury glass) look. My idea is to “silver leaf” the top of the dresser to resemble a mercury glass vase.  It will be have a bit of a modern look to this very plain piece – but with more interest than putting mirror on top.

The dresser hardware should be brushed nickle or chrome.

Or… silver leaf the entire dresser and paint the top a black or espresso color.

Now – What about painting the Dresser Drawer Fronts?

I love the idea of contrasting furniture in a bedroom… nothing matchy – matchy.

I like this idea for the dresser. It’s simple… clean and could be done in fresh colors to match the bedspread. This dresser has a crackle finished glaze… which is NOT the look you are going for.

The clean lines do give you the idea of how stripes could look on your dresser.

Nice shiny hardware and the aged silver leaf top… gorgeous and not hard to do.

Hey… Wait A Minute…

Did Debra Just Avoid The Subject Of Faux Marble Painting?

Nope… I will always recommend trying faux marble techniques on furniture. They look great… and if Joani is set on trying her hand at marbleizing her new (old) dresser, I have an idea for that as well.

This dresser has a faux marble green top and pickled (light wood stain) on the rest of the cabinetry.

Here is the answer…

If you are painting faux marble on a dresser top:

Use some contrast!

Light marble on dark cabinet – Dark marble on a light color dresser.

It’s clean and contemporary. Light and Fresh. This is about making the dresser look “new” … not old and country.

I hope all this rambling helps. Let me know if you are still having a problem making a design decision … LOL

*****

Cool! I got a reply I want to share!

Debra –

I was so excited to see that you not only replied to my email but that you put it on your website.

Your reply had so much helpful information you got my brain working overtime.

I have to say, your suggestion to “silver leaf” the entire dresser and paint the top espresso is my number one choice. The lamps in the room are silver and I painted the shades green to match the bedspread. Doing the dresser “silver leaf” would put some silver on the opposite side of the room, and create an impressive piece. Wonderful idea, thank you! You were really in tune with what I am trying to do.

Thank you for talking about doing dark on the cabinet and light faux marble on the top or vice versa. Very helpful tip. I have another dresser that I am going to convert to a media cabinet for the living room. This one was a real bargain at $10.00, but has great bones and a modern look. After reading your tips, I think I will do the one for the living room in a dark cabinet with a light faux marble top. Yeah, I still am going to faux marble something!!!

I am really excited and ready to get to work. Thank you so very much. You were right on the mark.

Gotta go, the projects are stacking up. I will send photos of the projects.

Joani

Isn’t it great when someone loves your advice?  I get a hug smile when I feel the excitement about new projects.

Here is the deal… you can email me questions (if you are a newsletter subscriber – I make this really easy) or you can hit reply at the bottom of this article and I will try to help you find “excitement” for your next project.

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Solutions For Ugly Kitchen Cabinets Counter Tops and Tiles

by THAT Painter Lady on July 12, 2009

By Victoria Larsen

In this tough economy, many of you are facing the fact that replacing those counters and cabinets in your kitchen is no longer in the budget. But solutions are at hand that simply involve primer, paint, varnish and stencils. These solutions will have your kitchen looking like new in no time at all, without the pain in the wallet and the demolition of your household.

Paint and primer can be your best friend in times like these. Don’t let your fear of DIY projects stop you, because it’s really very simple.

First, let’s talk primer. That’s the most important preparation step. Without the proper primer, you may risk paint peeling up or chipping off.

Ask your local hardware employee to help you choose the right primer for the surface you are dealing with. Brands vary as do results.

But my favorite all around primer is put out by Zinsser and comes in a can with a red label. I choose this primer because it sticks to even the slickest surface which means pre-sanding is to a minimum if required at all.

It is always important to try your painting techniques and colors on a sample board (even if it’s just cardboard) before painting the intended surface. This allows you to see exactly how your finish is going to look before you do it.

Paint that Ugly Formica

Firstly, clean the counter well then wipe with pure white vinegar to lightly etch the surface.

Prime with 3-4 coats of recommended primer and allow to dry overnight.

Stick with natural colors for your counter tops. That way, you can change the wall colors any time you want and the counters will always coordinate with your paint colors.

Use standard acrylic paints for the base coat and any decorative effects.

My favorite is to start with a cream color base coat, then adding stenciled granite spots (simply search the internet for “granite stencil”) in light brown first, then stenciling over the top of the first color with darker brown granite spots. Once complete, this layered effect winds up resembling real granite.

Marble techniques can also be used and are really very simple. Lightly sponge angled lines on to the counter surface and blend edges. Allow plenty of the background color to show through.

Using a darker version of the same color, simply sponge darker lines touching the lighter lines and blend. Lines should not be evenly spaced, but more random and look best when they actually cross one another in places. Blending is the key to fantastic results.

Allow your decorative finishing to dry overnight then prime with 3-4 coats of clear, non-yellowing polyurethane in “high gloss” to achieve shiny results.

Wait two to three weeks before placing heavy objects on to the counter for more than an hour or so. The varnish needs to cure to it’s hardest state first or impressions could be left in the finish. Always follow manufactures directions.

Re-fresh Your Tired Cabinets

Giving your cabinets a new look is just as easy. You will use the same procedure and products above. Remove handles and protect hinges with painters tape. Prime with 3-4 coats of the recommended primer.

Again, choose natural colors such as cream, beige, light brown or sand colors.

Decorating your cabinets can be a lot of fun! Once the base coat color is dry, try one or a combination of the following decorating techniques:

  • *Color Washing: Mix a part paint to 5 parts of translucent wall glaze (available in the paint department of most home stores). Paint this mixture over the surface, then with an old, dry towel, wipe off the excess. This will give you an antiqued appearance.
  • *Use a Raised Plaster Stencil to apply a design you love to the fronts of your cabinets using common joint compound. Allow the raised design to dry overnight then do the same color wash technique over the top of the design to bring out its detail. Allow the color to remain in any recesses.
  • *Use a painting stencil to add a favorite design. Consider a central motif such as leaves, palm leaves or acanthus leaves to bring of nature in to your kitchen or bath.

As with the technique above, allow all paint to dry and then apply 2 coats of varnish to protect your finish.

Make Your Tile Look Fresh and Modern

Just as with counter tops and cabinetry, you will clean and etch the surface with white vinegar then prime as above.

One of my favorite treatments for tile is to sponge two similar colors over the tiles (remember to keep your colors in natural tones whenever possible). Blending these colors well gives you a very soft finish.

I then like to apply a small Raised Plaster Stencil Design over random tiles or a large plaster design centered on to a tile wall. This creates the look of custom, expensive tiles that I might not be able to normally afford.

Joint compound is still used as the raised medium with tiles as it is with walls or cabinetry. By pre-coloring the compound with craft paint, I save myself the chore of painting each design individually.

Once the stenciled design has dried for 24 hours, seal the entire tile project with above sealer for super durability.

_________________________________

Victoria Larsen is a professional wall stencil designer and interior specialist. Her products and ideas have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Day, Craft Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Rubber Stampin Retailer and Memory Maker magazines and The Wall Street Journal. Victoria’s website features ideas, techniques, stencils and ornamental wall molds for easy and beautiful home decorating.
Visit Victoria on line at http://www.victorialarsen.com

“Decorating with Class on a Budget” Blog: http://victorialarsen.typepad.com

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Faux Finish Your Formica Countertops to Realistic Granite With These Easy Steps

by THAT Painter Lady on July 8, 2009

By Victoria Larsen

I once had a neighbor who faced brilliant orange Formica counter tops in her home. Raising little ones on a single mother’s salary didn’t allow her the budget to replace those counter tops. To her, (as it would be to me), living with those counter tops would be nearly unbearable! She tried everything she could to cover them to no avail. They were still orange, they were still an eyesore.

If you face the same sort of dilemma with Formica, or even with ceramic tile, there is a great solution and not at all difficult.

Faux finish them!

The technique is the same for both surfaces.

Read Victoria’s Technique Here –>  Faux Finish Counters

The counter tops in our Everett, Washington home were white and very poorly done. We will replace them before we sell the house in 2009 to move to our home in Idaho, but I didn’t want to do that until we were ready to put it on the market.

Could I stand the poor glue job one more day? Not a chance. So while my husband was on a business trip to Italy, I faux finished them to pale, but rich looking granite. The difference it made was incredible!

Here’s how to faux finish your formica countertops:

Step 1) Go on the Internet and find photos of granite that appeal to you and match your decor colors. Print out a sample sheet as your working example.

Step 2) Examine the photo closely. Real granite typically consists of a main, over-all color with “blotches” or dots of secondary colors. Decide what would be the base (background color) would be and the two or three secondary colors. For instance, my granite choice required a deep gold background and dark brown, white and gold as secondary colors. Ask your local paint store employee to help you with choices if need be.

Step 3) Clean the surface well then wipe with pure white vinegar to give it a bit more “tooth”. On Formica, a very light sanding helps to make your primer adhere.

Step 4) Prime the surface with oil based primer such as “BIN” or “KILZ”. Oil based primers give you the best adhesion and durability.

Step 5) Once the primer is completely dry, you can now use water based paints to do your project. Paint the base color over the entire surface and allow to dry.

Step 6) with a brush, blot on your main secondary color (the one that seems to stand out the most in your printed sample) allowing the background color to show through. You can either use an old towel, wall paint brush or flat end stencil brush with great results.

Depending on the look of your sample (a very blotchy look or smoother, softer colors) you may want to blend as you go. My sample showed smoother, more blended colors. Yours might be quite spotty with definite “dots” of color. In that case, don’t blend.

Step 7) Spatter on 2nd color either by blotting larger dots as with the first color, or by dipping a toothbrush in to the paint color then flicking the bristles with your fingers (Protect the floor and back splash or walls when performing this technique). Repeat the above processes with any further colors needed to complete the look.

Step 8) Allow the surface to dry completely then seal with 3 coats of water based Polyurethane sealer in “gloss” finish. The gloss gives you the appearance of shiny, polished granite. DO follow manufacturer’s directions when using all products.

There are many styles of granite to choose from and with just a bit of practice on a sample board before beginning, you can achieve basically the same look with just a paint brush and these techniques.

Granite color examples:

Deep Green Granite: Background dark Olive green, light olive green and black as secondary colors.

Gray Granite: Pale Gray background color with dark gray, brown and white as secondary colors.

Light brown granite: Light brown background with secondary colors of dark brown and cream.
Now you can venture out to find just the right granite color choice for your project.

_______________________________________

Victoria Larsen is a professional wall stencil designer and interior specialist. Her products and ideas have been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, Women’s Day, Craft Trends, Creating Keepsakes, Rubber Stampin Retailer and Memory Maker magazines and The Wall Street Journal. Visit Victoria on line at http://www.victorialarsen.com Blog: http://victorialarsen.typepad.com

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