Pickled Oak Pedestal Table - CeCe Simply White

Remember back when I worked on those two round oak side tables (here)? Not too long after I got those tables, I had an opportunity to get a full-sized oak pedestal dining table (with a leaf). I went back to find a before shot - and everything I have is with the table in pieces...

Sorry for the mess, this is the side yard during the Summer - TheSmithGarage extension. You can see the pedestal - it was split when we picked it up - the center piece is not supposed to be in two pieces. The top is the wood colored top under the green/white one (which is another project for another blog). And the little legs under the table top is another table that Mrs. Smith already finished and sold over at Oregon Street Antique Mall (don't think she blogged on that one).

I did some work on the pedestal - dowelled and glued it back together. I also had to sand the lacquer off of the top with a belt sander - it was just way to thick to give the pickled affect on the oak. I did not sand the pedestal or feet. I used CeCe Caldwell's Simply White (you can buy it here), which has become a favorite of mine after painting so many bright & cheery colors. Something about Simply White just gives off a good feeling.

Here is a shot I got after painting the pedestal and feet, but before I got to the top. You can see that I brought the lacquer off all the way to the bare wood - most of the stain came off as well.

Another great thing about CeCe Caldwell's Chalk and Clay Paint - no fumes - I did most of the work on this indoors where it was a comfortable 70 degrees (instead of outside where it is about 105 degrees). I did not water down the Simply White. I actually keep a separate bucket with a little water in it, and dip my brush in there occasionally when needed. I feel like I have better control of what I am doing. The key to this style is getting the paint wet enough to seep into the grain of the wood, but not cover the wood entirely.

Here is a shot ofter all the paint is on that I want. The next step will be sanding for me.

I took the table back outside for the sanding. After sanding, it is "Tea Time" - that is another term for CeCe Caldwell's Clear Wax - smells like HONEY! That's because it is 100% green, made with beeswax - love it. I let it cure overnight then buffed it out.

So here are a few shots of the finished look.

I love the satin finish gleaming in the sunlight!

I took this shot so you could see the seam where I had to fix the split. A little line of "demarcation", but another "SAVED" piece of broken furniture.

So glad I had an opportunity to work on this table. It will go in TheSmithHotel booth at Oregon Street Antique Mall this next week. So if you are in Redding and looking for a great deal on a solid oak table that was once destined for the wood pile - here it is!

I am looking forward to a few custom jobs over the next few weeks. Check back to see how they turn out.

Mr. Smith

Cycling Fan - Tour de France Dresser

I am a cycling fan. I have been known to ride over 100 miles in a day, and I love old bikes too. Here is one I have had for some months, and I just was able to add some new whitewall tires today.

This is a Schwinn Spitfire 24", and it has been saved from a scrap heap. It is ready to ride for some little girl (just not Drama Queen since she is not fond of rust).

But you are looking at the title and your thinking - what about the dresser? And this is a Schwinn, not a French bike.

Well, the Tour de France is coming up shortly. I will not be watching it on the tele, but I will follow it on-line most days. Boy Wonder has been dying to get another "flag" dresser. He cleaned out one of his "wood-colored" dressers today and brought it out to the living room - in hope of a transformation. He asked for the Swiss flag, but in a strange turn of events, I mentioned France and he said YES! Which brings us back around to my tribute to the Tour de France.

Here is the plain-Jane dresser prior to it's transformation...

We picked this up second-hand some time ago. I think it may be a Target dresser - not real hardwood or anything, just particle board and laminate stickers to make it look like wood. Here comes the beauty of painting with CeCe Caldwell's paint. It sticks to anything, plastic, steel, wood, stickers, and apparently furniture upholstery. Notice at the time of this photo I had only Simply White and Traverse City Cherry on top of the dresser. Of course this was when we were thinking Swiss (Red with a white cross). So throw some Maine Harbor Blue in the mix, and you've got yourself a French flag...

As you can see, the wax is still curing. Once it sits overnight - sometime after church on Sunday - I will buff it out to give it a shine, and back into his room to take on a few more years of growing. Sorry for the mess in the background - but you do get to see inside TheSmithHotel instead of the normal "garage scene".

Here it is back in Boy Wonder's room - decor by him, not me.

I wanted to get this out there tonight, because I am about to get pretty busy on TheSmithGarage. I have a lot of furniture to get painting on - including a PIANO!

This is a big job ahead of me, but I am totally excited. I am going to have a piano guy come out and check it out before I get too deep into it. If it doesn't work out, you will see some of this wood going into other projects. If it does turn out to be a workable project, you will see this beauty upcycled back to life - and some lucky customer will love it.

Make sure you come back around to see what we have in store for the next few weeks as we prepare for a great new adventure this Fall.

Mr. Smith

Linked to

Miss Mustard Seed
Primitive and Proper
Coastal Charm
Domestically Speaking
Redoux
Decorating Insanity
I Should Be Mopping The Floor

CeCe Simply White Oak Side Table

Always wanting to try something new that I haven't yet had the chance to do. Mrs. Smith and her dad (Marshal) picked up a pair of Oak Side Tables. They look like the big Oak pedestal tables, only mini... Here is a picture of one before I started in.

As you can see by the pictures - I worked on this while I was at the Mall still - I think this one was Sunday, since Mrs. Smith picked it up on Saturday. Not bad shape - it was a bit dried out, like it had been left outside in the sun or rain, no major damage, although you can see that one toe was missing...

Mrs. Smith has been wanting me to "pickle" an oak piece - especially an oak table. We picked up a full-size oak pedestal a few weeks back, but I wanted to practice before doing that. So to the best of my knowledge, and from reading a few blogs, and from seeing what she wanted in a few pictures...I set out to impress her with my talents.

I watered down some CeCe Caldwell's Simply White (it is the brightest white) and applied it somewhat thinly. I wanted the paint to get into the grain of the wood, but not cover the wood completely. After it dried - here is what it looked like.

Well covered from this picture, but ready for some sanding to get the majority of the paint off. I used a combination of 100 grit and 150 grit to get down to the wood color, but leaving the white that had soaked into the grain of the wood. It actually polished it up pretty nicely. A thin coat of CeCe Clear wax over the entire piece. I apply the wax with a 2" chip brush from Harbor Freight - nothing fancy, just a natural bristle brush does the trick. After letting it sit around for about 2 hours, I buffed and polished the wax into the piece. It comes out with a very high luster finish. Here it is happily displayed for mall walkers to see for the last few hours of the show.

Mrs. Smith was very happy with the finish, "...as am I". The plan, finish the other one with the same finish to have a matching pair to sell. That will probably get finished up this weekend. Then on to bigger and better things - the large oak pedestal table (with a leaf). Be looking for that in a future post. As for this one, we picked this table up for $3 - don't tell our customers - great deal hugh? Just wait until someone sees a pair of these babies in the booth...

Don't forget to be checking Mrs. Smith's blog as well - TheSmithHotel - she actually needs to get a blog post on the "other" table in the first picture and second picture above. (Updated - here it is - Mr.Smith finally let me paint ).

And here is an updated shot of both tables - stacked high in our booth.

...And Mrs. Smith's table at the bottom of the stack (only because it is the largest).


See you next time...this post is linked to...

Funky Junk Interiors Saturday Night Special
Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party
Primitive and Proper
Beyond The Picket Fence under $100
Miss Mustard Seed
Redoux

Mr. Smith

Antiquing an Antique with CeCe Caldwells Paint

TheSmithHotel (a.k.a. TheSmithGarage) is doing yet another show this weekend, but it is a little less involved with a lot less stuff. In fact - here is what is there...

This is a promotional show at The Mount Shasta Mall in Redding, CA - specifically to get the word out that TheSmithHotel is selling (and using) CeCe Caldwell's paint. One of the great things about this show - is I get to demonstrate the ease of painting with CeCe Caldwell's paint throughout the entire weekend. I selected a piece for this afternoon that Marshal (Mrs. Smith's dad) picked up and used glue and wood-putty to get it back together. Problem is - I didn't get a good before picture - totally forgot. I zoomed in to pick up at least the top - and here it is...

It's the unfinished piece in the middle - with the putty hole from what used to be a lamp stand. I believe this was a reading table (with a lamp) that you might put next to your couch or recliner. So to get the perfect antique look that I was looking for - I started with a base coat of Santa Fe Turquoise.

Then...I added a little Spring Hill Green...a little...

I'm sure the old guy on the couch was thinking..."What is this guy doing to to this antique?" So I had to move fast - only the next part was the slowest part - painting the intricate sides white, then finishing off the rest with white - I used Simply White.

So now the fun starts. I sanded with some 40 grit sandpaper. That was strong enough to get through the Simply White to bring out some of the Santa Fe Turquoise and Spring Hill Green. Then I sanded with 150 grit to get a smooth finish. Then I added Clear Wax, then rubbed in some Valspar Antiquing Glaze.

The finished piece turned out really nice - WOW! I really like it. It took some time, but the time invested really turned out a nice piece - that looks really old and worn.

Do you see my new (well, really old) box that I will be using to carry my paint. I am working on getting some of every color on the box. It fits 20 Quarts, and some paintbrushes. Looking forward to taking this case more places for future demonstrations. Come on out to Mt. Shasta Mall and see what we have.

And come back to see what piece of furniture we do tomorrow...

Mr. Smith

Linked to:
Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure
Miss Mustard Seed
Decorating Insanity
Redoux
Primitive and Proper

Spring Hill Green Child's Chair

This chair would have gone great with the miniature Spring Hill Green Tablethat I finished back in March. Mrs. Smith picked up this sad little chair at a local thrift store for me to repair, and she had in mind that I paint it in Spring Hill Green from the beginning. Here is a before picture, just as I am gluing it back together with some Elmer's Wood Glue.

So, I painted this chair very lightly with CeCe Caldwell's Spring Hill Green. I wanted the oak to come through in the finished product. After getting the finish just right, I waxed it with CeCe Caldwell's Clear wax. I decided to wax it before sanding so that I would not lose as much paint when distressing the piece. It does gum up the sandpaper, but it keeps a heavy hand from sanding through all the paint. The sandpaper also creates a polished look after going over the piece. Here are a few shots of the finished piece out in the sunlight.

and a close up...

So - one more saved piece of furniture to add to TheSmithHotel. We'll bring this to TheVintage Barn Sale on June 2nd in Anderson at the Ponderosa Ranch. I'm sure it will sell there, so better get out to snatch it up if you like it...

Mr. Smith

Linked to:

Redoux

Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

Decorating Insanity

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Art & Antiques at The Mount Shasta Mall

A new adventure awaits TheSmithGarage June 8th, 9th & 10th as I partner with local Redding Artist Dave Anderson at The Mount Shasta Mall. I guess there is an annual Antique Show to start out the Summer. Dave Anderson and I will partner up and have demonstrations throughout the weekend. Dave is a talented artist with several mediums. You may be familiar with some of his work from The Burlap Harlot Show. The elephant head at the front was one of his works.

He also painted the Ringling Bros. Tiger Poster/painting at the front next to TheSmithHotel booth.

Not being an "artist" myself - I wasn't sure what I could add, but Dave is a great talker - and he talked me into partnering with him at this event. So I will showcase furniture painting with CeCe Caldwell's paint, and Dave will showcase some of his work while I take a break. Sounds like a fun, LONG, weekend. Please come out and stop by our spot if you happen upon the mall that weekend. I don't know what I will have in store - but I am bound to bring a bunch of junk furniture and ceate masterpieces.

And I will have the CeCe Caldwell "Tower of Paint" on hand for paint purchases.

As I write this, I am working on a child's chair in Spring Hill Green as Mrs. Smith wants it finished for the Vintage Barn Sale next weekend. I am taking pictures and will get it on the blog when I have completed it.

Until next time.....

Mr. Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Smith Create Subway Masterpiece

Go and check out Kammy's Korner where this blog was featured:

Not often does Mrs. Smith get the opportunity to paint - after all, that is my job in this partnership. Needless to say - I have been on the road quite a bit in the last two months, without much time to get some projects finished. Mrs. Smith asked me to clean up this "junk find" 4-drawer dresser and paint it black so she could create a subway sign piece of art. Well - Black I did not have, but CeCe Caldwell's has a Vermont Slate that gets pretty close when it is waxed and shined - so we went for it. Here is the piece we got from our friend Wanda for under $20.

Very simple dresser... I did not have to do much structurally to this - it is a pretty sound piece of wood. I removed the porcelain knobs that had a rose and some gold accents... and painted with Vermont Slate. After the first coat, I cross-sanded (sanded against the brush strokes) to get a smoother finish, then added another coat.

This is when Mrs. Smith took over and created some subway signs with different fonts - very simple - printing a large font then taping the sheets of paper together to make the words. She (and I hepled on one of them) traced the back side of the word with a pencil, then taped it to the appropriate drawer and rubbed the pencil lead onto the drawers. Then she removed the paper and carefully painted in the words with CeCe Caldwell's Young Kansas Wheat.

As you can see we have a London theme going on here. So after sanding with 150 grit over the entire piece, I applied the CeCe Caldwell Clear Wax (it was High Tea time as the wax smells so good - like honey). Then after waiting a few hours - I buffed the wax in to get a hard shinny black finish. I have learned after using the natural wax that you do not want to apply it too heavily, or you will have to wait overnight to finish the buffing. By applying a light coat, you get the same finish and it is completed in minimal time.

Also a nice touch - remember this is an upcycled piece of furniture - check out the drawer lining below. Gives this set of drawers a little more character. I did not add that - that was already in there - but I didn't feel it needed fixing. Someone will love this in their bedroom. Dreaming of London...

I hope you enjoyed this latest creation of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Come back for more. This will be for sale at the upcoming Burlap Harlot show over Mother's Day weekend in Anderson, CA. Check out some of our other great pieces of upcycled and salvage furniture at TheSmithHotelBoutique.

Mr. Smith

Linked to:
Primp
Primitive and Proper
Funky Junk Interiors
Decorating Insanity Furniture Friday
Domestically Speaking Power of Paint Party
Kammy's Korner

Roses and Rust - Spring 2012

As not to bore you with too many words, I will share a few thoughts to pictures, and I hope if you are in Northern California on Saturday April 7th, you will stop by the Redding Convention Center for Roses & Rust. There were plenty of birds (caged and free), bunnies, and lots of Spring colors. Mrs. Smith and her mom were stage right.

As you can see, she had lots of fun and colorful furniture. Touches of Spring with succulents throughout. Some hidden eggs!

A baby Chick...

A freed bird...

Three chirping sparrows...

A little girl returning from the flower market on her bike.

And festive Spring colors for the CeCe Caldwell's display. Drama Queen helped me on this one.

Here is a close-up of her artwork...

So come out and see us at the show. Look for The Smith Hotel sign...you can't miss us.

Mr. Smith

Linking to:
Decorating Insanity

No Fear Chest - Kissimmee Orange

Well, sorry it has taken me a while to get another post to you all. I was on a great weekend away with my honey - Mrs. Smith. We celebrated 20 years together last week on March 14th, so we got away to Seattle without the kiddos. Good times.

Back in the garage - Drama Queen was looking to help me paint - and she wanted to paint something bright and cheery for Spring. Remember that old broken down wooden chest that a friend of ours here in Redding gave me a month ago? It was in pretty bad shape - here is a before picture when I got it home -

Somewhat chippy paint - and wood - and a few screws that had fallen loose. And no handles. But hey - it was free, I just had to pick it up and take it away!

Don't mind that shelving unit down below, we'll get to that later. This chest is ready to paint - with none other than CeCe Caldwell's Kissimee Orange. Here is the Drama Queen herself - painting away - as she puts it, "...painting is my contribution to the family business."

So we spent some quality time together listening to Air-1 and painting. We talked about our ideas for that shelving unit that will display our CeCe Caldwell's paint in the booth at Oregon Street Antique Mall . After I get the basic structure painted, Drama Queen is going to paint some creative items on the shelving unit in the different colors that we have to sell.

Here is a shot after the outside of the chest was completed.

So Drama Queen picked out the colors for this piece, including the inside. We both agreed it needed something to tone down the color just a tad, and also make it look a little cleaner inside. She picked Pittsburg Gray.

Sorry for the stuff on the side - this is after all TheSmithGarage. So from free to something of value - I would say. Not only the value of the sale, but the value of spending time with my wonderful daughter, teaching her some painting techniques - and her I.

Now a sneak peak on another great upcycled piece. Here it is during the curing process (wax). Drama Queen still has to paint her artwork on it, but it will make a great display for our paint at Oregon Street Antique Mall .

For a full update on this piece, come back this weekend and I will show you start to finish on this one.

For more on ordering CeCe Caldwell paint from TheSmithHotel - see our website at www.thesmithhotelboutique.com and visit the Carriage House.

Linking to:
Between Naps on The Porch
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
DIY Home Sweet Home
Domestically Speaking
Coastal Charm
Kammy's Korner
Primitive & Proper
{Primp}
Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond The Picket Fence
My Repurposed Life
The Shabby Nest
French Country Cottage
Until next weekend...

Mr. Smith

Nightstand Gets Renewed Life

Here is a story of another piece of furniture - destined for certain death, but given a second chance right here in TheSmithGarage. It was quite unhappy and a little chippy on top. Picked this up at a thrift store several weeks back, and I have been searching for what to do with it. I actually hoped to save it for another few weeks and give it a treatment of CeCe Caldwell's Paint, but I am so impatient, I needed to get in the garage this weekend and do something. So this little guy got his lucky day with some ASCP Provence Blue. Here is what he looked like before any work got started.

And I used a bit of sanding on top to remove some of the chippy paint/stain/lacquer that was on top. Looking back now, I should have removed it all, now I know. I had to apply a few extra coats of paint to build up the top enough to get a smooth finish.

You might be able to tell from the pictures this is 80s furniture. It has a rolling slider drawer, which is nice, but it was badly mistreated when it comes to the finish. So - as I mentioned before - I still have some of my ASCP $40 paint in TheSmithGarage, so why not use it if I need to repair and save an old piece. Provence it is.

This is a picture taken just after I applied some CeCe Caldwell's clear wax. Did I tell you before it smells like honey. I actually was tempted to slap a bit of it on some toast and give it a try. The wax is very nice and smells great, but it does take a night to cure, even with the sunlight.

So after a good nights sleep, and a little work with the buffer - I chose a simple old brass pull to add a bit of elegance to this piece. Of coarse I painted it with my VW muffler silver (AKA - nickel).

The finished piece -

Do you love it? I hope someone does - it already went to TheSmithHotel at Oregon Street Antique Mall. I know it's not an antique, but it is something that folks are looking for at antique malls. It's funny, our many of our thrift stores in town have started raising their prices so high, that people are looking in Antique stores for furniture now. It's kind of ridiculous that a place like Salvation Army ("doing the most good" is their slogan) could charge retail prices for used beat-up furniture, but they do. So if you are local and looking for clean, quality, redone furniture for reasonable prices - come to Oregon Street Antique Mall and you just might be surprised at what you find - make sure you come upstairs and visit our space at TheSmithHotel.

On another exciting note - my shipment of CeCe Caldwell's Paint will be here this week. Can't wait to have my first "paint party" for my friends here in town.

Linking to:
Between Naps on the Porch
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
DIY Home Sweet Home
Domestically Speaking
Primitive and Proper
{Primp}
Shades of Amber
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Beyond the Picket Fence - under $100
Decorating Insanity
Miss Mustard Seed
Until next time ...

Mr. Smith