70s 6-drawer Credenza - Roadside Find

This is not technically "My" roadside find, however, it was indeed a roadside free furniture piece that one of my NEW customers found. The previous owner helped her load it in her truck, and then it found its way into her garage. She happened across Jindra's Antiques and saw some of our painted furniture, and that is how it happened into TheSmithGarage. Here are some before shots of the credenza.

It was blonde wood with some bluish gray wash over it. It was missing two doors, but all the drawers were in working condition. She is redoing her she asked that I paint it a light gray / almost white. So I made up a new color from CeCe Caldwell's Simply White (3 parts) and Seattle Mist (one part). I painted one drawer to see if it was the color she wanted.

Here it is against our white entertainment center and a piece of driftwood the customer had. She was happy with the color and dropped of the piece last weekend. It is a beast - solid wood.

It took about 7 oz. of my special brew to paint this. It is 6' long so you can imagine the presence this gives in a living or dining room. This picture is after it was painted, lightly sanded (220 grit), and waxed with CeCe Caldwell's Clear Wax (Tea Time!). I will leave the decorating to mt customer, but here are a few more shots of the finished  piece.

So happy to save this one from the fireplace. I trust my customer is happy with how it turned out. She has a table she may want me painting when she gets to her dining room remodel.

Mr. Smith

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

French Countryside Tall Dresser

In the spirit of The Tour de France, this is a story about a shabby tall dresser that was in much need of love. Inspired by some fine furniture pieces that I have seen on my travels (none of them from France, but definitely French inspired), I set out to give this tall dresser new life.

First - a picture of a 1958 Dunelt 10-speed.

This is the bike you may have found Brian Robinson riding - the first Briton to finish the Tour de France and also the first to win a stage in the 1958. It's had better days...haven't we all.

Here is a shot of the dresser in the "extended" Smith Garage - something we try to do in the Summer weather to get outdoors where there may be a breeze. Inside the garage - it gets too hot to work in the evenings.

My inspiration - a tall kitchen cabinet I saw while Mrs. Smith was walking through Anthropologie.

I know it is hard to see, but there are tones of rust, yellow and gold underneath the gray finish. So I went through my CeCe Caldwell's colors and came up with Georgia Clay, California Gold, Omaha Ochre, and Seattle Mist to try to get close enough to produce something Anthropologie might display in one of their stores.

Mrs. Smith helped me on this one as well. She has been itching to paint more, so here we go. Some of my worst fears - getting bit by a Rattle Snake on a long run in the woods, swimming in the water with beavers, and painting with Mrs. Smith. You ask why? Well, when you are running, your heart rate is elevated allowing the venom to course through your veins rapidly....  Oh... You were wondering why I fear painting with the Mrs. - you should go read Mrs. Smith's blog about that. I am getting better - it has only been a couple of weeks. And this piece turned out great, so she is getting better. It goes to show that anyone can paint with CeCe Caldwell's paint.

Now that is out of the way, let me show you what we did with this dresser. We painted on spots of Georgia Clay. After that dried (not long since we are out in the heat), we applied California Gold, and then a good covering of Seattle Mist. On the top, I had some residual oil/candle wax coming through the paint after everything dried. I slapped a coat of white latex paint over the spot to seal it from coming up into the chalk and clay paint. Then when I reapplied my CeCe Caldwell's paint, I forgot I had used California Gold and thought I was using Omaha Ochre - so - it got a little edgy. Four CeCe colors on one piece. Here it is before we started sanding it back down.

So you can see the Seattle Mist was over the whole thing, but we didn't paint it on real thick. When I started sanding, I started with 150 grit, and it worked great, so I didn't go any coarser. Here is the sanded piece - prior to wax.

Here is the important part of bringing out the colors - wax! The colors are there, you can see them, but they are not vibrant. The CeCe Clear Wax cures into the layers of paint and brings the colors out in a great way. Here it is waxed and buffed - keeping the original hardware untouched.

Sorry for the mess, but as in all my blog posts - this is a "garage" scene. This will go to TheSmithHotel side of the house, and Mrs. Smith will pretty it up in her booth space. I will leave you with a parting shot - The bike and the dresser....

Time for a ride...

Mr. Smith

Linked to

Funky Junk Interiors
Domestically Speaking
Kammy's Korner

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

Traverse City Cherry Console

This is a piece that I have not had a chance to share with my blog friends. We have been very busy with Spring shows, and I have been painting furniture on weekends - at least some of them. Last weekend I gardened - we are supposed to plant in our zone on Mother's Day weekend (or when the snow has melted on Shasta Bally), well, both happened and the garden didn't get planted.

But - on Mother's Day Weekend we had a two-day show - The Burlap Harlot. And I actually decided to paint a piece at the show because I was tired of the dingy white, and I had a new CeCe Caldwell color - Traverse City Cherry!

The white console right-center in this picture is the before picture.

It's a nice piece, but there is not much character to it. It has been in our booth at Oregon Street Antique Mall for quite some time, and we really thought it would go quickly at the price we were asking - $60. It has  4 shelves inside, looks like it was a canning console/cabinet.

So, I was itching to paint something in my new Traverse City Cherry (Traverse City is in Upper Michigan, and they have a national cherry festival - thus the name of the CeCe Caldwell color).

I painted it during the show, and it really only took me about 2 hours to paint, sand (distress), and wax/polish. I am sure some people were amazed by the transformation. Almost had it sold, but the gal didn't want to wait around. I told her if it didn't sell that we would have it at the next two shows. I did however sell a quart of Traverse City Cherry to someone wanting to paint their front door the same color - so it was a hit.

I really liked the way the color turned out on this piece. Here is a picture of it at the show in Willows - The Vintage Country Flea Market.

As you can see, we have some other fine pieces of furniture in this shot. Doesn't that color just POP? We might just have to raise the price on that now. It has been fun trying out new colors. I just got a couple of others that I will be trying in the coming weeks - Pickerington Violet, Portland Rose, and California Gold. Come back by to see what's new at TheSmithGarage. And if you like the colors and what to give them a try yourself - check out our shop at www.thesmithhotelboutique.com.

Mr. Smith

Linked to:

Kammy's Korner Trash 2 Treasure Tuesdays

Decorating Insanity

Beach House Buffet - Destin Gulf Green

Mrs. Smith and I picked up this buffet in the Winter, but it has been taking up space in TheSmithGarage for long enough. Got to move this on to someone who will enjoy it - maybe in their Beach House! We do live in California, and everyone in California has a Beach House, right? At least they did before the housing bubble popped! I know, I know - sarcasm is killing the moment, just had to go there. We actually live about 2 1/2 hours from the closest Beach Houses, but people do come to Redding to furnish their homes on the Northern California Coast - so here is a great piece that will fit in your Beach House.

I chose Destin Gulf Green by CeCe Caldwell because I wanted to go BIG with color on this buffet. It had some damage on it when we picked it up, so wood filler was necessary to make it house-worthy. I also decided to primer this one, because whomever painted it prior to us receiving it had some horrible peely paint on it, and instead of having the paint fall off during the project, I decided it best to get some consistency in the coverage before applying my precious paint. Here it is before the primer - I actually used it as a workbench when I was working on the Italian Hand Carved "Map" Desk.

And below after it is primed and ready for paint.

Now CeCe Caldwell's paint does not require primer before painting. It will stick to nearly everything. I chose to prime this project first because of the finish I was looking for.

I sanded this after painting just a little, which gave it some texture from the brush strokes, and also helped to polish the clay and chalk in the paint. I waxed only the top, to give it a little more protection, but also for the look I was going for. You can notice that waxed, the Destin Gulf Green appears just a little richer. I spent some money on the hardware again for the look. I felt like the piece needed some large drawer pulls and I wanted a nickle finish to stand out, yet look clean and polished. The ball shaped pulls for the doors have a spiral carved in - almost giving them a fossil-like feel.

I left the inside white - no changes there. I can't believe how fast this went on once I finally got to it. It is now in the car waiting for delivery to OSAM (I'm just going to start using this term - it's what we say around here, so you will have to get used to it). So if you like it and you're local - stop in and check it out - and buy it! We like re-creating furniture that people will love.

It has been a very busy weekend - several projects going at one time, trying to get paint on furniture so we can show off our colors. Paint is already selling, so if you want some - we are ready for you. I hope you get a chance to try out CeCe Caldwell's so you can see how easy it is for yourself.

Until next weekend...

Mr. Smith

Linking to:
I Should Be Mopping The Floor
My entry into Domestically Speaking’s Power of Paint Party is sponsored by Appliances Online and the Bosch Washing Machines.
Primitive and Proper
Shabby Creek Cottage
The Vintage Farmhouse
Miss Mustard Seed

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