If you’ve been reading me for any time at all you have had a chance to figure out that my Welsh Cupboard is probably one of my favorite things to decorate.  This piece is so special to me because my dad built it for me and gave it to me for Christmas one year back in the 80’s.  He and I designed it and he executed it and I, having no vision at the time finished it.  With all its foibles it still is probably the most cherished piece in my home.

I have been thinking about giving it a remake for years now but at first I couldn’t see it painted.  I was really tired of the dark stain but I knew traditionally the stain was the right color for the “Period”.  (That would be the pretend period of the 18th Century) I couldn’t wrap my head around stripping it and trying to lighten it up and I couldn’t figure out what color to paint it if I was to do so.  So it sat for years.  One day while out scouting It came to me in the form of another piece of furniture at a store I was in.  I could paint it gray, green, black.  Right!!!  I really liked the idea but then life got in the way.  Work, caring for my mom with Alzheimers, Kids, Grandchildren, the Husband!!!  You get the idea.

And then comes “Fall Decorating”.  I don’t decorate for the seasons, it’s exhausting and I still love my stuff.  I had changed out the cupboard back in March to lighten and freshen it up.  

Truth be told I missed my Redware (which is perfect for fall decorating by the way).  So a couple weeks ago I decided it was a good time to switch out the cupboard and bring back the Redware.  After bringing everything back upstairs and emptying out the cupboard I decided it was as good of time as any to tackle this paint job.

The husband and I brought it out to the deck piece by piece so I could work on it.  I started out by giving it a good cleaning with After Wash.  I just went over it with a rag.  This piece had originally been waxed so I had to make sure there was no wax residue in order for the paint to stick.  I then took some 220 grit sandpaper to it just to rough up the surface a bit.  Cleaned it off again with a tack cloth and the After Wash and let it dry.

For the paint I used a custom mix of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint colors Boxwood and Typewriter.  I used a 2-1 ratio of Boxwood to the Typewriter.  I mixed it with my mixer for 1-minute and let it rest for 10 min, then I mixed it again.  Now I was ready to paint.  I just had these paints on hand from another project and I was so concerned that I wouldn’t have enough to finish the job and I barely made it.  Mixing the paint I was a bit concerned about the color not being quite dark enough and in hindsight I might have added a bit more Typewriter but I just went with it.

I started on the top first and painted it with one coat.  

I used up every ounce I had mixed but it was just enough.  Milk Paint dries really fast so by the time I was done with the last swipe of the brush the first part was dry.  I walked away for awhile to make sure everything was good and dry.  When I came back I noticed that there was some flaking and chipping.  I didn’t let that deter me.  “My Moto the scruffier it is the better I like it”!  I gave it a quick sanding by hand with 220 grit paper not worrying about the areas that had chipped.  I just brushed those areas off and let the previous stain come thru.  That was a dusty mess and when I was done I attacked it with the vacuum and another Tack Cloth.

Next I hit the entire top with clear wax using 0000 Steal Wool which altered the color a bit. I find using very fine steal wool works great for applying wax.  It gets it into the wood quickly and I seem to have better control than using a rag or brush.

After a smooth sanding.  Before Clear Wax

After Clear Wax.  This is where I started to get a wee bit concerned because in the sun it was very green, but I knew once I added the dark wax it would be ok.

After I was done doing that I used Annie Sloan Dark Wax over the clear wax buffing with a soft lint free rag as I went.  This created a beautiful sheen and Patina.  Buffing it right away saves on elbow grease.  If you allow the wax to dry, it is more work to buff the patina up.  Using the clear wax first allows the dark wax freedom of movement and keeps the dark wax from becoming muddy.

I much prefer wax to varnish type finishes.  It enhances the wood in a way that a poly or varnish just can’t.  It’s like the difference between silk and Polyester.  Nothing is as luminous or drapes like silk.  Wax will also act as a protector of the wood.  Yes you can get water rings on wax but if this bothers you just buff it out.  Wax dissolves wax.

We then brought out the base unit and I repeated all the above steps.  I knew I was going to have more chipping on the base because it has seen more wax over the years.  I went thru all the prep steps but in the sun and heat I could still feel the wax leaching out of the wood.  I attacked it again with the sandpaper and After Wash and decided to embrace what ever happened.  

After getting it all painted I went in the house to cool off and let the paint dry.  The husband came in and said all the paint is pealing off.  Yup, sure enough a lot of the paint was pealing off.  I hit it with my 220 grit paper and I knew, though it was very ugly now, that once I got the dark wax on there it would be fine.  And sure enough, it was. 

After Sanding

Here you can see how the dark wax alters the color of the paint.  This is why I new I was ok.  Big difference!

I could have used Miss Mustard Seed Bonding Agent to prevent this, but I just didn’t.  Bonding agent is a milky but dries clear, solutions that you put on before you paint if you have any concerns about the sub-straight and the paints ability to adhere to the surface.  Works great.

It’s a very subtle change from before and though it has received mixed reviews it doesn’t matter to me.  My sister who has only seen pictures of it (the picture makes it look greener then it does in the room) thinks I ruined it.  The daughters always supportive of my hair brained ideas think it’s fabulous although they’ve only seen pictures too, and the Husband who is always cautious in his assessments with me thinks it looks “good”.  Doesn’t matter, I’m in love with it and absolutely love the way you can’t say what color it is.  Is it gray?  Is it green? or is it black?

What do you think?  Are you in the should have left it alone camp or camp chippy paint?

Thanks for stopping 

Shelley