Giving a Pie Crust Table, New Life ,With DecoArt Americana Outdoor Living.

I Love flea Markets! The Sunday flea Market here is a wonderful place to find all kinds of paintable treasures, this past Sunday I found one of my favourite things... a Pie Crust table.. Half Moon variety. with Shelves! Though it looked a bit sorry, it was solid and in generally good shape, upon  inspection it appeared to have very few issues. certainly nothing that couldn't be managed with a little elbow grease.

Once I got it home the first thing on the agenda was to clean it up, to see just what I was dealing with, and to have a good look to see if there was anything that needed to be repaired. There was but it was relatively minor. A small area where the wood had been chipped. It let to a rather pleasant surprise... and that was to discover that the table wasn't made of a Ply wood with veneers but solid birch!




 Step 1: CLEANING!

These little shelves and tables were quite common during the  Edwardian Period, ( 1901 to 1914)and were still made into the 1930's so it has accumulated a good 80 to 100 years or more of furniture polish dust and grime. So a good cleaning is in order.

TSP ( Tri-Sodium Phosphate) mixed with warm water and a fine (000) steel wool, will help remove almost anything that shouldn't be there, as well as any loose varnish. rinse it well with a clean wet cloth and wipe it down several times to remove any residue. Let it dry thoroughly!

A light sanding to smooth out any rough areas or burrs is a good idea. when you are done, wipe the table back again to remove any dust.

     
                                                                STEP 2: REPAIRS!

I use a good quality wood fill, paintable variety. I don't worry about the colour as I am painting the table, but if I was going to gel stain it or use a not penetrating stain, I would use a wood fill that is close to the colour of the wood.

It is best to apply wood fill in thin layers. ( I hate piling it on , only to have it crack or worse shrink, then you have to do it again anyway) . Take your time , fill holes and chips like this one with two to three thin layers, sanding between layers , you will have more control, and in the end the patch will be nearly if not completely  invisible.


STEP 3: SANDING.

I like a great sandpaper....it has to cut in well but not leave gouges and scratches. One of the best on the market for this kind of work.. is 3M Pro Grade Precision, It's an ultra Flexible sanding sheet available in different grits. it is washable and reusable.  I use a P150 for the initial sanding to remove old finish, and burrs. then I switch to a P320 ( extra Fine) to smooth everything out. Wipe the surface with a damp cloth to remove any dust and debris. use a clean cloth to wipe it a second time to remove any remaining residue. Let it DRY thoroughly.




STEP 4: PAINTING.
Two very important things here...first a patch test. Find a spot to test the paint you are going to use. and paint a small area 4 or 5 inches. Leave the patch area to dry well then have a look at it, just to ensure that the existing finish isn't going to cause any bleed through.  If you are NOT SURE. Apply a coat of STAIN BLOCKER to the piece.. It is far better to err on the side of caution than to have your hard work ruined by blotches seeping through the paint.  I applied a coat of stain blocker over the wood filled repair, just to ensure a uniform sheen.

Second: Buy a good quality Furniture painting brush , there are so many out there, and in all honesty if you are going to be painting furniture for fun or profit, INVEST in a great brush for the purpose. , It will make your life so much easier and the results of your work will reflect it. I recommend Wooster brushes  for interior or exterior and  for a number of DIY applications. You can get them in a variety of Filaments for different media.

I like to paint all the Spindles  first... they are the most tedious , so I get them out of the way first. Work with small amounts of paint at a time and paint the grooves horizontally and the longer flat areas vertically.  If you keep the amounts of paint small you will have fewer issues with drips or runs. I would rather have to apply 3 coats than try to sand out nasty drips and runs.

When painting larger open spaces, apply the paint in long pulls edge to edge. if you run out of paint in the pull, you can pick up more then apply this in the opposite direction going over the last pull, edge to edge. ( this will help you avoid stop and start marks in your finish and  provide a nice even coat.)

Be patient. Let each coat dry well before you sand lightly and then wipe it clean with a damp cloth before you apply the second coat. I followed the instructions on the jar, and the finish is excellent!

This is Just 1 Coat!

These DecoArt Americana OUTDOOR LIVING Paints, Apply very easily. They are quite smooth and creamy in consistency, and spread beautifully! The coverage in one coat is very nice, but a second coat will give you a beautifully opaque finish. It dries to the touch very quickly, and self levels, so brush marks in the finish are almost non existent.  This paint was designed for exterior applications,  and is formulated to adhere to a variety of surfaces including Wood, Masonry , Concrete, Terra Cotta, even Plastic furniture and accessories.
If you are painting a porous  surface, be sure to apply paint to ALL surface areas ( Inside , outside, edges etc) to prevent moisture getting behind the paint finish. Once dried and cured this paint is light and colour fast.
It's also an really easy clean up!! Soap and water! It came out of my brush quick n easy.

A wonderfully affordable and effective way to spruce up your outdoor living space.

Wonderful!!

            Visit www.DecoArt.com for more information and Creative Ways to Use this Product!