Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Buffet Makeover

As I was driving home from dropping K off at school the other day, I noticed that my friend was having a garage sale. I quickly pulled over to see what she had. I immediately spied an antique buffet and saw a $10 sticker on it. I thought it must have been mismarked. But, no, the price was actually only $10. My friend moved some stuff from the top of the buffet to show me why it was only $10 - the top was rotted, moldy, and had a big hole in it. The piece had belonged to her great-aunt whose name began with the letter "V" and the doors with the inlaid "V" were very special to my friend and her great-aunt. I had never tackled such a big makeover, but for $10, I thought it was worth a shot.

Here are some before pictures:




I wasn't quite sure what to do with this beautiful beast. So, I started by trying to scrape off as much of the top as I could. I then went to Home Depot and had the nice guys there cut me a piece of wood to fit to the top and cover the damage on the buffet.

I thought about sanding and re-staining the piece because the wood was so pretty. I especially loved the "V" inlays on the side doors. I started sanding and sanding, but the wood on the drawer-fronts just was not in good enough condition to refinish. So, time to prime and paint. I chose a pale aqua, Martha Stewart's Artesian Well...so pretty! But, I still couldn't get myself to paint over those gorgeous doors. Here's mid-project:


I used wood glue to glue down the new top piece and then I stained it and thought I would leave the top and doors stained and the rest painted. Unfortunately, the top didn't look so good stained, so I painted it:


Those darn doors! So pretty, but not so pretty with the paint. So I grudgingly painted the whole thing. For the final reveal, here she is:

She needed some sparkle, so I added a little gold to the greek-key design on the drawers.


This piece took me a long time. I think it was because I didn't have a clear plan or vision of what I was going to do with her. Through trial and error, this is what I came up with and I'm pretty happy with my $10 experiment!

Linked here:




http://www.alchemyfineliving.com/blog/

22 comments:

  1. i looks awesome! i love the gold in the greek key design- i didn't even notice it before , but now that detail really pops!

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  2. Wow! For winging it, this sure turned out gorgeous! Good for you for not shying away from an ugly duckling :) over from Primitive & Proper

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  3. So pretty! I am loving the little touch of gold you added.

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  4. For $10, you ROCKED this buffet! It looks fantastic!

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  5. You did a great job! I am still looking for a great buffet to redo. :)

    I am visiting from DIY by Design. It is nice to "meet" you.

    Enjoy the rest of your week!

    LaVonne @ Long Wait For Isabella

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  6. I just bought a thrift sale dresser that I would like to do this to! Great inspiration! :) I am a new follower!

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  7. That turned out great. What a deal,too!

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  8. Love it! You did an amazing job!!

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  9. wow! that doesn't even look like the same piece of furniture. that's amazing!!! this post would be a fabulous addition to my weekly blog party "from trash to treasure" I'd really love it if you joined in!

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  10. Love it! I'm here from Marian's party - so happy to have found your lovely blog! I'm your newest follower. Pop over for a visit.
    I'm gonna go browse around some more now. You've got great pieces.
    xoxo,
    Kim

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  11. I love the color you picked...what a tranformation!

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  12. Beautiful transformation here! Your buffet is gorgeous! And I really love that color! Thanks for sharing

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  13. Visiting from Addicted 2 Decor.....

    Lovely job and I think you've done a serious rescue on this piece!

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  14. Love the greek key design and color!

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  15. What a bargain makeover. For $10 you really got a lot of bang for the buck!

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  16. It is lovely! You must be proud:)!! Way to go!
    Beth
    huberhang.blogspot.com

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  17. So charming!! I love how it turned out- the color you chose is perfect too! Would love for you to come share this at Feathered Nest Friday at my blog~going on all weekend! :)

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  18. This turned out so pretty - I especially love the gold highlights! Sometimes, the wood can't be saved, which is probably why the previous owners couldn't see the beauty of the piece. Good Eye!!

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  19. you've gotta love a $10 experiment!

    you might like my giveaway and i'd love for you to follow!
    http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-giveawaypainting-print-paris.html

    michele

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  20. Love the gold detail! Turned out great!

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  21. it looks great! and you can't even tell that you added a new top!

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