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:

Cassie Bustamante said...

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!

Dharma said...

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

elizabeth@themustardceiling said...

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

Allison@FabRehab said...

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

LaVonne said...

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

Beth said...

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

Debra said...

That turned out great. What a deal,too!

Lisa Davis said...

Love it! You did an amazing job!!

Deana said...

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!

The Midwest Cottage said...

Total transformation!!

Kim said...

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

Megan@HomeSweetLilacDrive said...

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

Mimi said...

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

Carol-Anne said...

Visiting from Addicted 2 Decor.....

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

Beth said...

Love the greek key design and color!

Honey at 2805 said...

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

Beth said...

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

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

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! :)

Junky Vagabond said...

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!!

michele said...

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

Unknown said...

Love the gold detail! Turned out great!

Natty by Design said...

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