April 25, 2010

Back in Time

This little garden bench is ho-hum. 
I don't love it.
Saturday a friend took me to a little shop that featured 
heavily weathered and worn pieces.
I was inspired!
I dragged the bench into my shop and began to work.
Now, I love it!!
 



Do you want to make a drop down for your link parties.
Click here for Amy's great tutorial.
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And, some of you have asked, "How did you do this?"

It's simple. 

Step #1:  Paint your furniture piece.  Paint layers of different colors.  On this bench I painted it white and then blue.  A friend and I were coming up with ideas for an old black table she has.  She wants to make create this severly weathered, worn and distressed look with layers of paint.  So, were going to paint a layer of pink and then a layer of white...I can't wait to see how this project turns out.

Step #2: Get out your can of paint stripper.  The same stuff Amy used on this beachy dresser remodel.  Randomly brush the stripper over your painted piece of furniture.  Once the stripper begins to crinkle the paint scrape it off in big and little chunks revealing the different colors below.  I was even able to strip down to the bare wood in some spots which gave this a great organic feel. 

Step #3: Use a stain to 'dirty up' the paint job.  I used a dark walnut.  Using a rag, wipe the stain on and let it sit for a few minutes then wipe it off.  Repeat if you want a dirtier look.
Then you can seal your project with a satin clear coat.

And that's it!
Good luck.  And send us any photos of before and afters of your project!

If you have any other questions about this project, email us here.


28 comments:

  1. Wow, you really aged that thing! It looks great. Love the pillows too.

    That little scroll-box, what a great idea for the link parties. Now I just need to go back and find that tutorial.

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  2. Wow, that is just an amazing transformation - I didnt realize the bench looked boring before, but WOW, compared to the after, it really was! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  3. Great transformation!!! The link parties scroll is a great idea!

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  4. Kristi and Calamity Anne: Here is the link for the drop down menu tutorial http://www.peppertowne.com/2010/04/how-todrop-down-menu.html

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  5. Ok, HOW did you do that?!? It looks great. I love the lines of the bench, too. Great job.

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  6. That looks great! I love the color!

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  7. Grin, most real painters would get a hard attack. Such a nicely painted bench made to look like something poorly neglegted and faded by the weather. But he, I am not a painter and I love it. So much more character.

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  8. It looks like an old treasure now, great job! Theresa

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  9. Oh, I really like the loved and worn look much better.

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  10. Great job- love the way it looks now. It was nice before but it is really amazing now.

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  11. Just discovered your blog today...LOVE it and I'm so featuring this makeover today!

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  12. Y'all are rock stars of furniture refinishing! Love this weathered look! It's has so much personality!

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  13. This looks great and I love the colors (pillows) you used with it... Love it!

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  14. Looks great and thanks for the step by step how to! Blessings, Vicky

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  15. This is beautiful - I have a dresser I painted blue for our porch but am not too happy with its look. I think it needs this weathered look.

    Question - what kind of paint did you use? Would spray paint work with the paint stripper?

    Thanks!
    shelleycarney @ gmail dot com

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  16. I love how you weathered this bench--very authentic looking. Thanks so much for linking up!

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  17. The weathering looks wonderful on that bench. Definitely has more character now!

    Thanks for sharing at My Backyard Eden!

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  18. I love your bench! It would go perfect in my yard!

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  19. Thanks for the tip on using paint remover to get down to other layers of paint. I would have only thought to sand it...but I love the irregular look of what you did. Love it!!

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  20. Love it! It looks great, you did a fabulous job. Those pillows are pretty cute too!

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  21. WOW the bench is wonderful!

    Thanks for joing Get Your Craft on Thursday! Please join me next week for another great party.

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  22. WOW!! That looks great! And those pillows totally ROCK!!!

    Stopping by from Tatertots and Jello's Weekend Wrap-up Party!

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  23. I'm so glad you're including instructions now! I love this, and I LOVED the rockers!

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  24. Wow - I was looking at the first picture and thought that is really cute but the after is AMAZING! Love the painting technique. GORGEOUS! Would love to have you stop by The Sunday Showcase Party if you get a chance! Thanks so much for sharing this - you did a fabulous job!

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  25. Very cute. You have such great creative juices in you. I always look forward to your next project. Thanks for sharing at 'Look at me, I'm SO Crafty!' at Fun to Craft.

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  26. What an excellent distressing job! It gives the piece so much character.

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