Doubletake Decor: August 2012

It's a Shame to Paint it But I Can't Help Myself!

I bought this "oh so beautiful" armoire for my own house. I paid way too much for it on craigslist but when it's true love what can you do?

It was a real dilema for me. I loved the 2 tone and the beautiful rich wood, but I thought I might like it even better in white. So it sat in my garage for about 6 months while I debated about what to do. Yesterday I finally got brave!

I LOVE it and don't regret painting it one bit! It looks amazing in its new home!

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New Doors for Lexi

This is a gorgeous armoire by Lexington that didn't need to be refinished. It was in perfect condition except for one tiny thing. The doors had warped while being stored in our extremely hot and dry climate. They wouldn't close which kind of defeats the purpose of an armoire, right?

Just so you know, most of the stuff I do, I'm totally winging it. I take care of one issue at a time and never know how I'm going to end up with a finished project but it always seems to work out with a little time and patience. I really wish I could be a carpenter's apprentice for a while.

So I went to Habitat Restore and found some doors that were close in size. I cut them down and removed the moulding from the old doors, added that, and then a smaller piece of moulding to the inside. Here's what the doors looked like when I finished...

And here is the final product...

And it's for sale! $450

Before and After Projects

I like to see the before pictures of refinished furniture because it gives me an idea what to look for when thrift store shopping. It helps train your eye to find that "just right" piece that may look like "just junk" to everyone else. (Hey! I should have my family do this! They think all the stuff I buy is "junk"!)

More to come! Right now my husband is waiting for me to watch "24". We just got Netflix and we can't stop with this show! It's not even that good but they really get you with the cliffhangers.

A Few Black Bookshelves

Bookshelf #1:

I forgot to take a before picture so you'll have to use your imagination. Picture oak, no bead board, and no doors. Got it?

And here it is now...

Remember these cheeseball pictures I used in my husbands home office? I was given about 8 of these so I cut the frames down to make two doors, and then just added bead board inside the frame. It worked out perfectly!

Bookshelf #2
I actually have a before pic of this one! (minus a few shelves)

Pretty drastic change, huh?

I just added some crown moulding to the top...

some new bead board backing...

and some new baseboard to the bottom.

And now my $20 thrift store bookcase looks like I paid a lot more!!! I love it when a project has a happy ending don't you?

Girlie Pink and Removing some STANK!

This "oh so cute" dresser started out as a stinky scary mess. It had this really hard-to-describe odor that the owner and I are pretty sure came from some sort of drug paraphernalia. I even found a seed in the dresser and googled "marijuana seed" just to see what they look like. But that wasn't it. It was kind of a sweet smell, but not in a good way. Oh, and there was a black resin type stuff in the drawers. ?????

So, this smell had to go. I broke out the Kiltz Original spray prime with odor blocker and used it on the WHOLE dresser. I'm talking inside, outside, and all the way around. There wasn't one square inch that I didn't hit. Then I painted black inside the dresser and on the drawers in case this little princess should decide to paint a different color someday. That way only the outside will need to be re-painted. Plus, the black looks really cute with the hot pink. ;)

See the drawer that's half the size it should be? It was cut down with the face front screwed on. Hmmmm? Drug hiding spot? Did I mention this dresser belonged to a bunch of college guys? Maybe they just wore a lot of stinky Cologne and needed a place to stash valuables. :) ha ha

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Nightstand Before and After

Before:

After:

Cute French Style Dresser

Hopefully you can tell that this is the BEFORE. The red paint is courtesy of me. Ha ha.

Because some handles were missing, we decided to patch the holes in the top two drawers and the owner will add crystal knobs.

This is my very favorite syle of dresser. I love the legs, the curves, and the handles. It just has so many unique and beautiful details.

This French beauty was refinished for Big Day Vintage Rentals. Picture a cake on top, and utensils or flowers in the open the drawers. Doesn't it just make your heart beat fast?! LOVE IT!!!