Today, I would like to share with you Sophie’s work. Sophie is a very talented French furniture flipper and she is happy to share her tips for painting a pair of lovely nightstands in two shades of grey.
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First of all, I will let Sophie introduce herself.
My name is Sophie. I’m a French furniture flipper based in Burgundy, France. I sell hand-painted, renovated, re-imagined furniture. I also do custom work for my clients. I’m also a brand ambassador at Eléonore déco, a furniture makeover supplies brand. I offer coaching services to my clients so that they can redo their furniture themselves using Eléonore déco’s amazing products.
Furniture makeover used to be a hobby for you. It is now a full time job. Can you tell me more about this journey?
I have been painting furniture in my spare time for years. It was only last year (2021) that I quit my job to become a full-time furniture flipper.
Which project are you going to share with us today?
Today I’m sharing this beautiful classical-style nightstands makeover. These two nightstands have thin and curved legs. I liked them right away. They are made of solid wood and though they look identical, they slightly differ. Look closer! Yes, they are the same size but one has one drawer whereas the other one has three. The nightstands will be painted with shades of grey paint. I will then apply a glaze for a beautiful antique look.
How did you prep these nightstands before painting?
The 2 nightstands were first deeply cleaned with a cleaning and degreasing product. The old wood finish was really smooth, almost glossy. I know that in this situation, the paint won’t adhere. So I grabbed my sanding block and I lightly sanded the 2 nightstands. No need to sand them down to expose the natural wood. The goal is just to rough up the surface enough so that the paint will stick to it. Then I applied a primer all over the two nightstands.
Do you have a tip you would like to share with us? How to tell if the primer is sticking to your furniture?
Yes, I do have one tip to share! Once the primer is dry, I scratch the wood with my nails, as a cat would do. If your primer does not peel, you’re ready to paint. If not, prepping was not done properly. You better start again otherwise your makeover won’t last.
How did you paint these nightstands?
I chose two shades of grey paint. One is lighter than the other. I love soft colors.
I applied one color after the other was dry using a roller and a small brush. These shades of grey colors work really well together. The difference between the 2 colors is subtle but it adds characters to these lovely nightstands.
I painted the legs of one nightstand using the lighter grey shade. For the other nightstand, I did the opposite: I painted the legs using the darker grey paint.
How did you seal them?
Once the paint was dried, I distressed the nightstands using my sanding block. I distressed before applying a glaze. For this makeover, I created a custom glaze color by mixing two different shades of glaze. I applied the glaze with a paintbrush then I used steel wool to polish the nightstands. I used varnish to seal this project. I prefer varnish to wax. I find varnish finish more durable than wax. Finally, I put the hardware back in place.
This project is finished. These two classical nightstands are not outdated anymore. I love these soft shades of grey. And look at those curvy legs!
What is your supply list for this project?
For this makeover I used the following tools and supplies:
- Sanding block and sandpaper
- Paint roller
- Paint brush
- Steel wool
- Cleaning product
- Primer
- Grey acrylic paint (2 different shades)
- Antiquing glaze
- Varnish
If you are based in France, I would highly recommend that you pay a visit to Sophie. She will be happy to show you around and introduce her work. You may also find tastefully redesigned furniture on her website. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram and on Youtube (all accounts are in French but you may still enjoy the pictures if you don’t read French).
Save this project for later!
Happy makeover!
