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From neglected antique to fresh & chic

This is a really nice antique table that my clients inherited, but it has seen better days. The table had a wicked wobble, an ill-fitted drawer, was slightly askew, and had some poor repair work done to it. They wanted it painted a bright white for a fresh, new look.

I’ll spare the details of the painting process, since I have shared that in an earlier post. We glued the loose joints, replaced the bottom shelf (which had a split in it and was nailed in) and squared and glued the drawer. The new shelf is held in place by biscuits and glue, so there aren’t any nail or screw holes. Now it’s super sturdy. No more wobble.


Looks like extensive surgery with all of those clamps, but it’s really not that complicated.

I sanded, deglossed, and primed the piece with my usual Sherwin Williams water based bonding primer. Normally one coat of bonding primer will do the trick, but with this piece, the old wood stain was seeping through the primer, so I applied a coat of Kilz sealing primer. This blocks the stain from seeping through the white paint. I then applied 2 coats of Sherwin Williams Proclassic semigloss latex paint in Frost and 1 coat of Polycrylic Semigloss topcoat to protect the finish.
While working on the piece, I received a call from the client asking if I could paint the existing ceramic knob to look like Delft. She was planning on purchasing one, so I’m glad she asked me to do it. It cost her a fraction of what it would have to buy a new knob! Since they didn’t want any decorative painting on the piece, it also gave me something creative to do!.

I based the design on a picture of a Delft knob I found online. I used acrylic paint for the decorative painting and sprayed 2 coats of Krylon clear glossy topcoat to protect the knob.

Tada! Here is the final product. I am such a fan of blue & white…I love how fresh this piece looks and the knob is the perfect finishing touch. It’s always a hard decision to paint an antique wood piece, but in my opinion this was a happy ending.

Marian Parsons 

Paint Enthusiast | Writer | Artist | Designer

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18 Responses

  1. So cute and fresh! I love what you did with the knob! A biscuit joiner has been on the top of my wish list for quite some time.

    : )

    Julie M.

    ps A couple of months ago..one of my blog posts included a large green chest of drawers (counter) which was being used as a tool bench in the garage of an estate sale I visited. I started peeling off the funky layers of unoriginal details today (including parquet flooring on the back)…and discovered patches of beautifully stained wood under the apple green paint! What fun! I wonder if it was actually an old shop counter. : )

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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