Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Sophisticated Gray


This was my last painting project of the year. And it was for a very special client. My son Ryan moved into a bigger house and decided that he needed a bit of a furniture upgrade. He went "shopping" in my garage and picked out this handsome chest and nightstand.




The pieces were Craigslist finds and were in really great shape, except for one spot where the veneer was pulling away. I just patched it with a little Elmer's Wood Filler.






Let it dry.





Then sanded it smooth.








I always use a Purdy brush and get great results. They are easy to use, give a smooth finish and clean up really well, too. I'd seen this cute little Purdy Cub and decided to give it a try. It gave the same great results and fits so comfortably in my hand. It has a perfect little indentation for your thumb. It's now my new favorite brush!






Ryan's color sceme in his bedroom is a sophisticated combination of blue and gray, so we decided to go with Sherwin Williams Network Gray for the furniture.






And then on to my favorite glaze - Valspar's Clear Mixing Glaze with a little black paint added. Apply with a foam brush and wipe off with a clean cloth. Be sure to have a wet and a dry cloth handy, so you can make adjustments in the amount of glaze. I usually go with a pretty light hand with glaze, but it's a matter of personal preference. This glaze is so forgiving. You can work with it until you get the look you want.







And here are the finished pieces. I'm really thrilled with the results!










Ryan is going to love all that storage!








I did a light distressing along the edges and finished with three coats of rub-on poly.








You can see how subtle the glaze looks.



















I almost changed out the hardware, but decided it just needed an fresh look.





The original finish was brass.





I primed first.



Then gave all the pulls a few coats of Rust-Oleum's Hammered Black.






I'm so glad I kept them. Much better, don't you think?






So, there you have it, my last painting project of the year. All ready for delivery! And I know they will be happy in their new home. Enjoy, Ryan!






And guess what, after a little rearranging, we now have not one, but two cars in the garage. Woo-hoo! Now it can really snow!!!




But don't worry, I have plenty of inventory stockpiled to get me through the winter!


Now if Santa could just do something about building me a workshop! A few elves would be nice too! ... It's Christmas, dream big!

36 comments:

Linda @ Itsy Bits And Pieces said...

Those pieces turned out beautifully~ love the color~ the hammered finish on the pulls looks great, too! Really updated the pieces!

Kathy said...

The furniture is just beautiful -gotta love Craig's List -the seller you bought them from would never believe the furniture looks like this now --I think the hint of black glaze really gave it a masculine touch and I know that is what you were striving for --Now question-How did you know how much black paint to add to the glaze? what type of black paint did you use ?
I think My 17 year old son would love this color for his furniture -he likes black, red, grey and then the New York City theme -subways, homeless, musicians in the tunnels, statue of liberty , etc-- What color is your sons walls? -You did a a wonderful job -I had to laugh at the end -we can't get cars in our garage because of my craig's list furniture -agh ! and winter is here !

Linda (Nina's Nest) said...

Great re-dos! I know he will love them! Linda

Cassie Bustamante said...

you know i love gray, sharon! they look so much better- and i love the updated hardware, too!

Christa @ Stories of a House said...

I love all the information you shared! I am a new Purdy Cub girl too. I love the shade of gray you chose (will add it to my blues/greens/grays sidebar). I especially love your glazing tutorial. Ryan is one lucky kid to have such a handy Mom! I keep telling my girls that we will be furnishing their homes for pennies on the dollar someday :)

Anonymous said...

They are perfect now. Very masculine. Your glazing is amazing ;). I can never get it that subtle. Do you wipe it off right away?

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

Fantastic transformation. Loving the color and thanks for linking.

Emily said...

they look wonderful! i cant wait for your next tag sale, i love your painting = ) and dont you just love that hammered spray?!

Anonymous said...

That's an awesome color!! I love the project and it thanks for the tutorial. Sometimes it's hard to understand the process and you've made it really easy.

. said...

What a beautiful color!! They turned out gorgeous for your 'special' client. :)

Anonymous said...

The shade of grey is so soft and really works with this dresser and nightstand! Your client will be thrilled!

hilary@oldhousetruelove said...

I really like those... the gray is perfect.

DIYbyDesign said...

Those turned out really beautiful. I linked over from blue cricket design. I love the grey. I'm sure your son will love it. Stop by my blog if you get a chance and check it out at www.diybydesign.blogspot.com. Thanks.

The Frosted Gardner said...

These look wonderful! I love this color! We need to do more grey - not to self do more grey! Seriously beautiful!

Allison {A Glimpse Inside} said...

Those look fabulous! I'm sure your son loves them. The color is great!
Thanks for linking them up!

Kim @ A Brush of Whimsy said...

Sharon,
Oh, these are just fabulous! I love the gray color with the black glaze. Thanks for showing how you put the glaze on. I always like to see how others do it! :) Hope you had a fab birthday!
Kim

Suzanne@Meridian Road said...

I LOVE the gray! Love it! You did a great job patching things up, too. I give them a 10!

Sue said...

I am a big fan of gray and these two pieces look fantastic in that color. What a fun transformation for your son's "new" furniture.

Delchick42 said...

They turned out great! Grey is one of my favorite colors and you can't go wrong with the simple colonial lines of the furniture. Good job.
Merry Christmas!

Cheryl

Holly Lefevre said...

That is beautiful. I need some grey furniture...it looks fresh and clean and chic.

time worn interiors said...

I think your son is gonna be very happy! Good job mom!
I wish we could get our cars in our garage! Don't think that will ever happen!
Theresa
aka:tot

Paige @ Little Nostalgia said...

Found you through Just A Girl. That's an excellent distressing job! Very subtle.

Anonymous said...

I think grey is the new white. I just painted my kitchen a pale grey and I love it.

Vanessa said...

Hi Sharon! Wow! Those look absolutely gorgeous and the Hammered Black is one of my favorite spray paint tones. You truly gave them new life and did an amazing job!
Thanks so much for linking up to Inspiration Friday!
Vanessa

Courtney ~ French Country Cottage said...

Hi there ~ It is delightful! I love how they turned out and I bet your son is loving those pieces too! Thanks for sharing at Feathered Nest Friday~ Happy Holidays!

Amanda Lee said...

Great make-over -- very sophisticated! You have a very lucky son!
~Amanda

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

wow! great job!I love the color and the light distressing!
great storage!
thanks for linking up and linking back!
gail

WiffsWife said...

What beautiful pieces! You did a great job.
I'm following from Sassy Sites.

-Liz
www.housekeepinginprogress.com
www.moregiveaways.blogspot.com

Denise C said...

They turned out great! The hardware looks really nice - hard to believe they aren't new! Thanks, too, for giving such a good description of the veneer patching. I have a piece that could use similar TLC.

I Play Outside The Box said...

Those turned out gorgeous! I'm sure they will be loved for years to come!

Leigh Ann said...

Love them...what a lucky son you have! Merry christmas!

Pam said...

Great job...they both look so nice.

Becky@Beyond The Picket Fence said...

Love that grey--thanks so much for linking up!

Small Holdings Farm said...

I just painted several pieces of furniture gray...love the softness of the color.

Stop by my blog by Jan 3 for a great candle give-a-way

Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage said...

I love how you turned the mundane to marvelous! I know your son will really appreciate his beautiful "new" old furniture!

Thanks for linking to my party. I look forward to having you join me each week.

And please be sure to come by and enter my fantastic year-end giveaway. Click the picture in my sidebar for details.

By the way, I just joined you as a follower. ;)

Blessings and a very Merry Christmas!
Liz @ the Brambleberry Cottage
http://thebrambleberrycottage.blogspot.com/

Lisa @ Fern Creek Cottage said...

The furniture looks wonderful now! Such a smooth sophisicated finish! I know your son must really be enjoying his fancy new furniture.