Transforming a Vintage Buffet with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Say the word “sale” and I’m like a hungry zombie on the hunt for his next meal.

Brains!

Bargain!

It can be a recipe for disaster. Many times, my judgment has been clouded by a good deal. And it’s not until I’m home that I realize that treasure was really trash.

But not this time.

When I spotted this buffet  before its transformation, it was wedged in an old barn with lots of junk. One leg was broken  — split almost clear through — and the others were caked in mud. One door was missing and the drawers were falling apart. It smelled like tobacco.

Oh, and the paint job, was horrible. It was a caked-on creamy color, layered over a goopy brown. To say it had been painted, though, is too generous. I’ve never seen such sloppy brush work. I’m thinking someone just dumped a can of paint over it.

Of course, I forgot to take a before photo. I must have been afraid it would have broken my camera!

But I saw something special in this piece, beyond the ridiculously cheap price tag. Like Mildred, the vintage secretary that transformed into a bombshell after a little milk paint makeover, I knew this piece of furniture could have a glorious second life.

And so, I got to work – gluing, stripping, sanding, painting, distressing and waxing.

You can read about that process here.

It took months of stops and starts, maybe because I was afraid of how much work this buffet would require.

But once I started painting, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I started with Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint in Tricycle Red first (with bonding agent added to ensure the paint would stick). Then, I followed with a layer of hemp oil, then a layer of Kitchen Scale milk paint to achieve that wonderful chippy  texture for which milk paint is famous. (You can learn more about how to use hemp oil to make milk paint chip here.)

A little distressing with a sanding block, a top coat of hemp oil, some new knobs from Hobby Lobby, and the buffet was finally finished.

We hauled it over to my booth at Golden Antiques in Summerfield, N.C., one Wednesday afternoon.

I did a little accessorizing and fluffing of my booth.

It stayed that way for a few days, long enough for the Hometalk N.C. Bloggers Meetup. Then, the very next day, I got a phone call that someone was interested in buying the buffet.

So, now I am in search of my next bargain, the next dusty, crusty, muddy, eyesore I can make over with my paintbrush.

Because where other people see junk, I see…

…brains!

Linking up to:

Creatively Tuesday at The Rustic Pig

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage