"Launched in 2005, Home-Dzine was created to realise a dream; to express my love of home DIY and decor and share with other South Africans. As a non-commercial website I am free to express my own opinions and pass on valuable information to readers.
I feel that more people can benefit by being able to DIY home improvement and home repairs. And we're not talking about major DIY home repairs, but those that anyone with a bit of DIY savvy can do themselves."
Old becomes new becomes old again
I love the look of distressed furniture, even though I don't have a single piece in my home. My personal style is more modern with a touch of eclecticism. There is something that appeals to the inner me - a desire to make but not to own.
That piece of junk that you recently inherited may well turn out to be a treasure in disguise.
Secondhand shops and auctions are a great place to pick up bargain furniture that can be lovingly restored to their former glory.
Look beyond the chipped paint or scratched wood to see the beauty beneath. If the structure is still in good condition, you would be amazed at what you can do with a few basic power tools, paint or sealer.
Stipped bare
Where layer upon layer of paint or varnish needs to be removed, it's best to start off with an eco-friendly paint remover such as Plascon RemovAll (fantastic stuff!).
Easily applied with a brush, you simply brush on - wait 30 minutes - scrape off with a plastic scraper.
Obviously, you may have to do this more than once if there are several layers.
For any remaining paint, varnish or defects you will need to use a sander.
A Bosch multi-sander will allow you to get into corners and close to edges, whilst a Bosch orbital sander works perfectly on flat surfaces.
Start off with 80- or 120-grit sanding pads and finish with 240-grit sanding pads.
Apply paint
Paint the entire project with white PVA acrylic, matt or sheen as you prefer. Let dry and then apply another coat.
To distress the finish there are so many options. To create the look in this project you can use black Guilders Paste and a soft cloth to add to edges and detail. In detailed areas use a small, stiff brush to get the paste into detailed work.
An easy alternative for a foolproof distressed finish is to use a Rust-Oleum Distressed Ivory kit.
I have used these kits several times on different projects with wonderful results.
Each kit is more than enough for a large project, and you will probably still have left over that you can use on a smaller project.
More ideas for distressed bedroom furniture
While there are those that will frown on painting wood, pieces made of pine can be given new life and new purpose instead of ending up on the junk heap. The panels on the headboard and cabinet are wallpaper that is glued and sealed with ModPodge.
