Finally found that perfect piece for Terra Bella's (TB) Crushed Olives.  This was a fun update of an 80 china cabinet.  It was a slick white with a wooden oak color top and bottom.  It had a mirror on the back with glass all around.  So thought I would bring it to the newest decade.  I primed the entire piece with as the white part was so slick I wanted to make sure (even with chalk paint) it stuck.  I used PPG Gripper in a light gray.  I sprayed in on as I just learned how to use a spray gun with success (the Homeright sprayer is awesome).  Then I hand painted the rest inside my family room (yep - 100% non-toxic and no smell so love that)  using Crushed Olives.  I took off the mirror and backing and replaced with bead board - painted it in Terra Bella's Stone.  I used a blend of 4 parts TB Sheer Liquid Wax to 1 part TB Cocoa Liquid Wax (love this combo and premix to always have on hand).  Replaced the knobs w/update hardware and front doors with Poultry Fencing (found at Lowe's).

This is an easy way to update your kitchen/bathrooms.  This is a transformation of a rental property that I lived in 25+ years ago.  I used Driftwood throughout the home - kitchen, 2.5 bathrooms.  I cleaned them, used Terra Bella Gesso Primer and General Finishes Milk Paint in Driftwood.  I have not painted a top coat yet, but my daughter moved in and I will go one weekend and get that done.  I did all of these rooms with less than a 1/2 gallon of paint.  Yes, that is correct, less than 1/2 gallon.  I put 2 coats on it all (not the insides of the cabinet - I left those natural).  Why did I use Milk Paint over Chalk Paint?  It was all about the color.  I actually painted another kitchen in this color and I still had 3/4 of the gallon.  It was beautiful and why not duplicate this look.  Driftwood looks amazing against the Sherwin Williams Agreeable Gray Wall Paint.  Both have the Greige look and work so well together. Another great thing I did with our last 2 rental properties, we used the same wood look linoleum and with the scraps, I lined all the cabinets for easy cleaning and cover up the old water stains, spots, etc.
​

After Pictures:  Painted by Jessica Kline using General Finishes Milk Paint and High Performance Satin Top Coat

Painting your kitchen, bathroom or laundry room cabinets can really make a big impact and upgrade your space.  It can be a big job but with a few simple tips, it will go smoothly and you can achieve a professional look.

1.  Before you do anything, get out painter's or masking tape and number all your cabinets.  You will want to place the number on the inside of the cabinet door or drawer,  use the coordinating number and place it on cabinet frame or inside the drawer.   Why?  Cabinet doors and drawers are typically screwed on when installed.  They do not match up and you will spend hours trying to figure out which door belongs where if you miss this step.

2.  Always remove all hardware.  Grab a gallon size plastic bag and just start throwing your hardware into it as you remove it.  It will help you from losing any pieces.  Why remove?  It is too difficult to get a nice smooth finish if you have to go around your hardware.

3.  Clean and clean more.  Kitchens are grease magnets.  Paint will at some point want to come off if it doesn't adhere in the first place.  Paint may go on, but down the road if your cabinets chip, it is typically due to the grease, dirt, etc. that was not removed before painting.

For those who want a non-toxic way of cleaning, use 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 water.  For extremely greasy cabinets, you may have to go to a harsher cleaning method (only use this method if absolutely necessary) for instance TSP (available at Hardware Stores) and water.  Be sure to use gloves and a mask with this method.  Or sand any grease off.  ON ALL THESE METHODS, be sure to go back with a clean damp rag that only has water on it to remove any cleaners off of your cabinets.

4.  Figuring out how much paint you will need.  This is a very difficult job and no one can tell you exactly what it will take.  Everyone uses a different amount and different woods can take more than others.  This is how I help my clients - Purchase a couple of quarts or a gallon.  Completely paint your first coat on everything including your cabinet frames and doors/drawers.  Figure out what it took and then you will know approximately what you will need for a second or third coat.  BIG TIP:  Why not paint a section at a time?  All paints have different dye lots.  If you paint a section and you run out of paint, there is a very good chance that the paint won't match.  ANOTHER BIG TIP:  On your last coat, be sure to mix all the paint together so it all matches.  If you know you need 3 quarts, get a small pail (available at hardware stores) and mix them all together. 

5.  To prime or not to prime?  You will find that most professionals will prime cabinets no matter what paint they use.  If you are using chalk paint, you can skip this step if you prefer.  However, if you are painting a dark color and wanting it much lighter, this step is highly recommending.  Terra Bella and General Finishes have amazing stain blockers. 

6.  Have a practice cabinet.  If you can find a cabinet that is similar to your cabinet, use it as your practice board.  You may want to distress your cabinet and then you do it and decide, nope, don't like that look.  Or you want to age with a glaze, good to practice to get the look you want before tackling all the other cabinets.  Where to get practice cabinets?  I have found some at Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill, garage sales, etc.  Also, Michael's and Hobby Lobby sell small sign boards that could be a good practice board. 

7. Protect your work!!! This is the last step.  Distress, add glazing techniques, etc before you add your topcoats.  I sell two types of Topcoats - Terra Bella and General Finishes.  Please contact me to see what kind is right for you. 

8.  Painters tape.  It is worth taking the time and using tape to protect your walls and get a beautiful edge.  I tear about 2 feet of tape at a time and overlap a little bit.  Much easier than trying to deal with large piece.  There are two types of tape - regular painters tape and painters tape for painted surfaces.  If you are using it on a recent painted wall, it is best to get the tape for previously painted.  3M has an orange core and Green Frog's is yellow.  I prefer Green Frog's Yellow on previously painted pieces but I use 3M regular all the time when I paint walls.

9.  Let your paint cure.  All paint has a cure time.  It is typically 20-30 days depending on how many coats, how much humidity is in the air and other factors.  This doesn't mean you can't use them, just be careful with them.  And to clean, use mild cleaners after the 20-30 days.  Consider it fine furniture. 

10.  Enjoy!!!  And please feel free to contact me and I can help guide you with the many products I carry. 

This potting bench display is perfect for our Saltwash, but it needed to show just how great Saltwash looks.  So why not add my favorite "fun" products on it - Crackle and Saltwash! 

Supplies needed: 

   3 colors of paint - used here:  Terra Bella Paint & Finishes in Waterfall, 
         Cathedral, and Fresh Cream
   Saltwash
   Terra Bella Crackle
   2 brushes - a good and a cheap brush (chip brush is perfect).  We carry
        ClingOn Brushes.  One of the best brushes around for furniture painting.
   Orbital Sander - I find this the best thing to use for heavy distressing
   Container to mix your Saltwash with paint
   Stir Sticks
   Supplies to clean piece
  
  

1.  First step is to clean your piece.  I use 50/50 vinegar and water.  Followed by a quick wipe with a towel with plain water.  On this piece, I didn't worry too much if stuff chipped off, it would just give it more character - this is not typical, as for most pieces, I make sure it is really clean. 

2.  I mixed Terra Bella Cathedral Acrylic Chalk Paint with Saltwash.  Some of our paints can be a little thick so I add about 20% water first.  Then I add a scoop at a time of Saltwash to the paint, stir, add, stir until I get a cake batter like consistency.  Now for the easy fun part, just start dabbing the mixture on your piece where you want the Saltwash with a cheap brush.  On some pieces, I cover the entire piece, however, on this piece, I wanted it more random (for more information on using and applying  Saltwash, please watch this video).

3.  After applying the random Saltwash and allowing it to dry, I used Terra Bella Waterfall and randomly placed it mainly in areas I didn't add the Saltwash mixture.  Let dry.

3.  Also in a random method, I added Terra Bella Crackle over the potting bench. Let Dry.

4.  Fresh Cream was used as the top layer.  When painting over crackle, be sure to apply paint using one way strokes instead of back and forth.  Again, I randomly added the Fresh Cream making sure I hit the crackle (it dries shiny so easy to see). 

5.  Now for the my favorite part, sanding! I prefer using an electrical orbital hand sander.  I sanded to hit the peaks of the Saltwash and avoided the areas with the crackle.  The potting bench was painted with a dark red a few years ago so I left that but really distressed it with the sander.

Since this was a rough and really distressed piece, I decided not to add any topcoat to it.

One of my newest clients and a fellow artist at American Redemption Painted this.  She had the desk and the bench, which were seperate pieces.  She painted them the same to make a matching, beautiful unique vanity set (or desk).  It was painted with Terra Bella Paints in Cloudy Skies. Random patches of Crackle were added. Followed with dry brushing French Cream over making sure to hit the spots with the Crackle.  As you can see, the hardware was also painted the same.   Sheer Liquid Wax was applied to protect the piece. 

This beautiful vintage french provincial cane back arm chair has been painted with Terra Bella paints Antique Lace and sealed with 2 coats of Protect & Seal liquid wax. It has new dacron and the seat has been upholstered in a neutral french script pattern to match any decor.  https://www.facebook.com/Pieces-With-A-Past-203338503332865/

From our Client, Colleen at Pieces with a Past.  "And here she is! I think she's beautiful - what about you? She was painted with Terra Bella Paints acrylic-chalk paint color "Waterfall" and sealed with Terra Bella's Protect and Seal Sheer Liquid Wax. Befitting a chair her age, she has been very lightly distressed. Her new seat is a vintage floral print from Richloom fabrics that matches her paint color beautifully. I hope you like her as much as I do."  Visit https://www.facebook.com/Pieces-With-A-Past-203338503332865/ for more of Colleen's beautiful creations.

When I started painting furniture many, many years ago, my sister Sally wasn't much of a fan.  Over the years, she began to appreciate things that I painted.  Then she started to watch Fixer Upper and now she looks around to see what can be painted.  It happens to us all.  LOL.  She purchased a home for her and her daughter (my niece also is a Fixer Upper fan) and they  wanted to make it farm house chic.  Since Joanna Gaines doesn't work in Atlanta, she had to do it herself.  Fortunately, being a dealer, I know you can buy more authentic pieces at Antique and Interior Malls instead of retail stores.  Even though she purchased a lot of new stuff, it is always more affordable to change your current pieces to fit the look.  She had a china cabinet that was a yellow oak color with lots of mirrors.  First, we removed the glass pieces off the doors and the sides of the cabinet.  We took off the back that had mirror on it so it would be easier to paint.  We decided to keep the mirror off and just paint the wood that was holding the mirror to black (no top coat so she can use it as a chalkboard).  We painted the entire cabinet with Terra Bella Paint and Finishes.  The back of the cabinet was painted in Raven (black). We painted the cabinet in layers.  We started by painting with Slate (gray).  We left a few spots of wood still showing through.  After the Slate, we followed up with Cloudy Skies (lighter gray) and then Bridgewater Blue.  While painting the Bridgewater Blue, we were sure not to give full coverage in lots of places so that the other colors could peek through. After painting, we used Sheer Liquid Wax Protect and Seal.  We then replaced all the areas that had glass with chicken wire fence to give it even more of a farm house chic. 

I had an old purse that I paid way too much for but it was the perfect one!  It was leather and it took a beating.  I tried to fix it with leather stain but it just didn't cover up the worn white lines in it.  So I thought, why not try our Gel Stains on it.  It is made to cover some of the imperfections on wood so why not my purse?  I was pleasantly surprised that it worked really great on my purse.  A few months later, Jill, at American Redemption in Suwanee (one of our locations) had a chair she was working on.  She asked if I knew what could be done to help restore the leather as it was worn.  I handed her a bottle of our Espresso Gel Stain and asked her to try it.  It turned out so beautiful.  Below are before and after pictures of the chair's leather.  -- Susan Bonne, Two Dogs and A Paintbrush