Furniture Painting - Dining Room Hutch Makeover

Looking for an inexpensive way to add some style and charm to your home? Painting thrifted furniture finds is a great place to start! 

I am by no means a professional painter! But I’m sharing the process that I’ve used over the years to create an affordable, cohesive way to furnish my home on a budget! 

My first and best advice is to be a savvy thrifter! My favorite place to find discounted furniture is Facebook Marketplace but Craigslist, Goodwill and Garage/Estate Sales are also great places to shop! When thrifting for furniture, be prepared to buy immediately!! Know the exact dimension and style of furniture you need for your space. The best pieces sell quickly and if you’re not prepared to buy you may miss out on some great deals. (Speaking from experience!) With that said, be patient and prepared to wait for the right piece to come along…trust me it will!

Look for vintage pieces that are solid wood. These pieces have withstood the test of time and are so much more authentic and beautiful once painted! Don’t be afraid of pieces that have chipped veneer or scratches in the wood! Once painted, these imperfections can actually add character to the piece! 

 

Before painting, prep with Krud Kutter! It works amazing at getting all of the dirt and grime off and also helps to strip away some of the high gloss finish on the vintage pieces. Let the piece dry overnight before applying paint. 

Depending on the piece of furniture, start with the inside for cabinets or underneath for chairs. It’s so much easier to to work with wet paint on the piece if you start in that order…trust me :) When painting a dark cherry wood or deep orange toned stained piece white, it’s a good idea to use a primer to prevent the original color from bleeding through onto the white. For this piece I didn’t prime but had to apply 3 heavy coats of white paint. Since all of the walls in my home are painted Benjamin Moore Simply White, I always have plenty on hand and I used it for the inside of the hutch. 

For the exterior, I used Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Ash. This paint is my new favorite go-to for all of my projects. It’s nontoxic, easy to apply, fast drying and super durable without any special top coat or sealer! The finish is a beautiful matte that is very forgiving with brush strokes. The paint is available in quart-sized containers but takes only a small amount to provide excellent coverage. I applied 3 coats (1 heavy and 2 light) to the exterior of the cabinet. I actually used the same quart to paint both of my thrifted hutches! 

Luckily the exterior hardware was in great shape and just needed a little refresh with Antique Gold Rub and Buff. 

 

Allow the paint to dry and cure according to the manufacturers recommendations then move on to my favorite part…STYLING!! I purchased this cabinet to display some of my vintage ironstone and couldn’t wait to finally unpack it!! 

I shared a video of the process on Instagram and I’d love to see your projects! Follow along @returninggrace and tag me in your makeover photos!



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