To paint or not to paint.. that is the question.

 We get asked this question almost every day, "Do you paint every piece of furniture you get in?"   Infact, some people that stop in are not very happy that we paint the wood instead of stripping it down.

The answer to that question is No and Yes. I'm sure that sounds a little contradictory. The truth is, if it's in great shape we polish it up and put it on the floor in it's original condition. 

By the time most pieces get to our shop, they are in need of some TLC, spackle, sanding and gluing. At that point we fix them and then paint them. 

The dresser pictured above is a case of the NO and Yes situation. We've had this wonderful vintage dresser in the shop since we opened in October. The only comments we ever heard about it was - "It looks like old Grandma furniture".  Nobody was even really looking at the beautiful wood. The mirror is old so the silver is starting to crackle. Once again, it's vintage and that's part of it's charm.  So what was needed?  As much as I hated to think of painting it, and it took me a very long time to even consider it, something was needed to make it desirable again.

I sat one morning and looked at it, in hopes that I would come up with an answer that worked for the painted and non-painted choice. It just hit me, a bit of color on the top and drawer fronts. Nothing else. The top was scratched from years of use and the drawers had a few digs in them. So I got out the wood filler and putty knife and went to work. Filled in all the digs, scratches and gouges. Sanded them smooth and then the color came to me.... Red.  

 

I love Red, probably one of my favorite colors.  Now it came time to put the paint on the wood.... I held my breath and made my first swipe. The red against the stained wood was so rich and warm looking. I did the drawers - leaving the wood knobs unpainted.

After it dried, I used Miss Mustard Seed's Wax. WOW.. what a difference that little bit of color made. It went from just a Grandma dresser to one that would go in so many different settings. As of today, it's gotten a lot more attention. I have a feeling it won't be in the shop for long.

We are all about giving each piece we get in the opportunity to shine. I like to think of it this way, Most woman put on makeup to put their best face forward.. the same for our furniture, we just put the lipstick on them and make them ready for their "Next Act".

Patti