9.08.2008

Our "New" Armoire

Well, the armoire is finally done, but it isn't fancy by any means. We bought this monstrosity because we're lacking closet space... not because it was the prettiest piece of furniture we could buy. If you remember, we paid next to nothing for it; though in order for it to pass the threshold into our house, it needed some serious work. A new paint job to be exact.

I originally thought that all I needed to do was spend a few hours scraping off the brown paint, then I could primer it and paint it... in just a day or two's work. Boy was I wrong! The armoire wasn't painted brown, rather it had a waxy exterior that made it virtually impossible to scrape, and was none to easy to remove with paint thinner either. The first weekend we had it, I spent at least 3 hours scrubbing with paint thinner, getting high as a kite, nary making a dent.

Matt finally got fed up and instructed our driver to hire a carpenter who could come to the house and sand it down. He found someone who came the next day, and in about 8 hours and 20 sanding disks later, it was as good as it was going to get.

I spent this weekend primering the thing, and both yesterday and today sponge painting it white. We thought we would white wash it with a hint of turquoise, but once I primered it and saw that the red wax was going to shine through, we left it the original color.

Okay... so it's a little pink. But if you look closely, you'll see it's a weathered pink (I'm grasping at straws here people). Lucky it will blend in with the funky furniture we have in our bedroom. More importantly, Matt couldn't care less as he knows he now has a place to hang his clothes (besides the chair, the hamper, and on top of the last 3 boxes in our room.) We'll bring it up tomorrow after it finishes drying. Now I just need to hire 3 men to carry it and pray it fits through the door.




This is the armoire in its original color the day it was delivered.




Here we go after it was sanded down. Notice the inside left door wasn't sanded completely... the carpenter tried and tried, but he couldn't get it off.




The finished product. The armoire has a lot of red shining through,
but mixed with a white paint, it does give off an aire of pink...
especially when the doors are open and you see the inside door that I didn't primer!

Once we get it into the room, I'll snap another photo or two.

33 comments:

Diane Mandy said...

I think it looks FABULOUS!!! Bravo. A job well done!

Simple Answer said...

Great work!

Mom24 said...

Much improved! I bet years from now, it will still be one of your most-used pieces of furniture. Good job.

Bob and Jenn Peacock said...

I love it! I can't wait to see it in the room!

WheresMyAngels said...

That turned out great, even if it is pink (I can't stand pink,lol). On Friday I was in an antique store and they had the most gorgeous armoire, and it wasn't even badly priced. If I had room, I would ask for it for Christmas! But I have no room for it, plus it is so big, I am not sure you could get it thru the doorways.

Please post pictures of it in the room.

-Bridget said...

That was a happy accident! I think it looks great with the pinkish hue.

The Mom Jen said...

Great job, it looks fantastic!!

OHmommy said...

I love it. It looks like it belongs in Anthropologie.

Unknown said...

It doesn't even look like the same piece! I love the finished product of furniture re-dos, but I absolutely HATE painting furniture! I redid my daughter's room for her b-day & painted all of her wood furniture white. It took 1 coat of primer and 4 coats of paint! I probably should've done another one b/c it's not perfect, but I'd had enough!

~Christy

mary s. said...

WHAT a gorgeous piece! Well done!

Claremont First Ward said...

I'm so glad that you didn't have to sand that thing yourself. It's huge project to sand something that size. Looks like it'll hold alot. I can't wait to see how it looks in the room!

Alison said...

I like the pink tone. I bet your girls will, too :-)

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

As I told you when you first wrote about this piece of furniture - I really admire people who have a vision! You did a fabulous job. And good for you for outsourcing.

I would love to see it in the room. And see what you mean about the other furniture.

Laural Out Loud said...

Tasks like this always end up 10 times harder than you planned on.

It looks GREAT now! Amazing what a coat of paint (and in this case, a ton of sanding) can do to change the look of a piece of furniture.

Unknown said...

Oooo I want one! Nice job!

anymommy said...

You are doing a great job of going with the flow and working with what you have. It's fun to read - I hope it's fun to live, usually anyway. We lived on an island with rolling black outs for two years (Saipan, in the Pacific). It's a pain to say the least, but it did make us really appreciate US efficiency and infrastructure when we moved home.

Jen said...

looks great. I can see the 'weathered pink look'

leezee52 said...

Hey...it looks awesome! I love it!

Lee :)

Eve Grey said...

Wow, great job! My daughter has all whitewashed furniture in her bedroom & it looks very nice.

Kelly said...

Holy cow!! What nuclear stuff did they use to seal that sucker...thank goodness you all decided to call it quits early on and hire someone to do the work!!
I like the finished product!

Robin said...

Wow, you did a great job. Want to come refurbish some furniture at my house next?

karey m. said...

it'll look bright...and i give you heaps of credit!

i would've hired out the whole damn thing...

but, then, i am rather lazy. xoxo!

Robin said...

Once it is in your room and filled with clothes, you will quit looking so closely at it. It looks great.

Cynthia said...

Wow, I want to see it in the room:)

Kat said...

Wow! Great job!

Michelle said...

What a feat! It really looks like a great piece, even pink!

Maybe you could put a kid or two next to it (or in it) so we can see the size comparison?

Rhea said...

I like it! It looks great. You did such a wonderful job, I'm impressed. I'm just not handy like that.

Danyele Easterhaus said...

hey...you did it! nice job. have you ever seen screaming meme's blog? she's an awesome fauz finisher...she's also very funny!

Unknown said...

Oh my I LURVE IT, please ship immediately to Okieland if not happy!

Gill - That British Woman said...

I love your blog, very informative...

Gill from Canada

Unknown said...

I love it. Even if it is a bit pink.

Stephanie Smith said...

You brought Shabby Chic to India! Well done! xx

Rela Pantaleon said...

The "waxy exterior" is varnish, I suspect if that's the same kind used popularly in my country. It's the old style of finish for those who have not been exposed to other kinds/tastes.

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