Today I’m making over this huge sideboard in RED, which used to be my absolute favorite color (but now I love all the colors!). Nothing fancy here – I’m focusing on blending the red chalk mineral paint, adding some dark shading using Best Dang Wax and I’ll also show you how to easily clean and updated hardware that may be covered in thick, old paint. So let’s get started on this gorgeous red side board makeover!
Supply List for the Red Side Board Makeover
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Surf Prep Sanding Kit (Use coupon code BELLARENOVARE10 )
Step 1: Stripping the Paint Off the Top of the Side Board
The first thing I did was remove the pre-existing finish from the top, which was a latex paint. I put it on with a cheap chip brush, let it sit for 15 minutes and then used my plastic scraper to easily scrape it off. You can tell when it starts bubbling that it’s ready to be scraped.
Once I was done removing all the paint, I neutralized the surface with mineral spirits. This keeps the stripper from continuing to work and it also opens up the woodgrain.
I removed all of the doors and the hinges too so that I could remove the paint from them.
This had some white paint on it so I used my Surf Prep sander with a 120 grit to get any of the old, peeling paint off the surface. At this point, you don’t have to try to remove everything but you do want the finish to be nice and smooth and a good surface for the base layers of paint.
Step 2: Cleaning the Hinges
You don’t need chemicals to be able to clean paint off hinges. This way takes a little bit longer but if you don’t like using strippers on pieces that you’re handling, this is a great option! I added all of the hinges to a pot and brought the water to a boil for about 20 minutes. I then removed it from the heat and carefully removed the hardware onto a paper towel. The metal will be very hot so wait a few minutes for the pieces to cool down before you touch them. Using a wire brush, you’ll scrape the leftover paint off and you’ll see that it comes off very easily.
I replaced all of the hinges and you can see how great they look!
Step 3: Cleaning the Side Board
This side board makeover has a lot of prep work, but it’s so important not to skip these steps especially if you’re painting for a client and not just for yourself. You want it to look as professional as possible! As always I used White Lightening to wash the entire surface area. After cleaning, I used clean water and a clean rag to remove any additional residue so that there won’t be any adhesion issues once I start painting.
Step 4: Red Base Coat
Before I did any blending, I put on two coats of Barn Red over the entire piece. You’ll notice that I did this without the doors and drawers in, but after the two coats went on, I put them back in and painted them. I find it easier to work on blending with the drawers in.
Step 5: Blending the Reds
It was time to start blending with the reds! I had the two coats of Barn Red on already and I had a brush for each color of red paint that I would be using as well as a clean, dry, neutral brush for the blending. I started with the first two colors Barn Red and Honky Tonk Red first misting the surface of the drawer first (I’m starting the blending on the drawers first) so that the blending is a little bit easier and the paints moves nicely. I love these shades of red on this sideboard makeover.
I put the Honky Tonk Red in the center and then I outlined it with the Barn Red. This brought a highlight to the center and a darker color on the outside. These two reds are very similar so it’s a very subtle but they added layers and dimension that you wouldn’t have if you just did Barn Red and then wax on top. I used my clean, dry neutral brush to blend these two colors together.
My third color for blending is Rustic Red. I used that color to outline the entire drawer so that I could create shading which is a darker effect. Again, I used the same clean, dry, neutral brush to create circles, and move horizontally and really focus on blending those three colors together. It may not seem like a dramatic blend, but this is also great for beginners to practice how to blend. That is the best way to learn and the only way you’ll get better at blending. I always recommend starting with colors that are very similar.
Even though it’s subtle you can definitely see a difference when they are side by side.
Step 6: Waxing and Sealing the Side Board
Since I was going to be using a dark wax, I primed the surface when the paint was dry with my clear Easy Peasy Spray Wax which allowed the dark wax to move easier and also to easily remove. It needs to dry for an hour before the next step.
Once dry, I used Best Dang Wax in black and added this to all of the same areas that I had painted with my Rustic Red to add a shading effect. I also added it into the ornate areas like the flowers to make those spots pop with a little more character.
This product wipes back very well with a microfiber cloth so if you have too much on, just keep wiping until you’re happy with how it looks. This is where the Easy Peasy Spray Wax comes in handy again because I sprayed the areas where I wanted to remove more wax from and it acts like an eraser. You can do this by spraying the surface or the rag that you’re using to wipe it back with.
Step 7: Painting the Side Board Hardware
In order to pull the colors all together, I decided to paint some of the hardware black. Let’s talk about how to paint the hardware the right way! The first thing I did was paint it with Slick Stick which is a gripping primer and that allowed me to paint on any surface that isn’t wood and it keeps the paint from chipping. I did one coat, waited a few hours, did my 2nd coat of Slick Stick, waited 24 hours and then it was ready for paint. I stippled the paint on in thin layers, did 2 layers and then allowed it to dry.
On the base of the piece, I waited 48 hours for the entire piece to dry, then I went back over it with Satin Clear Coat to seal the entire piece. This step isn’t mandatory, but this is a custom piece and I want to make sure that it lasts forever so any extra protection is a plus. All of the hardware also got sealed with the Satin Clear Coat to protect it.
Step 8: Adding a Bit of Gold Gilding Wax
Finally, to give it a bit of shimmer and gold shine, I dusted on some gold gilding wax to really pull all the colors of this piece together.
YouTube How To Video for Red Side Board Makeover
Take a look at the YouTube video if you’d like some more in depth instruction for blending.
Love this COLOR!!!!!
Red Side Board Makeover
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
If you want to see more Bella Renovare posts here’s one that is still one of my absolute favorites! https://bellarenovare.com/2019/10/easy-and-beautiful-faux-carnival-glass-technique/
Happy Creating!
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