DIY to Professional in 3 Easy Steps
Hello fellow painters of furniture, or want to be painters.
The belief that dares to see something as more than what it has been for years is the grit that causes us to move forward with brush in hand and a determined smile to transform something into something worthy of Pinterest. So what happens when it doesn’t look like the pictures that we drool over when we are done? Let me give you my three favorite tips when it comes to working with a piece that just isn’t turning out the way you had envisioned. And, believe me when I tell you that you are not alone in finding that your skill has fallen short of the desired effect.
You can take three approaches to moving your piece along:
(1)
Most of the time it is because I have stopped short of the work that it takes to make the piece beautiful. And when I get honest with myself and roll my sleeves back up and do the next steps that I know I should have already done, then it turns out just fine. Some of these steps include – sanding the piece after it has its last coat. Or fixing a drawer or detail that needed a little TLC. Sometimes it’s adding wax or a finish of some kind or painting the hardware. Sometimes it’s all of these steps. So, if this is you – get busy – finish the piece – don’t quit too early.
I did this recently with two twin buffets that felt like the paint was just too flat. Although the pieces looked beautiful I felt that it looked a punch of wow. I took some tinted wax’s from Fusion’s line and it instantly took this project from an 8 to a 10!
(2)
Sometimes – you have done all the steps you know to do and it still doesn’t look quite right. So, refer to someone else’s work to see what may inspire some extra advice in improving your work already done. Sometimes, at this point it is also a good idea to put it aside for a few days so that you can come back with fresh eyes.
If you like the work created here at Say Yes to the Dresser you can follow our Pinterest account here for some inspiration!
(3)
And the last resort is knowing when its time to free yourself from a project and just move on to something else – no shame here! You still learned something! Hold your head high and remember that an education is expensive sometimes – but still worth it.
So – for what its worth – that is what I have learned in the school of DIY J
Happy painting :)