Have you ever worked on a piece that you nearly gave up on? You almost set it out to the curb, took it to the thrift store or just burned it in the trash pile?? Well this lovely hutch was one of those kind of pieces. Wait you say, that piece is already done. Well, last summer I finished and glazed this piece as part of my Glazing Tutorial. But after filming the tutorial and sealing the piece it started to bleed. The gray turned yellow in places I didn’t expect. It seemed to get worse instead of better. I was so mad at it, I just let it sit.
Don’t get me wrong, it really is a gorgeous piece, it has solid bones, nice details, and lovely legs – it was just a chore to paint. Sometimes you just get a piece like this, no matter how many pieces you’ve refinished, every once and a while you get a doozy.
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Once I was finally done being mad at this antique style hutch – I decided it would really be lovely in navy blue. Not only is this my very favorite color, but it would also hide any bleed through the wood may decide to keep doing (if you are unsure, either prime it or paint it dark!).
One of the really nice things about General Finishes paint and topcoats is that they are very easy to paint over. The hutch had been painted in Seagull Gray, glazed in Pitch Black and then Sealed in High Performance Flat. All I had to do to paint this piece again was give it a very light sanding, clean it off and pull out the new color. No stripping, no heavy cleaning necessary.
I painted the outside in General Finishes Coastal Blue Milk Paint. It was a pretty quick process, 2 coats was all it needed. In fact, it was quick enough I painted this piece on a Facebook LIVE video.
I’ve learned with the dark colors (Coastal Blue, Lamp Black, Dark Chocolate) it will show dust and dirt like crazy without a topcoat. I added one coat of High Performance Top Coat in the flat finish. It adds a bit of shine and an extra layer of protection.
The interior was painted in a mix of 50/50 Snow White and Antique White Milk Paint. It’s a fresh coat of white and I love the contrast the interior and exterior now has.
I chose to keep the fretwork on the door in wood, I also love the contrast and bit of natural wood tone it provides.
I kept the hardware that was one it. I’m not sure it’s all original, but I like it so it stayed.
A small hutch like this could be useful in so many spaces – it could be a bookcase, a storage cabinet in a bathroom or a hutch full of pretty dishes. The possibilities are endless!
This piece is currently available for sale!
Until next time,
Jenni
