I have bought a bedroom suite that I would like to strip sad and repaint to a nice shabby shic look . I have no idea how to do this . What kind of paint is best . How to strip the varnish off . any advice or help would be fantastic thanks
zak410,
Nov 5, 10:29pm
You can use a paint stripper, (outdoors) to remove varnish.
But you may not have to, depending on your vision of 'shabby chic look' (?)
If you're going to use a paint and the timber is not seen, you maybe able to only sand lightly the varnish and seal before painting.
annies3,
Nov 5, 11:23pm
Oh why would you paint over beautiful timber like mahogany ? its a real treasure and rare now as well.
mlarkin,
Nov 5, 11:35pm
I agree with Annie - to paint mahogany is sacrilege - personally painted furniture especially shabby chic is very dated. Mahogany is timeless, no matter what the actual style of the suite. Capricorngirl
shanreagh,
Nov 5, 11:36pm
My thoughts too. Mahogany furniture from 1970s can be used as is for that 'retro' look so you could change to that rather than shabby.
You can use shabby chic on MDF it does not need to be a good wood. Many coats, buffing, sanding back and then waxing.
If you are going to continue my experience is that mahogany roughs up on sanding quite a bit.There are little 'filaments' that can work themselves up and so instead of getting a smooth look you get a hairy look. Would probably use the stripper in parts and be careful to strip with the grain.
diyblondie,
Nov 6, 12:27am
Catlover Annie Sloane chalk paint is the answer, sorry folks but I have painted my mahogany furniture. The best part when using chalk paint is NO sanding, paint straight over varnish! Check online for more info on chalk paint and stockist. Have fun!
catlover7,
Nov 6, 3:48am
Thanks to the helpful people :) I get you guys might like Mahogony left in its original condition but I don't . In Doing this because I like the shabby chic look and for myself not everyone else :) I will try the chalk paint thanks ;)
lythande1,
Nov 6, 12:22pm
If it was pine we might not care too much, but mahogany?!
annies3,
Nov 6, 12:57pm
I think I would sell the mahogany furniture and buy some cheap stuff so then it wouldn't matter how I treated it to suit myself, but to ruin such valuable timber just to satisfy what is probably a temporary want is crazy.
lilyfield,
Nov 6, 1:08pm
Google how to make your own chalkpaint, easy as , and so much cheaper . I have used the plaster of paris method with great success over varnished and stained MDF. Easy peasy and quick.
cleggyboy,
Nov 6, 2:02pm
Coopers is an excellent product, but the initial kitset is expensive, but once you have that then it is just the matter of purchasing the liquid stripper. Kitset has a DVD how to instructions in it.
brightlights60,
Nov 6, 2:57pm
Isn't it personal preference what you do with your furniture? I bought a beautiful (at the time decrepit) old mahogany table off here for $39. I sanded with a little electric sander then applied coats of a really good varnish with the stain already in it. It came up like absolute glass. Bought some bright red chairs from K-mart and it looks fab. For very little. OP, google is your friend. I use it find out what glues to use, what paint to use and I bought a great book on how to obtain the different paint "looks" as well. Best of luck.
tigra,
Nov 6, 3:53pm
How did you apply the varnish?
shanreagh,
Nov 6, 7:03pm
Sure it is. But mahogany is a protected wood from some countries now ie not exporting it and keeping what they have got. OP could do better to buy a pine or MDF bedroom set and sell the mahogany one.
whitehead.,
Nov 6, 10:57pm
ive been stripping and doing up 70 pine and people keep asking to buy it dont paint it unless you get it dipped or car painted it will never look right you just cant do it with a brush
whitehead.,
Nov 6, 10:58pm
you can use a roller or a brush but they have to be good ones
coralsnake,
Nov 7, 12:12am
There is not likely to be anything that she may like that comes even close to what she has! NZ furniture is plain and boring especially more modern stuff.
brightlights60,
Nov 7, 1:16am
With a brush.
redlippy1,
Nov 7, 5:14pm
We had an oak leadlight china cabinet that I painted high gloss red. Looks amazing but the biggest tip I can give is buy a cheapish spray gun from Mitre 10 gave a really good finish.
shanreagh,
Nov 8, 2:10am
Older pine furniture is available and is great to paint or wax or do interesting finishes on.
coralsnake,
Nov 8, 2:40am
There is more to a piece of furniture than just 'finishes' i.e. the design, accents etc etc etc.
I have pieces of moulded decorative wood that I can add to a piece of Plain Jane Furniture which I brought from overseas after scrolling through websites of furniture sites in NZ. There was not a piece of furniture I saw that I liked not to mention outrageous prices. I did bring most of my furniture with me and are glad I did.
paix1,
Nov 8, 2:46am
. agree 100% Unbelievable that anyone would want to strip & paint over solid mahogany! That is just criminal - especially 'shabby chic' - sooooo last year!
coralsnake,
Nov 8, 3:09am
Have just checked several top US decorating sites [and a couple of Brit ones] and shabby chic is still very much in vogue. There's a shabby chic market held in Christchurch once a month.
Variants of shabby chic style include: Cottage chic, Beach cottage chic, French country, Gustavian (Swedish)
shanreagh,
Nov 8, 3:16am
I think we are cross purposes there. OP has bought presumably older solid mahogany furniture and is proposing to do a finish called Shabby chic. All I am saying is that there is older pine furniture available that could be equally good to do this type of decoration on. This type of furniture is not found on listings from furniture shops but in Op shops, second hand shops, recycle centres, Trademe. Sometimes you might be lucky to get a set but often you will get a bedhead one place and chests of drawers somewhere else. My suggestion is to use the less valuable and not rare wood to do these redecorations. And bear in mind, often in 'olden days', furniture was painted because the wood was not suitable to be used plain ie bare wood. Often wood without a pronounced grain was painted and different finishes/additions done to enhance what grain there was there or to do put a grain on.
Shabby chic is drawing on the history of painted furniture where several paint layers have been put on over the years and worn differently. Only now you put all the layers on at once and sand back parts and wax.
With solid mahogany there is no history of painting because the wood is so beautiful itself with beautiful grain. OP could be proudly retro leaving the mahogany as is. it was around in the 1970s but it has been used over the years/centuries and there are beautiful antiques with flame mahogany doors on dressers etc.
cwag,
Nov 13, 7:12pm
Listen up people. Catlover is asking for advice on stripping and repainting her furniture. She isn't asking to for a debate on whether you think she should do it or not.
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