Do you have older furniture that needs a new lease on life? Maybe the finish is outdated or no longer looks right in your decor. Instead of buying something new, consider giving your furniture a face-lift. At Daly’s Paint we have lots of ideas on how you can transform your furniture!

Right now, a hot trend in the design field is to re-purpose old, outdated pieces by decking them out with a whole new painted look – Many designers are looking at the lines and quality of the construction of these vintage gems and realizing that simply approaching the old from a new point-of-view might be all it takes to transform ‘Aunt Betty’s’ old dining room set into a completly new look.

It takes some effort and time, but considering how well constructed some of these more vintage pieces are, it just may be worth the time. Plus you’ll end up with a unique itemunlike anyone else’s. What a great way to express your personality, repurpose an existing item and save some money at the same time!

Here is a quick check-list of what you’d need to do if you want to transform a tired old piece into something with a chic new attitude with paint and glaze. The following is a multi-step process to paint and glaze your furniture, like you would see from high-end cabinetry designers - perfect if you have lots of carving details that you want to feature:

• Scuff sand the finish to create ‘tooth’ on the surface
• Prime the piece to ensure adhesion
• Paint your entire piece in a creamy white
• Glaze over the painted surface with a tinted glaze. Many people like using an umber-tinted glaze color, but you could choose any color you’d like. Glaze adds a transparent ‘flavor’ on top of the paint. Depending on how you apply the glaze (brush or cheesecloth, for instance), more or less glaze will collect in the crevasses and corners of the furniture, adding depth and dimension.
• You can then top-coat it with a clear finish to add further durability, ranging from low to high sheen effects.
• Whew!

Another designer trick is to to paint the furniture in a high-gloss color to add instant impact to a room. Imagine painting a side-board mandarin orange or lipstick red. Drama!!! Glamour!!! Style!!! Cheap!!!

Daly's specializes in creating custom stain colors for furniture, floors and your home!

Did you know that Daly’s manufactures a full line of stains and finishes called Daly’s Wood Finishes? Not only that, but we specialized in creating custom stain colors, too. We can teach you how to strip off that old, tired finish and re-stain and refinish for a fresh new look - in a huge variety of cool stain colors! Stain has the added benefit of highlighting the natural beauty of the wood, so if you have something that doesn’t want to hide under a coat of paint, this may be the perfect option.

As a finishing touch, invest in new decorative hardware. Drawer pulls can range from modern cylindrical pulls to elaborate designs meant to bling out your furniture. It’s an important detail that allows you to really add flavor and attention to design to your furniture – and its a great way to update the old!