I found a darling little Disney Princess Bench in the dumpster near my apartment.
After tightening up some screws it was sturdy enough to keep,
and I knew with some cheap fixes it would be perfect for Mollie's bedroom.
Overall it was in pretty good used condition, if a bit wobbly.
After tightening the screws the wobble disappeared and I decided to sand down the paint
to see how it looked underneath so I could then decide what to do.
This is why my refinishing/upcycle projects can take months at a time,
the actual time spent working is pretty minimal,
but if I don't have a clear idea of the finished project I take my time,
strip it down to it's bare bones and go from there.
Sometimes the "bare bones" aren't too pretty
so I make my design hide the flaws.
Okay, back to the bench.
I sanded down all the surfaces (except the rungs underneath the seat)
and bought a sample size of Behr Marquee paint
(Flat/Matte Base in color MQ5-47/Splendor and Pride),
my new favorite paint as it really does cover in one coat!
It saves so much time and the color is vibrant.
Also, you get a lot of paint in the 7 oz sample size,
I used this color not only on this bench, but also on a wall hanging shelf
and I still have half the container leftover.
The rungs below the seat were the time consuming painting of the project.
I used a small foam paint brush to coat one side at a time,
and just took my time making sure no streaks showed up anywhere.
This step did take two coats of paint
as the paint didn't want to stick to the nonporous, slick paint on the rungs.
The next step was to choose what I wanted to do with the seat and back of the bench.
I knew I wanted a pattern, but wasn't sure if I wanted to paint it on,
or try decoupaging for the first time.
Once I stumbled onto RiflePaperCo's gift wrap sheets, in the pattern Wildflower,
I knew I was going to decoupage.
I knew I was going to decoupage.
The seat was small enough that I really only needed one wrapping sheet,
I then decided I would use the other two wrapping sheets on Mollie's dresser
(that I am still working on) to keep a cohesive look to her room.
Doing this will also bring down the cost of both projects.
Pretty smart eh?
The decoupaging step was quite tricky.
First I cut my gift wrap sheet to fit the bench seat and back.
Then I applied a layer of Matte Modge-Podge using a medium sized foam brush.
I applied the appropriate piece of wrapping paper starting slowly from one edge to the next
while smoothing the paper down with my hands.
I applied a layer of the Matte Modge-Podge over the paper,
and here is where I messed up (photo below);
I should have purchased a smoothing brush (similar to this wallpaper brush)
to remove the many bubbles that popped up.
I didn't have a smoothing brush so I tried, and failed miserably,
to smooth them out with my hands.
After smoothing the paper as much as I could, I applied another coat,
let that dry, and then applied one last coat.
I also brushed some Modge-Podge onto the front of the seat, and the sides.
I wanted to give some durability to the paint where my daughter would wear it down the most.
This is probably my favorite project to date.
I just love that it was free
and that I was able to purchase all my supplies for under $25,
not including things I already own (like my orbiting sander, and sanding paper)
The Breakdown:
The 7 oz Behr Marquee paint sample, just $3.97 from The Home Depot
Rifle Paper Co gift wrap (3-pack) $8.50
Modge-Podge, which I purchased at Hobby Lobby, for $7.99
Foam Brushes, pack of four, $2.73 from Hobby Lobby
Total: $23.19
I hope you enjoyed this mini-restoration.
I would love to see your refinishing projects,
and hear your tips, tricks,
or questions in the comments below.
-Trina
