How to Apply Oil-Based Paint on Furniture

Over the period of a month, in 1 hour pockets of free time, I went through the process of painting built-in cabinets using oil-based paint, after testing water-based gloss paint vs. oil-based semi-gloss paint on the cabinet side. The oil-based paint went on smoother, covered better, and produced a better finish than the water-based paint I had in a similar color, so I was sold on using Oil-Based paint for the first time.

Here are 15 tips that I found most helpful during my Oil-Based Paint experiment and what helped me achieve the best finish with hand-painting methods.

Junk Free January: New Home, New Projects

New state, new home, new projects to tackle. In January 2019, I began the process of working on this area off our kitchen, once used as a family entertainment room, now being used as a craft room and extra dining space.

Messy beginnings. Still a work in progress. More to come.

Paint a Shimmer Forest Mural (with reflections on the creative process)

I've been reminded once again that "revision is progress" and the willingness to edit ourselves helps us to uncover the art that was waiting to be found.

After a difficult year, I needed to gather courage to attempt anything creative.  Like all times that I've been stumped before, I looked toward my daughter's room - a blank canvas for some fun; a place to imagine and dream and be a little less serious. We decided that a mural behind her little bed would be a great beginning. While painting her mural, I found that my ability to achieve a desirable end wasn't the concern; it was my ability to step back, and be willing to revise the project as I worked on it that made all the difference.

Lace Inspired Door

In 2012, when I started the journey of hand-making our home furnishings and decor, I had attempted to salvage, repair, and refinish my daughter's existing bedroom door.  There were cracks in the door that I tried to smooth out with sanding and darker stain.

Now, 4 years later, I was inspired to add more personality to my daughter's bedroom by painting a lace inspired mural on her door.  It reminds me of zentangles, mandalas, and doodles on paper, but with such high contrast, and at a larger scale, this design has given my daughter's room a bold new look that I hope will coordinate with my other plans for designing her space. :)

Make a Tung Oil Wax Finish

This week, I attempted to make my first oil and wax polish.  I tried to follow other tutorials for this process from memory, and found that some tips did not work for this application.  It was fun to go through hand crafting my own wax finish, though!  :)

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Make a Compact Utensil Organizer

I re-made our compact utensil organizer to document my process on video.

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Make Window Valances from Beach Mats

I found a pair of beach mats in storage, and had a crazy idea to reuse them in my kitchen. I originally tested out this idea in August 2014, and I've loved the wood-toned warmth and textural interest it has added to my black, white, and stainless steel kitchen. They've also held up impressively well!

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Adventures in Handmaking

I made a channel trailer using some used and unused footage from my first 5 videos.
The trailer is a 45 second overview of what viewers can expect from my channel, including:
-  Raw and reclaimed material projects
-  Repurposing everyday objects
-  Before and After refurbishing/remodeling
See it on Youtube here:  https://youtu.be/qsEgl8LCdbU

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Repair and Repaint a Stool in Silent Film Style

I repaired a stool using glue, a mallet, a sander, and some paint, then made a short silent film about it.  :)
You can also see the video here:

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Make Woodland Animal Stools from a Cabinet Door

Narrative-free video about how I turn reclaimed lumber into animal stools inspired by Killer B and her original project:  http://www.killerbdesigns.com/toddler-sized-animal-stools-a-how-to/

Music by Josh Woodward, "Frannie" and "Frannie, Instrumental"

You can also view the video on Youtube at:  https://youtu.be/iUdSo-x5ZP8