Painted Furniture

           I love a good painted piece of furniture ~ especially when the paint is what made someone else's junk my treasure.   When I graduated college and started teaching, I was on a strict budget.  I purchased most everything for my apartment second hand and refinished my findings by sanding, priming and painting each piece with a coat of black paint.  I still use all of that furniture in our home today, so it was worth the little bit of money that I spent to spruce up my findings.  Below are some of the pieces that I got for my first apartment.  I really wish the pictures were better (our camera has been taking poor pictures lately......or maybe it's just the picture taker ~ someday I will invest in a better camera).  Regardless of the blurry pics, check out what $40 and a can of black paint can do for a girl who likes all things beautiful but was on a teacher's salary. 

I bought this on clearance from JoAnn Fabrics.  It was unfinished wood when I bought it, and it cost me $30.  It's been used in several different rooms, but it's currently being used in the front entry.  I got the window the same time I got the table, but the window was free from someone who does demolition projects on old homes.  



I wish I had some before and after pics, but I did all of this before my blogging days.  The only thing I've changed since my apartment days is the hardware.   I recently added the knobs to all of these pieces.  I found  the hardware at Hobby Lobby for $3 a piece half off.  I think I may have spent more on all of the hardware than I did the furniture:) 



Ignore the ugly unfinished garage sale lamp on the bookshelf that still needs a makeover, and focus on the fact that this bookshelf cost me $1 at garage sale:) 

$3 night stand from a garage sale. 

The chest was free from my mom's attic, and it has always made a great coffee table.  It's had some wear and tear since it was first painted, and it's in need of a little touching up now.  Maybe I'll get to that in the next few months....



$5 Goodwill table not only made a fun paint project, but a fun decoupage project.

A friend gave me this for free.  It's been used in both the living room and the bedroom, but now it's being used in the dining room.

Now that we are in the new house, I have discovered chalk paint. It's fabulous!  No sanding or primiing required.  It's not cheap, but it makes big projects so much easier.  My budget is also not as small as it was when I was just starting out on my own, so to me the chalk paint is worth the money.  There will be projects posted soon that involve chalk paint.  I'm just not exactly sure when that will be.  In the meantime, the next time you see an ugly piece of furniture at yard sale or a thrift store for a ridiculously inexpensive price, ask yourself if you can turn it into something practical and beautiful with a can of paint.

 

I will be linking up at:
http://serendipitychicdesign.blogspot.com/
http://www.thethriftyhome.com/
http://www.domestically-speaking.com/
and the other parties on my link page