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Alchemy fine living is an antiques & home furnishings business located in Santa Ana, Ca. Alchemy can be defined as an inexplicable or mysterious transmuting power or process; transforming something common into something special.ABOUT ME
Alchemy fine living is my antiques & home furnishings business. I'm Deana, the author of this blog. My mom Connie & I followed our dreams & opened our store in 2008. It's a collection of all the things she & I truly love. We combine antiques with new treasures, as well as, a selection of handcrafted items created by the two of us. We also offer custom sewing, re-upholstery, & furniture painting services.
173 E City Place Dr.
Santa Ana, CA 92705CONNECT WITH ME
Have you done any pieces with the crackling technique,I’m looking for some color combo ideas.
Love your posts.
Regards Howard
I have, but I used only one color. If you want to check it out visit this link. http://www.alchemyfineliving.com/blog/2011/10/31/furniture-painting-crackling-distressing-staining/
Love all the work you do with various pieces of furniture. I have a piece I purchased at a garage sale aready spray painted white. I really want to have a greyish colour show through underneath when I distress. Do I need to paint the grey colour I desire, let dry and then paint over white and distress?
Yep! That will do it. Good luck on your project!
Hi, I have the same Wagner Spray Gun HLVP for small projects. When you use latex enamel or malamine paint, do you have any tips on thinning specifically for that gun? BTW…I love the black chairs…nicely done!
Thanks
I’ve been doing it so long I totally just eye ball it. The amount of thinning will vary depending on the weather too and sometimes even the color will make a difference. Sorry, I can’t be more helpful, but I think it’s just something you figure out by trial and error. Most paints have thinning directions on the label and the gun should have thinning tips in the owners manual as well.
I totally love your website – I am going to try to do the chalk painting technique that you have displayed here. It is so beautiful. The piece I have is a stained wood piece – do I have to sand/prep or anything or will my paint/baking soda mix just adhere to any surface without a prep?
Many Thanks
I’ve read that you can do it with out prep, but I’m a bit leery to ever try it. I prep everything with at least a good wipe down with TSP and a quick, light sanding.
Hey Deana. Im from Denmark, so pls. forgive my poor english, I really hope you understand me!
Its hopeless.
I love your videos on YouTube and your work, so I have decided to try my self at home.
Your video paint & upholstery dining chair… my chair is almost the same. But I do have a lot of problems with the fabric arrund the legs. I do not know how to cut the fabric, so it fit nice to the legs.
Do you have a video or some pictures, I can look at, so I can learn. I have already used to much fabric at mistaken tries
Hope SO much you can help me.
Regards Pia, Denmark.
Hope so much you will answer me to my mail
lissau09@hotmail.com
Hi Deana,
I’ve just discovered your website and need your expertise. I just purchased a small 3 drawer victorian era dresser with attached ornate mirror. It currently has at least 3 coats of various colors with a mint green on top. What colors would you recommend for distressing? I am trying to create a romantic master bedroom. Thanks
Hi Deana,
One more question, do I have to remove the 3 previous coats of paint to get to the wood before I paint and distress with new colors? Thanks again.
Sarah
I don’t have a video, but I’ll look to see if I have some pictures I can send you. The corners will get a pleat or gathers, hope that helps a little.
Hi Sarah, unless you want the green and other colors to show through I would strip it down to bare wood. There are lots of pretty pale blues, and greens that are nice for distressing. White is always a classic color. If you strip it down to bare wood you could just repaint with one new color that you like and the natural wood will show through in the distressing which alwys makes for a nice contrast.
I just recently discovered your website (today, actually)
I really love it and am so inspired. I am finding out about the distressed look and would like for that to become part of my new look in my home. For years I have loved the Rustic look (and still do). I also love turquoise as well. My furniture I have had for at least 12 years (rustic) and would love to give it a facelift.
I am also starting to put together my home office (on my way to getting my real estate license).
I am undecided about the colors for my office. I have a friend who is an interior decorator and she told me about the country, shabby, chic look with blues, pinks, greens. I am a jeans/cowgirl boots/ type of country gal, so I am so jazzed about this.
Any advice on the office update, rustic furniture update as well as doing my kitchen cabinets in the distressed look (im thinking of going with a country blue as the base coat). This is an old ranch house…so it can use an update…Thanks for your time and your website is awesome. Have a blessed evening…
Hi Deana – thanks so much for your answer. I’ll will tjek my e-mail every day
Regards Pia, DK
Hello and thank you for sharing these fantastic tutorial videos!!I am trying to paint an old furniture and i follow your instructions very strictly,but in my hardware store i didn’t find liquid wax but only pasta type wax.Can this do the job, and if so is there something that i must be careful with?Thank you very much,
Dimitra from Greece
I’ve never used paste wax, but I have read on a lot of other blogs that many people do. I think it requires a bit more work, but gets a similar result.
I personally like the walls and main furniture pieces to be neutral colors and then to add color with window coverings, pillows, and other fabric elements. A rustic piece of furniture or two would look stunning in turquoise and could really create a focal point in any room. I would’t go to crazy with color on the furniture though. White, turquoise, and natural wood pieces would all look great in the same room. I love to mix and match colors, woods, and styles of furniture in the same room.
Have fun transforming your home!!
Hi Deana! I love your videos and was inspired to tackle my first piece just a couple of weeks ago. Now I am interested in doing another distressed piece. I was curious if you have done any layered effects. I am think of painting a vanity red and then black. When I distress it do you think I will you be able to see both colors?
Thanks!
Hi Deana,
I only discovered your website and tutorials today, your work is amazing:)
I’m going to be using the distressed look on my bedroom furniture. Is bees wax the best to use when finishing off a piece?
Cheers:)
Yes. I actually did a post on a multi-color technique. I used white, black, and a blue. Check it out! http://www.alchemyfineliving.com/blog/2011/10/30/multi-color-furniture-painting-technique/
I like it the best. It is so much easier to use than paste wax, which is super sticky. It doesn’t require a ton of elbow grease to buff it out. Just wipe it on and then quickly buff with with a clean cloth. It will add a nice sheen and a protective coat to your finish.
Hi Dena!
I love your work. I have a question:
I am trying to distress an old dresser, it originally is black and I would like it to be a white with brown accents. Would i need to strip the black paint and then paint the base color brown then distress and then paint white to get that look?
Thanks!
Yep. You got it. If you leave the black you’ll end up having little bits of it poking through your final finish. Paint brown, then white, and do all your distressing as the final step.
I loved your vidio(s) on UTube. However, they currently not available. Are they going to br back anytime soon?
I miss them!
i meant “video(s) DUH
I didn’t know they were not available. I’ll look into it. I’m also planning on making some new ones soon, so keep your eye out!
Hi Deana,
I love the work you do. I have a question. I am refinishing a dining room table. for durability, what would you recommend as the final top coat? I need something that will repell water, wine etc.
Thanks,
Scott
I typically don’t add a top coat. If you choose a high quality paint with a gloss finish and give it ample time to cure (about 1 month) before using it, it will hold up just fine. Top coats tend to yellow and discolor paint. If you want to wax it I recommend beeswax made by Howards. It adds a water resistant finish. It doesn’t dry hard, so it does need to be re-applied every once in a while (kinda like oiling wood furnitre. it dries out after some time)
Hello I love your videos and I want to make it a antique looks but the wood its very light how do I do that??thank you!!
The same as you would with a dark piece. You could stain it dark before you paint or after depending on the look you’re going for, but you don’t have to.
I have used your advice on some projects with success…thanks! My daughter,pregnant with twins bought a used beat up dresser and wants me to refinish. Unfortunately it is a particle board with laminate overlay. I am convinced I can “make it new” with paint. She wants it in an apple green color. Any tips you can give me for doing this as well as a tried and true apple green color is greatly appreciated!
You’re stuff looks great! If I were in your area, I’d definitely come to you, however, I’m on the other coast so I’m going to tackle a few projects on my own.
First: I watched your video where you painted that old dining room table white then distressed it. In it you said to allow ‘ample time’ between each primer and paint layer. Since this is my first attempt at anything like this, and I haven’t got a clue, could you explain what you meant by that? Are we talking minutes? hours? days? And how can I safely test to see if its dry enough for another coat?
Second: This is a dining room table and I’d like to make it as durable and scratch resistant as I can. Any tips?
Third: Another one of the tables I’m redoing has a busted leg. If I get another one made just like it, and try to get a similar variety and color of bare wood, will it still be ok and match the others when I primer and paint over it?
Fourth: (last one I promise) Do you have any brand or specific type recommendations as far as paint goes?
Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!
Check the label on your paint and primmer. It will include dry time between coats. Typically a minimum of thirty minutes, but some need up to six hours to dry in between coats.
For your dining room table I would apply wax every once in a while to add a protective finish that is water resistant. I use Howard’s beeswax. It’s easy to wipe on and buff off. Use a semi-gloss paint, that will help make a lasting, durable finish. One of the most important things is to let the paint fully cure before using the table. Paint can take up to one month to get totally hard.
If the wood on your new leg matches closely it should be ok. Matching the exact wood would be best. Different woods have different grains and do take paint differently, so you may be able to tell a difference if they are not the same.
I like Valspar paint from Lowes for all colors except black. If you are going with black use Dunn Edwards or Sherwin Williams.
Good luck!!
Hi! I love your website! It has inspired me to reinvent my furniture and have already started on my coffee table. I do have a few questions though:
1) Why do you sand in between coats?
2) When completing a black paint distressed piece, does it also need a minwax finish, like you do with some of the other finishes?
Thank you so much for this wonderful website!
-Dina (in Melbourne, Australia)
I sand in between coats to help each new layer adhere to the previous one. It also helps smooth and perfect the finish. I don’t usually do a stain over black pieces unless I have painted over a very light wood and I have distressed it, in which case the stain will darken the exposed wood, but really has no affect on the black paint. I usually stain white paint to give it an aged look and turn it a more rich, creamy color.