One of the great things about using Posh Chalk decoupage is that you can completely transform a project in next to no time at all. Furniture makeover endeavours have never been so simple!
I’d been sitting on, literally in some cases, a small chest of drawers in the workshop for some time just waiting for inspiration to strike. Like a victorian child, the drawers were seen and not heard; the only solution was to make them a little louder.
So for this furniture makeover I would be employing the services of the loud yet stylish Victorian Pattern Posh Chalk Deluxe Decoupage. Now, when using decoupage, it is always advisable to place it on a light surface. This meant prepainting the chest of drawers in a coat of Drop Cloth by Dixie Belle. Placing your decoupage onto a light surface really helps the colours to pop.
On a busy design like the Victorian Pattern, this was very important.
Once the paint had dried, it was time to apply a layer of the Posh Chalk Pigment Infusor. Although the Infusor is specially designed to be used with the Posh Chalk Pigments, it’s also the perfect medium for applying your Posh Chalk Deluxe Decoupage.
Once a layer was applied to the drawers I could begin the furniture makeover project in earnest and start decoupaging! Working in small sections I slowly laid the decoupage onto the surface, keeping it taught as I went in order to avoid wrinkles.
I was continually using a dry brush to smooth out the lumps, bumps and wrinkles in the decoupage as it was being placed on the surface. Often lifting a little up and relaying again. Luckily, the Posh Chalk decoupage is hardwearing and very pliable; it stands up to a lot of manipulation.
With the decoupage on the front of the drawers, it was time to slice off the excess using a craft knife and then really consolidate it with the surface. In order to do this, a further layer of Posh Chalk infusor was applied over the top of the paper. The reason for this is twofold, it helps the paper adhere to the surface as well as protecting the decoupage by sealing it.
That’s it, it’s really that simple, the decoupage was down and the furniture makeover was well underway in just ten minutes.
I mentioned that this was going to be somewhat of a lively piece didn’t I? The next step was to do exactly the same, for the sides. It didn’t matter that my pattern would not exactly match up as we had some WoodUbend trim lined up ready to hide any issues.
The front had dried in the time which it took me to do the sides, we were working in a rather warm office which meant the infusor would dry quickly. It’s worth making a note of that, if you are working in a warm environment, don’t apply large swathes of Posh Chalk Infusor to lay your project on as it will dry, take it bit by bit.
With the front dry, I could slice the drawers free so that they could be used – form and function aren’t mutually exclusive at WoodUbend! If you’re looking for neat, straight lines when cutting WoodUbend it’s important to use a sharp blade like a craft knife. There are some occasions when you’re looking to avoid a straight line, in this instance the paper can be torn whilst damp.
If you’d like to learn a little more about the finer points of Posh Chalk Deluxe Decoupage, take a look at our handy decoupage guide.
The decoupage was certainly centrestage of this furniture makeover, however we needed the supporting cast – that is to say WoodUbend and Posh Chalk Pigments!
The brand new, third generation TR721 trim was to be used on the corners, disguising where the decoupage papers joined. Like all of the WoodUbend trims, this design is 2.1m in length which meant one coil would be more than adequate for the corners. With the trim warmed up using a heat gun, a section was uncoiled and the correct length measured out – remember to only uncoil what you need when using WoodUbend trim.
This length of TR721 would then be used to measure the rest, to make this even easier, this trim has bobbles running down it, so you could even count the bobbles to measure your trim to the correct length. Nothing could go wrong with that plan…surely?
Of course it did!
The lengths of trim were cut too short, normally this would be cause for some choice words as your furniture makeover grand reveal is delayed whilst you source more trim. Not with WoodUbend though, the trims can be stretched by around 10% of their lengths when warm. A real lifesaver for those of us not blessed with the most accurate of tape measures (yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to blame your tools).
Before breaking out the wood glue and sticking the trims to the surface, it was time to pre-paint them. All WoodUbend mouldings can be pre-painted as long as you are using a flexible paint, all Posh Chalk products are considered flexible and can be used to pre-paint the mouldings. Painting a moulding before heating and bending is useful if your mouldings are a different colour from your base, it saves time painstakingly trying to avoid a painting error.
A mix of Copper and Silver Posh Chalk Pigments were used to create a ‘rose champagne’ colour which would be used to accent this furniture makeover.
As well as the trims, this colour would be used to coat the hardware and accent the furniture makeover project as a whole. As it was mixed quite thick, the coverage was fantastic meaning that only one coat was needed! That’s one of the great things about the Pigments, you’re really in control of your own consistency, from a wash to a paste, the choice is yours.
Once the trims were painted, they were warmed and adhered to the surface using a good quality wood glue – with only some slight stretching involved! Another blast with the heat gun and a quick squeeze onto the surface and we were getting there.
Before starting this furniture makeover project, the whole piece was sanded. The sanding really brought out the underlying wood grain – something which I wanted to incorporate. So, using nothing more than Dixie Belle’s Orange Grove Big Mamma’s Butta, I sealed the whole top in the fantastic smelling wax. This protected the wood grain and really brought out its natural beauty.
This project showed me that you really don’t need hours and hours to produce something head-turning. A little Posh Chalk and WoodUbend really do help you to uplift furniture in no time at all. With all that time you have saved, why don’t you spend it watching the video on how this project came together?
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