General Chat

We've got a varnished pine wardrobe and chest of drawers which we've had for yonks, but which are still in good condition. We are in the middle of re-decorating the childrens' rooms and I wondered if anyone has any ideas about tarting up the furniture and giving it a different look. I seem to remember seeing one of those DIY programmes when they stripped the pine with bleach (I think) and then gave it a watery paint effect. Are there any DIY enthusiasts out there who know if this is possible?

hi suzy you can strip off the varnish, and then lime wax it, or use coloured emulison, and then stencil on it, and change the handles loads of different ones in b&q or homebase in hearts teddies etc good luck sandra i've just emulsioned a pine slatted bookshelf yellow and stenciled ballet shoes and ribbons on it for my grandaughters nursery at my house.

Hello Sandra Your bookshelf sounds really delightful. I think the important thing is to strip off the varnish....do I use neat bleach? Also, I wanted to give them a kind of colourwash effect (they are for my eldest son's room, who is 10)....do I just add water to emulsion? Thank you for your reply.

Suzy,, NO - don't use bleach on it!!!!!! Strip it by sanding it down with sand paper. Do it twice once with a coarse/hard paper and then again with fine sandpaper. Then wipe it down with white spirit to remove all trace of dust befor epainting. Zoe

Thanks for the tip Zoe. I will give that a try....although that sounds like a job for the garden. LOL

Suzy It is fairly messy - and I'd reccomend wearing a mask that covers your mouth and nose - and maybe even goggle - as the dust gets everywhere. It will be worth all the effort though I assure you - if you're not into elbow grease (its very achey on the arms) you can pick up fairly cheap sanders at homebase/b and q for about 15 quid - makes the whole process much quicker Zoe

SUZY IF YOU WANT TO COLOURWASH, TAKE OFF THE VARNISH, MIX 1 PART WATER TO 2 PART PAINT, PAINT ONTO THE SURFACE AND WIPE WITH A DRY CLOTH BEFORE ITS DRY, IT'LL TAKE MOST THE PAINT OFF BUT WILL LIVE SOME OIN THE GRAIN, DO A SMALL BIT FIRST TO SEE IF YOU LIKE THE EFFECT SANDRA

Thanks for the tip Sandra; and Zoe, I'm off to buy my mask in the morning.