Painting slick surfaces

February 8, 2023February 8, 2023 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

Nothing like having small cold weather inside projects to fall back on 😅

I’ve had this old Lincolnware bread box in the shop and it’s obvious ( this) green isn’t the current trendy retro color.

Bold oranges, reds, and yellows are popular ( yes those 70s)

And pretty soft colors of 50-60s definitely are ( think pinks, soft blue, mint green, pale yellow or even crisp red and white)

So on that note, this is getting a fresh retro color added to it. 😁

If you are ever wanting to paint metal, glass, plastic, shiny surfaces or shiny factory finish on furniture you need Slick Stick!

This is basically a gripping product for your paint to adhere well to.

I was chatting with a customer yesterday while I worked. She asked me about paint classes as her first piece she had done didn’t go well, that the paint had just “peeled off”

Now when someone tells me that my first question is did you clean it well? If you do nothing else, the few minutes it takes to clean with our White lighting to get grease, dirt, etc off and have a clean slate is invaluable.

It’s also a good deglosser, among other things.

I then asked her if it had a shiny factory finish…her faced answered the question.

A shiny factory finish has nothing for the paint to “latch on to” therefore, it will be very susceptible to that peeling problem.

I discussed slick stick with her and hopefully that helps her in the future.

You can get slick stick ( and other problem solvers) in my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St Boerne, look for my Dixie Belle banner hanging up when you come in!

Now….the old bread box. It has one coat. I let it dry well and applied a second coat.

And the finished product. Isn’t it cute? ❤️

Products used for this are: Slick Stick, Mint Julep paint, Fresh Fifties transfer, Flat clear coat, and Big Mama’s Butta for wood handle and inside door.

All Dixie Belle products are available in my Shades of Yesterday shop inside the Corner Cartel 265 S Main St Boerne

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Chalk paint · Furniture Painting · furniture prep · Uncategorized

To Sand or Not To Sand

February 15, 2022February 15, 2022 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

In the world of painting and revamping furniture there are more than a few people who think sanding on furniture is a dirty word. I wanted to chat about when and why we would do sanding before painting or staining.

Prep is everything

Listen, there are lots of companies out there offering paint products. Some of them openly tout you can basically just paint your piece without any prep work, no sanding, no cleaning, no nothing. Just paint.

Hmmmm ok.

I mean you can with Dixie Belle too but the question to be asked is what do you want your finished piece to look like? I can see a poorly prepped piece from a mile away. ( it’s a job hazard, studying other painted furniture 🧐) the obvious awful look is painted over broken, chipped veneer or finishes that were rough and uneven ( like previous paint. Latex is the worst) It sticks out like a sore thumb.

When to sand

For the sake of this article, the term “sanding” does not mean grinding away for hours to take everything off back to the original wood. What it does mean is preparing your piece by sanding off uneven varnish or previous paint. This can often be accomplished by hand with a medium grit sand paper. Your goal is to have a smooth finish to work on.

The old green paint on this cafe chair easily scuffed off with that small piece of sandpaper in a few minutes. It wasn’t my goal to hit wood, but the paint was so flakey it was easy to sand off. You don’t want flakey varnish or paint on a piece before painting.

Here’s the chair with about 10 minutes work. I will not try to get all of the paint removed. What is left isn’t loose or flaking now. The one on left is it’s partner 😅

Note it isn’t necessary to make all the paint go away. The idea is that anything loose or flaking is lifted off.

You can’t tell from the photo but the finish on this old drum table just lifts off. I scraped that area with my nail. It will get a light scuff sanding before I paint. I don’t want that loose finish under my paint.

Once I’ve sanded areas that need attention ( note, the entire piece won’t always need to be sanded, it could be just problem areas) I will wash and clean it. First it will get washed down with our white lightening to remove dust, dirt and grime. This will often lift any other loose substances and it also deglosses. The piece gets a final wash with clean water. Once it dries well I can move on to the fun part, painting!

When you don’t need to sand

I get plenty of pieces that are in good shape and just need cleaned and then painted. The surface is smooth and stable.

This is an old dresser. You can see the wood looks nice, smooth, no chips or flaking varnish. I can clean this and proceed with painting or staining. There is no need for me to sand.

This piece is smooth and clean. No need to sand. It does have a shiny factory finish so I will use our Slick Stick on it before painting. This is basically a gripper for paint on shiny or smooth surface.

This piece was so poorly painted it would just get a quick, light all over scuff sanding ( a sanding block works great) then throughly cleaned. Scuff sanding and cleaning will take me 5-10 minutes.

In conclusion

You don’t have to sand if you use Dixie Belle ( if we want to use that as an argument for painting) however, you have to decide what you want your final product to look like when you’re done.

When we say “sand” it means to assess your piece for visible flaws that would show under your paint job. Sanding will smooth or remove those areas. It does not mean sanding entire piece down to bare wood. Prep is the essential work for nice end results. It really comes down to what you want to put into it.

I hope this posts helps you understand a bit better on when to do some sanding ( or not) on your project. If you have questions feel free to reach out, I’m happy to help!

Chalk paint · furniture prep · Uncategorized

Top Coats and Sealers

October 19, 2020October 19, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

In the process of painting furniture there are various steps to take in the process:

First, the cleaning, repairing and prepping.

Use Dixie Belle white lightning to clean your piece.

Follow up with Boss or Slick Stick ( only if needed)

Paint in your desired Dixie Belle color.

After paint has dried well, lightly sand finish with our sanding pad or 220 grit sand paper. Remove dust with a clean cloth.

Top coats and other sealers

After painting, you can leave as is if you desire. Dixie Belle will fully cure in 30 days.

Most people usually like to apply a final coat in wax or poly clear.

I have several options available in my shop.

Clear coat poly, comes in gloss, satin and flat. Apply with brush or our blue sponge!

I also have Gator Hide which is our most durable and waterproof clear finish. Great for table tops and outdoor furniture.

Waxes

I love waxing pieces. There is something so rich and smooth with the finish. You can apply wax with a brush ( I love our Belle brush for waxing) or a lint free rag. Apply a small amount and work into paint, buff well.

We carry waxes in clear, black, brown, white and grunge gray ( my fav)

Note: no matter what you choose poly or wax, if you want to use darker colors, always put your clear on first, then apply dark colors! It makes it much easier to move the darker waxes or glazes around on your piece. Trust me 😄

And we have spray wax! Shake well, lightly spray small areas at a time, buff in with clean cloth, cures in 6 hours. Repeat as needed. Easy Peasy!

I hope this mini tutorial helps you in deciding how to finish off your projects. Feel free to contact me for further help!

As a Premier Dixie Belle retailer you can find these products and more in my shop, 265 S Main St Boerne.

Need it shipped? I can do that too!

Happy painting 😊

Chalk paint · furniture prep · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Problem Solvers, Hello Boss

August 4, 2020August 4, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

Have you ever spent time working on a project only to have the dreaded “bleed through” of reds from the tannins in the wood show up in your hard work?

I remember when I started doing this work ( before Dixie Belle came into my life) I had just finished a cute table, sealed it, only to have red tones seeping through the white.

Ah! 😱😱😱

Or what about a piece you pick up from a sale that smells like smoke or grandmas attic?

Boss to the rescue!

I carry several sizes from 8-32 oz so you can buy according to your project. It also comes in clear and white.

Not all pieces need Boss. However if the piece has strong red tones or odors, it could be a candidate.

How it works:

Clean and prep piece as usual.

Apply one or two coats, letting dry well between coats.

Once dry, paint as usual!

How to get it

Pick up Boss at my shop today!
Shades of Yesterday is located inside the Corner Cartel. 265 S Main St in Boerne.

Need it shipped? Contact me about that! I will be happy to help you.

furniture prep · Uncategorized · Vintage furniture

Prepping And Painting

July 31, 2020July 31, 2020 SassyfitnesschickLeave a comment

I often get asked if sanding is required before painting with our chalk mineral paint.

My response always is, “the better your prep, the better your finished piece will look”

Technically, no you don’t really have to do much, just clean and go.

However, depending on the condition of your piece, will largely determine how little or much sanding is involved.

What do people exactly have in mind when they ask about sanding?

Usually hours of painstaking labor taking the finish back to original wood.

No. There is absolutely no need unless you want to. I’ve often sanded top surfaces back if I want to stain and have natural wood grain showing.

For me sanding looks like this:

If the piece is in good condition and the surface is even, it usually gets a light buffing to just rough the surface. I then clean well and paint.

Since I deal with lots of really old furniture the varnish is usually rough and flaking. It doesn’t take much to sand it off as it comes off easily. Again, I work off the old varnish to get a smooth even surface. Not all areas may require it.

These old beauties got sanded quite a bit because of the old finish

At times I’ve gone back and sanded in areas after painting because I can see the uneven marks from varnish underneath. It makes me crazy to see a piece somewhere that’s been painted and obviously painted over a previous uneven finish.

Good prep work gives you a much more beautiful finished piece.

We all want to get to the fun part, painting. And prep isn’t always the most fun, but it is necessary.

If you’re using Dixie Belle products your steps would look like this:

Assess piece for repairs and sanding needs.

After sanding, clean well with our White Lightning cleaner. This removes dirt, grime, dust etc. Wash with clean water after.

Let dry well.

Use one of our problem solvers if necessary.

Boss will block stains and odors, our Slick Stick is good for shiny surfaces to help paint adhere well.

Follow directions if you use one of these products.

Once dry, the fun part, painting!

A little prep will go a long way in a piece that you will be proud of when you are done!

These night stands were painted in Dixie Belles “Stormy Seas”, the top received two coats of our No Pain Gel Stain in “Colonial Black ” , top was sealed with Satin finish and the body was clear waxed and then I played with details with black wax.