I shuffled around some furniture over the holiday weekend. The bookshelves (including this one) are now in our bedroom and I saved this example of beautiful craftsmanship from the GoodWill pile:
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| Corrugated plastic over unfinished wood? Yes please! |
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| Placeholder items. It actually holds a lot. |
It lived in Hubsey's closet for several years, and in a prime example of my cheapness, I'm determined to make it pretty instead of buying something else.
And this is where I need your help.
Should I:
1. Paint it?
2. Cover it with paper?
3. Cover it with fabric? (this was Hubsey's idea--he thinks it should be tufted)
4. Give up and take it to GoodWill because it's beyond help?
My furniture skills are pretty limited, so I need your expert advice. What furniture projects have you finished? Have you dealt with cheap-o white plastic before? What should I do?
Linking up! Maybe something will get the juices flowing:
Well the only piece of furniture I've laid my hands on was a vanity that I wanted to refurbish. I sanded it down and painted it white and up close it's not pristine but I love it.
ReplyDeleteI guess you could try anything and worst case scenerio it doesn't look good and you toss it. I can't say I've had any experience with "cheap-o white plastic." Covering with a fun fabric would be interesting to try and there are so many fabric options!
I like the fabric idea - especially if you try something like painting it and it doesn't work out. OR you could paint it and then cover it in fabric, but leave part of the wood showing like it is now. Coordinating with fabric, that might look pretty cool.
ReplyDeleteSounds fun! Can't wait to see the end result!
I haven't done any furniture DIY except for cleaning & polishing my workbench when I first got it (it's antique but was kept in a store house unprotected for a long time & it showed). I agree with the previous posters that at this point you can pretty much try anything and then alter it, if need be. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteCan you get the plastic off of it? If so, I would try and sand it and paint it and then maybe fill in the sides with fabric panels. That would make it pretty custom.
ReplyDeletepaint it! i think a little coat of paint can do miracles :)
ReplyDeletebrittany
prettylittlevintage
Kristen, I would rip off the plastic, but that's what the top and shelves are made of. The only wood is the frame. :-(
ReplyDeleteI'd say paint it. I painted a night stand for a project in high school. I then put photos all over the top and covered it with a thick layer of resin :) Still have it to this day!
ReplyDeleteI like the fabric idea, but I'm wondering if it would make the table too bulky for the space it's in. I think you could definitely do a combination solution, though—paper the shelves/top and paint the sides/front?
ReplyDeletepainting is probably the easiest solution but if you found some wallpaper you loved, you could cover the shelves with it! i really like the white so i'd keep the the white around the frame. good luck!
ReplyDeleteFabric could look really nice! Probably difficult though! Show us the end product!
ReplyDeleteI'm a new follower from the Hop. Love your blog!
Hope you'll hop by and visit my blog too!
Have a great week!
nancy
http://stylendecordeals.blogspot.com/
Spray paint it, sister! So easy, cheap, and there are so many great colors to choose from... Orangies Attic
ReplyDeleteSpray paint it! Use a really bright color like yellow, or turquoise! I dare you!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge supporter of the spray paint crowd. Since it isn't a heirloom piece, go crazy!
ReplyDeleteWhat about adding some hardware, a la campaign style furniture? I'm not sure how well it would hold to the piece but, if the frame is wood, it might stick.
Like this: http://thewhitedresser.com/archives/british-campaign-furniture-white-campaign-dressers/heritage-campaign-style-end-tables
I am thinking you should spray paint the sides. Then for the uggly plastic parts cover in a mosaic made of tiles, or use those vintae/antique metal ceiling panes. That way you can make full use of the substantial heft of the plastic componets, but change the surface you have to interact with. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI vote for spray paint! So many choices. I can't believe it's corrugated cardboard! hahaha
ReplyDeleteMay be time for some thrifting ???
gail