Ruby is the subject of one of my courses, Redesigning Ruby.
THE BEFORE
The piece was gifted to me by a friend and was the perfect subject for a Retique It project.
Here my grandson, Hudson, is prepping and then I let him paint the first coat.
If you enlist the help of kids around you to help with the prep, not only will it save you effort once they are trained, it's good for them to learn the trade and spend time with you.
We cleaned with Krud Kutter and rinsed with plain water and then sanded to take off the shine on the finish with flexible sandpaper wrapped around a sanding sponge.
DRY SANDING down to the BASE COAT
The first coat was Black Indigo and then the second was Venetian Red.
Many will use the wet sanding method, but water would reactivate this eco friendly paint and would make it difficult to achieve the look I was going for, so I used the sanding method to distress down to the first layer to give it a distressed/layered look.
The entire piece is wood, but I had another idea for the top. The veneer was cracked and needed repair but I wanted a quick fix that I could stain - and get a little creative at the same time. Everybody does the grain look, right?
I used Retique It to give it a creative look using a graining tool that is triangular and has three different choices of grain.
I decided to just have fun with it and see what type of pattern I could create.
After it dried, I stained it with Java stain and sealed it with poly.
Stenciling and Distressing the Stenciled Motif
I used two different stencils, paints, and then distressed the motif using a sanding sponge. I distressed it just enough to make it look worn. Be sure to only distress one way - I distressed right to left and left to right. Or, you can lightly sand in a circular method, but watch out for any patterns that might develop. You don't want any circular patterns.
Antiquing with Stain
Using traditional glaze to achieve an antique look isn't the only option you have. I applied stain in corners and edges using a sponge brush for a worn, antique look.
Adding the Topcoat
Next came the polyacrylic to seal the paint for added protection.
Adding a Little Glitz
It needed just a little more...not too much, just a bit of glitz. Plus, I really wanted to try out some gold wax from Retique it. It's a super value for the amount you get, which was a great surprise when I first got it. The other gilding waxes give you so little for a high price. This was easy so to use. It was the final step. No top coat needed.
There's something about getting creative that makes your heart sing. I'm always telling my members to experiment and not to be afraid to add and subtract to your vision.as you go along.
Ruby was one of my favorite projects to date - and it was so hard to let her go. BUT, she sold at a great price, so no tears here!
To learn these techniques and others, join FFB Redesign.
