So here we have a piece of furniture that had been "ruined" previously, by an unscrupulous novice refinisher. It's excellent proof that painting furniture never actually ruins it, and has as much of an impact on the piece's actual integrity as the shirt you're wearing has on the state of your soul. Every now and then I feel the need to remind folks that there is absolutely nothing wrong with painting furniture, in fact, there's not even anything wrong with doing the dreadful slapdash job that this vintage two piece maple hutch had been put through. It had been ruined as much as paint can ruin a piece, and it has been salvaged once more.
The top had been painted white, a latex directly on the original surface. I imagine it started to chip the day after it was applied. You MUST properly prep your surface before the paint is applied! And because that bottom coat had no adhesion I had to scrape off every centimeter of it, then sand it down so the new paint would stick.
The bottom had once been painted white as well, but then had been sanded again, painted blood red, then painted a sticky soupy black that had dripped in all the corners. SOOOO that had to be completely sanded as well. And under all that paint was a spectacular solid maple top. I painted the case in an almost black shade of graphite, and the backboard in a custom shade of buttercream yellow. I replaced the weirdo mismatched pulls with classic brushed copper cup pulls and knobs, distressed the case, and sealed it with wax. I also removed the bottom shelf so you could see more of the maple top, replaced the damaged backboard of the top, and added a decorative panel along the bottom of the new backboard to finish the edge and provide further stability.
Phew! This one was challenging, I won't lie, but very very satisfying.
Great job, love it and you description of process.
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