Thrift Find

I was toodeling around the "antique" store with MD (sis-in-law) the other day, and this was one of my finds:
A basic wooden box/tray.

Now I am always on the lookout for thing that can help me organize my junk stuff. I loved the shape of it, but the finish didn't exactly match our decor (or at least the direction we are trying to go).
As long as I was painting a couple other pieces of furniture, (see right) I figured I would paint the tray to match.

Step 1: Clean!
I used a TSP cleaner to get rid of any dirt and oils that may have been on there for who knows how long. This is the same type of cleaner you use on your walls before painting.

Step 2: Sand!
Ok, so I cheated on this step and only did a tiny bit of sanding to "rough up" the surface since I knew I was using a heavy duty primer.

Step 3: Prime!
This is my first time using this primer, but I think I like it. It is pretty thick, but leaves a solid surface for your paint to grip onto. The key here is that it says "bond coat" on the label. Two coats gives a solid, non-streaky base. (The picture below is after just one coat.)


Step 4: Paint!
I was using this same paint on a couple other piece, so I stuck with this Black Satin Enamel paint. I am going for that rich "Pottery Barn" black finish.

Step 5: Wait!
Since this will be pretty heavily used, holding our plethora of remote controls, I have to be patient and let the paint "cure" (fully harden) before using it. 14 days, oh the agony!

Step 6: Display!
Finally it can be put to use, and all of our remotes have a home that isn't between couch cushions.



Here is the end table that I used the same process for. I think it turned out pretty well!

 Before: (with some "roughing up")

After: sleek and smooth!