That Touch of Mink

...is really French!

I found this little stool over the summer during the Longest Yard Sale. It called my name, so we pulled over and picked it up. This is what it looked like...





...good bones, but in need of a cosmetic makeover.
I must confess that I have no idea what I was thinking when I bought it. My prior stool project was a disaster and one I dubbed "how to ruin a piece of furniture in 5 easy steps or less".
Since I was a bit intimidated, I let the stool sit in the garage....lonely and unloved during our move and for weeks after. It called out to me, but I ignored it. I even had the hubster put it on a shelf far above my eye level so I wouldn't have to look at it.





Finally, I couldn't stand knowing it was there, unloved, and decided to take it down and begin the process of reformation.
I didn't want to paint over it because this pink paint was in bad shape...lots of chipping. Sanding it off wasn't an option either because I didn't want to damage the wood. I opted for stripping off the old paint with CitriStrip Paint Remover. It was a pretty easy process...until it came to the decorative emblems. Lots of gentle scrubbing involved there.
After getting all of the old paint off the stool, it had a red tint to it so I decided to age the wood using the apple cider vinegar process. My original thought had been to leave the wood natural.
Even after aging it, the wood still had too many color variations for my OCD brain and there was water damage on one of the back legs, resulting in a nice big black spot. And no, I didn't do it! :-)





Since I didn't want to leave it in its current state, I decided to paint it. I found a wonderful color in Krylon chalk paint....Mink. I suppose if it were wall paint, it would be named "Greige", as it is a pretty grey/beige color.
While the hubster worked on the spray painting technique, I worked on the seat.





I purchased new cushioning for the wooden base and covered it in a fabric similar to the fabric on my sofas....which I suppose really didn't matter since this little stool will be hiding in my bedroom closet. BUT, if it ever chooses to come out of hiding, it will not need any changes.





Even though it took about a week to complete this project, I'm glad I decided to strip the paint and get to the bare wood before painting it. While I would have been fine with the "chippy" look, I think it looks better with a smooth finish.
And who knows, 2 months from now I may decide to change the color and will want a smooth head start....but shhhh, don't tell the hubster!






Original article and pictures take http://www.hometalk.com/11847099/stool-makeover-painted-furniture-reuphoslter site