Any
avid followers of my blog will know that I’ve been quiet recently with very few
uploads this year, this is due to energies having been diverted to DIY. One of
my little projects has been upcycling an old, brown ottoman/chest to make it a
bit more fun. So here’s an overview of how my attempt went!
- This
old chest was given to me a couple of years ago for free, so I was a little
gung ho with my efforts as it wasn’t a valuable item. I wanted to change it from being a bit drab into more
of a statement piece.
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| My old, but sturdy, brown ottoman/blanket chest |
- My aim was for a retro feel with a little age so I didn’t actually prime
the chest prior to painting, although a light sanding probably wouldn’t have
done any harm. I chose to use spray paint as it’ll adhere to almost any
surface and comes in an amazing range of colours and finishes, and it also
dries quickly.
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| 'Grass green' |
- Due
to the size of the chest and the original dark colour I ended up using two cans
of spray paint, and as you might be able to see in the pictures my enthusiasm
meant that there were a few paint drips visible after the first coat! However, it
was far less windy when I applied the second coat (I did the painting outside), and I managed to avoid any
further drips. Applying two coats also meant that the overall finish was far
more even.
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| After the first coat of paint with visible drips |
- Once
the paint was complete and dry I started work on the inside and outside edges.
I found this brilliant Beano wallpaper on sale in B&Q for only £8 for a 10m
roll and decided to line the inside of the chest with it. I was surprised how
easy the wallpaper was to work with. As it was thicker than normal paper it was
easy to measure and cut, and since I didn’t need to line up the pattern to
match inside the chest, it meant I could be very efficient with it and I hardly
used any of the roll, maybe two metres in total.
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| Wallpaper is much cheaper than specialist decoupage paper |
- Keeping
an open mind is also very important with projects like these as unexpected
problems may arise! For example, the front panel and the sides of my chest ended
up with a rippled effect in the paint as the green spray paint didn’t adhere to
those areas properly (I blame the age and condition of the chest, not my lazy decision not
to sand it down in advance). I’d already been toying with the idea of
putting some of the Beano wallpaper onto the outside of the chest and this
reconfirmed it to me. I measured the sides and the front panel and then cut two
matching pieces for each end and made a neat rectangle for each side handle and
rounded the edges. Likewise I rounded the edges of the central panel.
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| Rippling on the front can be seen here after the first coat |
- I chose
simple PVA glue for attaching all of the wallpaper and bought a big cheap bottle
of it so I wouldn’t have to scrimp. The downside of PVA is that it causes paper
to wrinkle due to the water content, but as I was going for an aged look I
didn’t think it would be a problem for this project. Also, as the chest is only
intended to store blankets and bed sheets, it doesn’t need to be too
hardwearing or resistant to heavy use.
 |
| 500g of PVA |
- And
there we have it! The very quick and easy way I updated a piece of old, disused
furniture. This is about as easy as upcycling gets, so is a great example of
how a few simple changes can make a big difference. I’m really happy with the
results, and can’t wait until the rest of the room is decorated and I can see
it in situ!
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| The advantage of a second coat is clear here |
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| The wrinkled wallpaper gives a great retro feel |
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