Re-Love Project Part 5

The big day has come! Our rocking chair is going up for auction along with the seven other amazing pieces of remade furniture from the Feast Watson Re-Love Project. Some really great work has come out of this project with lots of inspiration and instructions on how to re-love your own piece of furniture on each of the designers' blogs. The auction will run on eBay until Sunday 3rd August with all proceeds going to the Salvos Stores. Go here to check it out: http://myworld.ebay.com.au/feastwatsonre-loveproject

Re-Love Project Part 4

We're up to the final stage - varnishing!

We used Feast Watson Mastertouch wipe-on poly in gloss and loved it! It was so easy to use - we just dipped a rag into it and wiped it on the rocking chair. It was a lot quicker than using a brush and easier to get into all those nooks and crannies. We did the whole chair, applying it to the stained areas, painted areas and bare wood. We did a few coats, waiting at least 6 hours and giving it a light sand in between coats.

Rebecca and Nicole from Made on the Left with the finished rocking chair

Re-Love Project Part 3

Now, I know I promised the fun bit of our Re-Love Project next but first... some more sanding! Fortunately all the major sanding is done and we just need to give it a light sand this time.

We are using 2 products to add a bit of colour to our rocking chair - Feast Watson Prooftint traditional stain: Brown Japan and Feast Watson Crackle Lacquer top coat in Opal Gleam. 

We gave the base section and the headpiece of the chair a few coats of the brown japan stain. It is quite strong smelling so don't forget to use it in a well ventilated area and wear a mask! After applying each coat, we wiped with a rag to remove the excess stain.

Next we gave the armrests a coat of opal gleam. We only used the top coat as we didn't want a crackle effect.

Now we're almost finished!

Re-Love Project Part 2

Stage one of the Made on the Left Re-Love Project was finding our piece of furniture.

Stage two was getting it back to a bare timber surface. We had to remove the varnish by sanding it… and sanding it and sanding it! So much sanding! The trickiest bits were the details in the base and armrest bars. But we did it!



After the sanding was done, we wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove all the dust and then we applied a surface sealer - Feast Watson Proofseal.
Next step - the fun bit!

Re-Love Project Part 1

Last year we redid an old school desk as part of the Feast Watson Re-Love Project and this year we were asked to do it all again!

This time we chose a big old rocking chair and we're going to work our magic on it before it's auctioned off to raise money for the Salvos Stores.

We'll keep you updated on how it's going!

Check out the other participating designers and their projects here.

Re-love project: the finished item!

We can now reveal to you our finished old school desk which we have reinvigorated as part of the Feast Watson Re-love Project! 

We are really happy with how it turned out and don't want to part with it! However, it's for a good cause as proceeds go towards the Salvos. The auction is on now and you can bid on our desk here and the other participants' pieces here.

Re-Love Project Update 4

We've been working hard on our desk for the Feast Watson Re-love Project.

We applied the Feast Watson Sanding Sealer and then after it had dried, sanded it back. The wood was then so smooth! A great surface to start work on. Our idea was to have a nautical theme with a sailing ship on one desk lid and a whale on the other. The waves would go across the bottom of both desks. We started off by drawing the designs in pencil directly onto the desk lid.

We then started painting. We needed to keep a steady hand as we would not be able to cover up any mistakes. The paint we used was a new Feast Watson product to create a crackle effect. If you want a crackle effect, you paint over a layer of the crackle lacquer but it can be used as a normal paint as well and comes in a range of pastel colours. We also selected a Dulux Minted Gold metallic colour for something a bit special.

We ended up changing our minds about the whale and ship and went with a rainbow instead. Surprise! We kept the waves though as they were looking good.

Next we added a bottom to the inkwells so they could be used as pencil holders and painted the insides black. And now for the varnishing - as soon as we applied the varnish, the wood looked amazing! We used Feast Watson Satinproof varnish.

We are really happy with the desk lid and love how the varnish has brought out the warmth of the wood. We did a few coats so it would protect it.

On the inside of the desk lid, we wanted to have a chalkboard surface in the shape of a cloud and here it is, freshly applied (and still wet!). We did a few coats in Dulux Chalkboard paint and left it to harden.

Now we just have to attach the lid to the desk body and it will be done!

http://www.relove.feastwatson.com.au/designers-auctions.aspx

Re-Love Project Update 3

We're working hard to make our old school desk look new again, ready to be auctioned on 9th May in the Feast Watson Re-love Project! 

Here's where we got up to last time – the desk top has been detached from the base and all the surfaces have been prepped. 



In the last post we did glueing and clamping and lots of sanding. Let's look at the results! 

We glued and clamped the veneer that was lifting off the desk lid. Now the glue has dried, we have to sand back this area to make it smooth. We also have to fill the damaged edge areas using putty in a matching colour.



For the legs and body of the desk, we used an undercoat of Dulux 1 Step Acrylic Primer, Sealer & Undercoat which is rust resistant then gave it numerous coats of Dulux Spraypak Quick Dry in black over a few days, letting it dry between each coat. We chose this product as it would give a hardwearing glossy even finish and was quick (and fun!) to apply.



The next step will be for us to finish the wooden desk top and prepare for artwork and final paint finish.

We are all excited to see this desk start to come to life!

Re-Love Project Update 2

As you may know, the Made on the Left team has been invited to participate in the Feast Watson Re-Love project . We will be bringing an old school desk back to life with a lot of love and hard work. We've finished the planning stages and the muscle work has begun! We've got some pictures to show you our progress (bulging biceps not included). 

So far it's been all about sanding – the metal desk tray had areas of rust and flaking paint and the wooden desk top was uneven and peeling. To make things easier, we detached the wooden top from the metal body. We then used glue to stick down the veneer parts that were coming off and clamped it down to get the best effect. 



Tune in next time to see us prepare the surface ready to paint!

Re-Love Project

We're pleased to announce that we have been asked to participate in the Feast Watson Re-Love Project along with 8 other designers. Our mission is to bring an old piece of furniture back to life which will then be auctioned on eBay on 9th May to raise money for the Salvos stores. We are so excited! 
Our piece of furniture is an old school desk which we have big plans for. 
Here is a 'before' photo - as you can see, it certainly needs some love... stay tuned to see how it progresses!