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Sometimes Refinishing Furniture Makes Me Want to Throw a Tantrum

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Back in April 2014, I found on bed on Craigslist that I just HAD to have for Zack’s room.  It had great lines and only needed a little work, which sounded awesome after just finishing Emma’s green bed.  I wasn’t quite ready to work on it, so I put it aside in the garage.

Two in a half years later, I decided that there was no better time than the present.  HAHA!  Procrastinators unite!

After I got the bed cleaned up, I could tell that the finish on the veneer was peeling and bubbling in places.  It wasn’t in perfect shape when I got it, but I’m sure that hanging out in the hot garage for a few years didn’t help its case.

No hassle update for a Mid-Century Modern bed

Well, it was time for me to get started refinishing furniture again.  I decided to do some light sanding on it to see what would happen.  It’s always touchy when you sand a thin veneer, because if you can easily go through the veneer.  Like this.

No hassle update for a Mid-Century Modern bed

Okay, so that’s not EXACTLY what happened.  The veneer was pretty marred in these spots and felt really rough, so sanding it down was a decision that I made and not an accident.  But, it could easily happen if you aren’t careful!

Because I just couldn’t handle this turning into a multi-day project, I started thinking about how I could save this bed.  I could paint it, but I really didn’t want a painted finish.  My friend Marian suggested that I use a chemical stripper to take the stain off the veneer (which was actually the “right” thing to do), but that made me feel like Andy from Wet Hot American Summer.

So…that wasn’t going to be the right answer for me.

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How to Paint a Modern Ombre Wall and Finally Get Moving on a Long Ignorned Project

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Well over a year ago, I came up with the game plan to transition my then 8-year old son’s room from a little boys room to one more fit for the confident, brilliant, and creative young man that he’s become.

Mid Century Modern boy's room moodboard

He was excited for us to get started on it, but then life got in the way (as it has been doing for the last few years).  And then he turned 9.  And then he was mere months away from turning 10.  And then it was REALLY time to get started, because I was embarrassed at my lack to time management, if nothing else.

So one day last month, I decided that it was time for the massive paint job to begin.  I emptied the room, taped off the trim, laid down the drop cloth, and somehow convinced Tom to help me with the paint sprayer.  We primed all of the walls and ceiling and then painted the ceiling and top half of the walls Lindsay White.  This is what it looked like – pretty and pristine on the top and full on hot mess on the bottom.

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

And Tom was all, “Good luck!”  Ok, thanks.

In an effort to give Zack’s room an ocean feel (without being theme-y), I wanted to paint an ombre wall – starting with dark blue at the bottom and transitioning to white at the top.  Instead of it being a graduated, seamless ombre, I wanted a more modern, choppy feel.

So, I divided the wall into three sections – dark blue, medium blue, and white – and marked them with painters tape.  I left a six inch gap between the two blues so I would have a space to blend the colors.  I was going to blend the white and light blue, but I didn’t need to leave a gap since the white was already painted, if that makes sense.  Probably not.

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

Then, I painted the middle section with Glidden’s Paint + Primer (flat) in Marine Blue.  I (obviously) didn’t worry about painting sharp lines, because I’ll be blending the colors together.  I just used my paint roller to slap the paint on the wall.

How to Paint an Ombre Wall

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