Mudroom Valet

Hi, Liz here from the workroom in my shop Redo Your Furniture (aka Frame and Frills). I just finished this mudroom valet with lots of layers to create a vintage finish.

I found this piece on marketplace and though it was sturdy and the perfect size for our mudroom space, the color and finish weren’t my favorite.

Once I got it unloaded into the Redo Your Furniture workroom, I realized it also had a musty odor. So I got to work.

Here are the steps…

Everything I used for this project is available in my shop Redo Your Furniture, in-person and online. I have a complete shopping list for you towards the end of this post.

1: Washed the entire piece with Fusion TSP Alternative.

2: Primed every surface with Bin shellac-based primer to seal off the musty odor.

When I say every surface, I really mean it! Inside, outside, inside the inside, bottom, back, literally everything!

I even primed the bottom of the top inside above where the drawers go.

After the primer thoroughly dried and I was sure the odor was completely gone, the painting could commence.

3. Painted the top, inside bottom and 2 hutch shelves in Fusion Mineral Paint ‘Ash’.

4. Painted the sides and fronts with Fusion Mineral Paint ‘Cobblestone’ for a base for the next layer which would be milk paint.

For both the FMP Ash and Cobblestone I used a ProHybrid flat brush. The pure synthetic bristles make it a great option for Fusion Mineral Paint.

5. Randomly brushed on hemp oil to create a resist for the next layer of paint over the Cobblestone.

6. Painted on a layer of ‘Hotel Robe’ milk paint over the sides and front that were painted in Cobblestone.

Milk paint will adhere to Fusion Mineral Paint without having to add Ultra Grip to it, but you can see in this picture how the hemp oil created that resist and the milk paint just beaded up over the surface where the hemp oil was applied.

I did 2 coats of milk paint and the second coat did cover those hemp oiled areas more, but still created a wonderful texture and allowed me to distress it more easily, to show some of that grey Cobblestone here and there under the white Hotel Robe top color.

7. For an accent color on the drawer fronts and inside top hutch part, I painted on 2 coats of ‘Velvet Palm’ milk paint. Still with the same hemp oil sandwiched over the Cobblestone, under the milk paint.

For both the Hotel Robe and Velvet Palm Milk Paints, I used the blended flat brush. It’s blended with both natural and synthetic fibers making it a great option for milk paint. The natural bristles help hold the watery milk paint better than pure synthetic bristles would.

Time to distress the milk paint…

8. Using a water soaked sponge, I got the surface wet, concentrating on the edges and areas that would naturally be worn over time.

9. Then using my sanding sponge, I removed some of the milk paint, revealing the Cobblestone grey in some areas. In a few places I sanded a bit harder to e even remove spots of the Cobblestone, revealing the peach color underneath it.

My whole goal in redoing this piece was to recreate an aged finish. Even though the piece itself is an antique, the finish on it was new and so I was aiming at matching the finish with the age of the piece. The layers and distressing make it look as though these layers were applied over decades, not hours.

Now to add some character to the Ash painted base top and hutch shelves.

The crackle stamp made quick work of this step!

10. Used the brayer to roll Fusion Mineral Paint ‘Chocolate’ onto the crackle stamp, and stamped it randomly on the top and shelves, adding a crackled paint look!

11. After the stamped crackle was dry, I sanded that surface too, distressing the edges and areas of the top.

Time to address the hardware!

The original hardware was long gone, and even though the shape of the newer bin-pulls that came with this piece when I purchased it was ok for this style of furniture, the color/finish was not great. It looked too new and contemporary for the aged finish I was aiming to achieve.

12. After the bin-pulls were cleaned with TSP Alternative, and I tried to scuff sand them as best as I could with the sanding sponge, I brushed on a layer of Ultra Grip, a bonding agent that makes paint stick to just about any surface! It’s best to let the Ultra Grip cure at least 12 hours before painting over.

13. For the first coat of paint on the pulls, I applied Fusion Mineral Paint ‘Chocolate’.

I purposely applied it super sloppy, trying to create as much texture as possible.

14. After the ‘Chocolate’ was dry, I dry brushed Fusion Metallic ‘Copper’ over the handles.

Dry brushing is simply just getting a small amount of paint on the brush, and wiping most of it back off on a towel, creating a ‘dry brush’. This allowed me the control to brush on the metallic Copper on just the high parts over the textured ‘Chocolate’.

Didn’t want to forget the screws that do show on the face of the bin pulls when they’re installed!

Here is a simple tip for painting screw heads…

Just poke the screws through tape to easily paint the screw heads.

Final detail…

Adding the tulip transfer was the final detail that pulls it all together!

Transfers will adhere beautifully to milk paint.

15. After cutting out the transfer parts for the drawer fronts, I temporarily attached them with tape to line up the design on the drawer fronts, then I could trim it before I removed the protective back of the transfers. I sliced through the transfer with a razor blade right along the drawer seams, removing the skinny strip of transfer that fell between the drawers.

16. The transfer tool worked great to release the transfer onto the drawer front.

17. Slowly peeled back the protective plastic sheeting to reveal the transfer on the drawer. If any bits weren’t totally attached to the drawer front, I laid the plastic back down and rubbed the transfer tool over it again to release it from the plastic sheeting.

18. The final step in this Mudroom Valet project was to top coat with Fusion Tough Coat in matte.

I used my applicator sponge as I almost always do to apply the Tough Coat. (HERE is a video post from a while back showing you my method for Tough Coat application) I did apply the Tough Coat over the Ash top and shelves as well, just for a little extra protection, and to give it a bit more satiny finish.

Here are almost all the products and tools I used for this project.

It looks like a lot of product, but for the most part, (except the transfer) this project only used small amounts of each product, and of course the tools and stamps are all reusable.

My point is, building up one’s workroom stock is essential for accomplishing many projects!

The finished piece!

This is the first time I used this milk paint color ‘Velvet Palm’ and I LOVE it! It’s a gorgeous yummy green blue color. I’m super happy with the distressed, aged finish, and the Tough Coat finish was a great, durable choice for this hardworking piece.

I found a boot tray that was the perfect size for the bottom cubby. It came new with that distressed copper finish, hence my choice for the distressed copper finish on the bin pulls!

Close ups!

The crackle on the base top is so subtle, it’s almost a subconscious message of distressed age.

When I’m redoing a piece, just like when I’m decorating a room, balance is key to making it all flow. On this piece, I considered where to balance the accent ‘Velvet Palm’ color, where to use the ‘Ash’ color and how to carry through the copper.

This is literally going to be a mudroom valet in our mudroom! Shoes and boots in the bottom, hats, gloves and all those outdoors garments will fit in the drawers, along with keys, a place to set the mail, etc. It’ll be a great catch-all, (hopefully organized catch-all) for all that ‘junk’, but now with a little more style.

Here’s the shopping list: (in order of appearance)

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to follow and share this blog with your friends, as well as on Facebook, Pinterest, Flipboard, Bloglovin, YouTube and Instagram! I appreciate you reading along.

You can also find me at my shop, Redo Your Furniture, stocked with amazing DIY products like Fusion Mineral Paints, Stencils, Decoupage, ReDesign Transfers and more! You can shop in person or online here: Redo Your Furniture

Here are more posts from my DIY blog about redoing something: