Olive Green Painted Antique Buffet
When I saw this antique buffet on Facebook Marketplace, I knew I could give it a fresh new look with a little bit of paint. So here’s the olive green painted antique buffet makeover.
Get more Green Painted Furniture Ideas here!
Isn’t this buffet stunning?? Living in Duluth, MN, we found a lot of cool antiques that were pretty budget-friendly.
This one was $175 I believe. What a steal!
But, you know me, I’m in the business of painting furniture, so let’s make it over!
(While it’s gorgeous before, take a closer look. There are definitely scratches all over… it wasn’t in pristine condition.)
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Supplies Used for Vintage Moss Buffet Makeover
- Painters Tape
- Pre-Taped Plastic
- Krud Kutter
- Wood Filler
- 220 Grit Sandpaper
- Shop Vac and Tack Cloth to Clean
- Clear Shellac (Used as a Primer here)
- Vintage Moss Paint by Paint Couture Paint
- Fuji Paint Sprayer
- Respirator
- Paint Filter to filter paint into the sprayer
- My Favorite Waterbased Topcoat
- Java Gel Stain
- Lint Free Rags
- Gloves
- New Knobs
Prep For Paint
Every good paint job starts with prepping the furniture. Including cleaning, taping, fixing damage, sanding, and of course cleaning again.
Check out this post for everything you need to know about prepping furniture before painting.
Clean
So first, we cleaned the buffet to get all of the dirt, oils, and grime off of it.
This one wasn’t bad at all.
But, every piece of furniture has the potential to have oils or something that will hinder the paint from sticking to it.
So, we sprayed Krud Kutter all over it and scrubbed it with an old damp rag.
I specifically really like Krud Kutter because it cuts through grease and oils really easily, but it’s not harmful to the furniture either.
Learn more on how to clean furniture before painting here.
Tape off Legs and Hinges
Then I taped off the legs with some painter’s tape and some 24″ pre-taped plastic, to protect them from getting any paint on them. I wanted these legs to stay a dark-stained wood.
Wood Fill
The old hardware had dug into the wood right around it, so I filled those dents in with some basic wood filler and then let it dry.
Learn more about filling holes when replacing cabinet or furniture hardware here.
Scuff Sand
Actually, while I was waiting for it to dry, I scuff-sanded the rest of the buffet with 220 grit sandpaper.
A light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper makes a huge difference in the paint sticking and being durable.
Learn more about the importance of sanding before painting furniture here.
After the wood filler was dry (about 20 minutes later) I sanded the wood filler down so it was all flush with the wood around it.
Clean
Then. I used my shop vac to suck up the dust, and a tack cloth to finish getting the little specs of dust off.
Tape off Hinges
And last but not least, I didn’t want to take off the doors (because they can be a pain to get back on correctly), so I just taped off the hinges with some more painter’s tape.
Prime
Then, before I painted, I sprayed 2 coats of clear shellac on the buffet.
Clear shellac helps block bleedthrough from the wood, preventing stains from coming through the paint, (you can’t get the stains to go away unless you cover them with shellac or oil based products.)
I’ve also learned that shellac helps paint stick. (It’s weird, I know!) So that’s a huge plus too!
Check out The Best Primer for Painting Furniture (and How to Choose the Right One) here.
Then, I let the shellac dry overnight, to give it the best chance at blocking the stains. (Some stains are stubborn!!)
Paint
The next day, I put my Vintage Moss paint into my Fuji Paint Sprayer, using the paint filter to filter the paint before it went into the sprayer (I don’t want anything to clog the sprayer!).
Check out this post to learn all about my Fuji Paint Sprayer. OR check out my list of the best paint sprayers for beginners and why I love them (and don’t like them. haha)
I also added some water (maybe 10%) to thin out the paint, so it would spray into a very fine, perfect finish.
I sprayed 2 coats everywhere. But since I had left the doors on, it took me 4 times of spraying to get everywhere.
This paint is absolutely AMAZING! It is truly a self-leveling paint, and the finish it created is absolutely amazing!
I need to use Paint Couture Paint more often!
Topcoat
After the paint was dry for at least 2 hours, I sprayed 3 coats of my favorite water-based polyurethane on it.
Here’s a great post with all my tips on how to spray polyurethane.
Restain the Legs
Then I took off the plastic and tape from the legs.
These legs were in really great shape to begin with, so I didn’t feel like I needed to remove the old finish.
Read through this post to learn how to restain wood furniture.
Check out how to remove stain from detailed wood like these legs here.
Scuff Sand
I scuff sanded the legs with more 220 grit sandpaper to help the gel stain to stick.
Then I cleaned up all of the dust.
Stain with Gel Stain
Then, I mixed up the Java gel stain, dipped a lint-free disposable rag into it, and wiped the gel stain on, all over the leg. (Working one leg at a time!)
Before the gel stain dried I wiped the excess back off with a clean lint-free rag.
Look at how they shine now!!
The gel stain just gave them a fresh new look, and filled in any dings and scratches.
Check out the Best Wood Stains for Refinishing Furniture here.
Topcoat
I didn’t actually topcoat these legs, but I probably should have wiped some oil-based wipe on polyurethane on them to give them extra protection.
Learn more about topcoat options for furniture here!
After
And here’s what the buffet looks like now!! Isn’t it pretty!?!
Get more painted buffet ideas here.
A customer snatched it up pretty quickly, and we shipped it off to its new home.
Olive Green Painted Antique Buffet
Give your antique furniture a fresh new look with a little bit of paint. Here are the steps for this olive green painted antique buffet makeover.
Materials
Instructions
- Clean the furniture, tape off the legs, and fill in any damages with wood filler.
- Spray 2 coats of clear shellac on the buffet.
- Apply 2-4 coats of paint.
- Once dry, spray 3 coats of waterbased polyurethane.
- Take off the plastic and tape from the legs and scuff sand with sandpaper.
- Wipe some gel stain all over the legs.
- Topcoat the legs with oil-based wipe on polyurethane.
- Add new knobs and enjoy your antique furniture!
Recommended Products
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More Painted Buffet Makeovers:
- Black Painted Antique Buffet
- Dark Green Buffet Makeover
- Antiqued Blue Farmhouse Buffet
- Green Chalk Painted Mini Buffet
- How to Chalk Paint Furniture White
More Makeovers in the Same Color (Vintage Moss)
- How to Paint Laminate Furniture (with Olive Green Paint)
- Mid Century Modern Farmhouse Dresser in Olive Green
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Love everything about the makeover especially the stained legs EXCEPT the drawer knobs. You’re usually so spot on adding hardware that enhances the piece. Not so much this time. Those large white chiclets knobs are very distracting.
I purchased this piece for my kitchen and absolutely love it! It is perfect piece that ties my 1820 farmhouse with my love of MCM design together. The key are those little knobs which creates such a nice transition between antique and contemporary throughout the house.