Remember this?
After lots and lots and lots of scrubbing, I finally got it clean. If it wasn't black and I could actually see the yuck, it probably would have stayed in the store. But now it's painted. Still not sure I like it.
I originally wanted to find a chartreuse damask wallpaper for the back. I could not find any, so I decided to paint the shelf chartreuse and use this grey and white Allen + Roth wallpaper from Lowe's.
Couple of problems with that idea. Am I crazy or does this look like a big yellow shelf to you? This is not the color I was hoping for. At all. Everyone said maybe it was because it was only one coat and two would make it look right. Nope, two coats didn't help much.
Also, I used hardboard for the back. I did not prime it. When the wallpaper dried it caused the board to shrink and warp and it was peeling alot. It would not stay stapled into the back causing many many headaches.
Anyone know if a dark wax would help the color and/or the fact that the finish is staying tacky and it has been days? Would luan work better for the back?
Hi Jamie! Thanks for your comment...actually, I had a lot left over. I actually only put one coat on b/c I wanted to distress ALL the areas where the one coat didn't cover enough....I did do two coats on the top, more heavily used area, ....all in all, I'd say I used less than half of the quart of paint! : )
ReplyDeleteIf you are trying for more of a chartreuse, you could add a glaze with a green/brown tint. It may tone down the yellow. I have no experience with luan, but I have had thin plywood warp terribly. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and am your newest follower. This project is fabulous! Thanks for leaving me totally inspired.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if your paint has had a funny reaction to what's underneath, and that's why it's still tacky. Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteI' sure a bit of distressing back to the darker colour underneath, and a bit of dark wax would tone it RIGHT down. It's got a lovely shape - I like the doors at the base.
I've signed up to follow your lovely blog.
Thank you so much for linking up to my 'Paint, Please' link party.
Sarahx
If you live near a Home Depot or Lowe's I would ask them about a suitable backing for your bookshelf. I personally like the color, but some of the above comments gave good suggestions for toning it down. The cleaning product you used before painting could have something to do with the tackiness. It may just take longer for the paint to get hard, That happened once to me with a smaller shelf, it took a couple weeks for the paint to get good and dry.
ReplyDelete