Painted Furniture

[impressionist2]

I see a lot of familiar faces here from the art biz forum. I am selling my art on E-Bay and in the meantime, I am painting items decoratively for my own home.

Does anyone here paint furniture? Do you sell on E-bay? I am interested in seeing how that works.

Thanks,

Renee

[sassybird]

I have an old dining room table that has some wonderful curves and lines on the legs. I am thinking about painting that, and then doing a mosaic on the top. I really prefer old furniture rather than new, because redoing it to my own tastes is so much fun. I like my home to be a place where people feel comfortable, and not afraid to put their feet up if they want to.

I am getting ready to start selling on ebay myself. I haven't looked for any kind of work like that though. You might just make a market for yourself in that area, but remember that shipping can be expensive for larger items. If I were going to do something like that I would keep it down to night stands, and smaller pieces.

[artchic]

Hi,Yes I have painted on furniture...it is fun especially on old pieces i've rescued from garge sales and(OH MY) the trash!..My hubby always says...if it was in the trash then its trash why do you have to brung it home?!!..I also frequent flea markets when the weather gets warmer.....I want to sell on eBay this year also but I am not going to sell any furniture except maybe plant stands, stools and such because the shipping is high...so i will stick to paintings and note cards I think
Carole

[impressionist2]

Thanks, Sassy and artchic. I took two old garage sale chairs that were really well glued and sturdy ( $10. ), and an old but well built table ( free from an aunt) and painted them in a bright blue ( Benjamin Moore paint) . Found matching chair pads at Linen & Things. I am going to paint vines and some simple flowers on the three to complete the set.

I know shipping any of this would be a consideration at E-Bay.

Reneehttp://www.wetcanvas.com/Community/images/05-Jan-2003/Jan402tablechairs.jpg

[Jona]

Renee- I have not sold furniture on E-bay. However, a friend of mine has bought furniture on E-bay. I asked how that worked thinking of the shipping factor. They told me that you can search to buy only in your area or town. I would check into if you can specify to sell only in your area. Then you could specify the buyer pick up the furniture or if you have the desire you could set up delivery.

Would love to see a picture posted of your table and chairs when you finish painting them.

[impressionist2]

Jona, Thanks. I will check into that.

Btw, I Love your cherry jelly jar!! Renee

[Howard Metzenberg]

Some suggestions for painting around those table legs, and in other places where you want a traditional paint that takes on a nice patina of age...

Try casein colors. They are based on a milk protein that is mixable and washable with water when wet, but becomes hard and inflexible when dry. I know there are manufacturers of casein house paint. The only fine art casein in the United States, to my knowledge, is Shiva:

Shiva Casein Colors
http://www.dickblick.com/zz009/02/

Casein dries to a matte finish. But if you paint on surfaces that get a lot of use, the surface will start to look polished and shiny. Casein paints have been around for ages. It was probably easy to mix up a small batch locally 100 years ago, when such farmhouse chairs were commonly painted.

If you don't want to go with the ancient medium, here's another product that you might try out on furniture.

Jo Sonja Potting Shed Collection
http://www.dickblick.com/zz007/03/

Acrylic gouache paint is of course an acrylic, not a gouache. Acrylic is such a flexible vehicle that it is being formulated to behave like gouache.

Howard Metzenberg

[inisheerstudio]

Would you ever paint over 'oak'?

[artchic]

Hi all,
I have painted on all kind of wood..the only time I will not paint on a piece is if it is an inlaid piece or if the pie e of furniture is old and i like the patina.....You may want to let some of the grain show by painting your motif on tha bare wood and not covering it with a full background color..just seal and varnish when done..then you have the best of both worlds...you can see the grain as well as your artwork

Carole

[inisheerstudio]

Thank you Carole.....

That would be the best of both worlds...