Before & After: During the Hoosier Re-make

Until you have tried to 'lightly sand' something your younger brothers painted 10 years ago, you don't know the pain of furniture refinishing.

'Lightly sand' turns into 'removing the blue paint in long thin stripes while the blue paint underneath stays put since the previous painter (mom) properly prepared the surface,' which turns into 'painting the first coat then lightly sanding after drying but realizing all the loose paint wasn't removed so you have to re-sand and paint again.'

So yeah, a lot of work. In the basement.

The white paint was easy to sand and re-paint. So much cleaner! And all the imperfections are hidden, like the water damage on the top, and the uneven wood surfaces, and the paint strokes. Ok, so they're not all hidden, but they look all shiny and new, well newly painted.

Initial stages of sanding, before I realize how loosely the blue paint is attached to the surface.

After the first coat of color on the doors. Yep, it's subtle. Yup, the basement is way old school. Our building was built in 1925!

I have just a few final touches to put on the hoosier before taking the "after" photos... stay tuned!