I found Harriett in a junk store with junk piled on her and so much stuff piled in front of her she was hard to see. But I saw her.
I’d been in the market for a kitchen hutch but after looking at their price tags, I knew I would not be buying one. When I saw Harriett I knew she was exactly what I was looking for.
Apparently, the junk store owner had gotten her at a garage sale. The previous owner built and used her as an entertainment center. Junk Store Man put her in his garage and stored garage junk on her. And when he didn’t need her anymore he put her in his junk shop for sale. Poor Harriett.
Originally, I planned to strip her of her stain and paint her. Majority of Harriett is good, strong, solid wood except her doors and drawers, which have a wood veneer. OOOOHHHHH Wood Veneer. What will I do with you?
I thought about having new doors and drawer fronts made for her, and one day I will, but I wanted to finish her up quickly and get her into her new home. I have plans to accessorize her later but for now I want to put her in a new, pretty white dress.
This is one of my new favorite things. I have used it on so much and it works like a dream. I lovingly call it Zinny.
It is an oil based primer by Zinsser I found at Lowes that STICKS TO ALL SURFACES WITHOUT SANDING! And without stripping, because you can’t strip wood veneer. Plus, you can put anything on top of it. It doesn’t have to be an oil based paint. It just gives you a beautiful blank canvas.
One coat of primer and two coats of white paint were all it took to give Harriett the new, beautiful look she deserves.
And these days it doesn’t matter what I put on her. Whether it’s Christmas decorations…
various project suppplies, or my Etsy shop items waiting have their pictures taken.
One of these days I will get around to getting Harriett new doors and drawer covers and I might even give her some cubby holes for storing cool stuff, kind of like the one pictured here. But for now, Harriett is happy in her new white dress.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon your site. I have whole kitchen that needs to be painted and I was dreading having to sand everything! I’m going buy this primer tonite to try it out. I hope it works so well for me as it did you. Btw, I have enjoyed looking at your before and afters. I wish I had more time to do projects like that.
I have seen several posts on various blogs now on this primer. Do you think it would cover black lacquer furniture that my daughter did NOT take with her when she moved out?
No chipping? Peeling?
I really want to paint a Pottery Barn buffet but it is veneer. If I used this primer what type of paint do you recommend? And should we use spray equipment or brush and roller? I don’t want it to look DIY!
This post is SO old and things have come a long way. I don’t know that you’d need a primer these days. I’d recommend trying Fusion Mineral Paint or DecoArt’s Americana Chalky Finish Paint. They’re both 100% acrylic so adhesion is amazing. Be sure to lightly sand your piece first and test a small inconspicuous area before continuing. Allow to dry and try scratching with your fingernail. If it doesn’t scratch, you’re good to go! I prefer a brush but whether or not you use a sprayer or a brush be sure to practice first. A good quality brush or sprayer will get the job done. It’s a matter of personal preference. Hope this helps!