• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • Furniture
  • All DIY
  • Crafts
  • Shop
Petticoat Junktion
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Furniture
  • All DIY
  • Crafts
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Furniture
    • All DIY
    • Crafts
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Painted Furniture » Gray Paint Finish Has Me Seeing Red | Makeover Details

    Gray Paint Finish Has Me Seeing Red | Makeover Details

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Gray Paint Finish

    The gray paint finish for the vintage radio cabinet didn't go as planned. I had to tweak things as I went along. Par for the course. Today I’m sharing the nitty gritty details.….lots of photos ahead.

    gray paint finish has me seeing red Petticoat Junktion 2

    Gray Paint Finish

    Furniture Makeover Before And After

    Today I’m sharing the nitty gritty details of painting the vintage radio cabinet. Word of warning….lots of photos ahead.

    selecting paint colors for the radio cabinet Petticoat Junktion

    By now you are all familiar with the radio cabinet. If you’re new here you can see how the JTS removed the radio and added shelves by clicking the two pink links.

    I worked with all the missing and loose veneer. Instead of stripping it off I glued the loose pieces and didn’t worry about the missing pieces. The areas with chipped veneer will look great when distressed.

    vintage radio cabinet inside

    The top was a mess too. No veneer and gouges in the wood. The JTS filled the worst parts with wood filler.The cabinet was finally ready to paint.

    painting the inside of cabinet

    You can see the details on painting the inside of the cabinet here. I used Off-White Beyond Paint.

    loose veneer glued and clamped Petticoat Junktion

    I didn’t notice the loose and gaping veneer pieces until I was painting the inside of the cabinet. I used wood glue and clamps to take care of the worst areas.

     

    Frogtape paint project Petticoat JUnktion

    Before painting the outside of the cabinet I used FrogTape to protect the white paint inside. Didn’t want gray on the white. My first plan was to paint the doors white and the rest of the piece gray. With this plan in mind I used FrogTape around the doors too.

    furniture paint project in progress Petticoat Junktion

    Done with the doors. Painted with off-white Beyond Paint like the inside.

    white paint dry brush technique Petticoat Junktion

    Now I’m ready to dry-brush off-white paint onto the gray. All it takes is a dab of paint for dry brushing.

    dry brush technique Petticoat Junktion

    Dip the brush bristles in the paint then wipe most of the paint off with a paper towel. Run the brush over the raised details.

    dry brush paint technique Petticoat Junktion

    Legs too.

    hand sanding paint Petticoat Junktion

    Then I distressed the whole cabinet by hand.

    gray cabinet with white accents Petticoat Junktion

    This is what it looked like after the distressing. The color is bad because of the different camera I was using. I kept looking at the piece and was having doubts about the look. I showed the above photo to Sara at the shop and she said the white looked like a tombstone. That did it for me.

    I can tell you the paint process after that, I just don’t have photos. When I’m working on a project and using trial and error (a few fits too), I forget to take photos.

    I painted gray over the white then painted gray over some of the dry brushed white areas because there was too much white. Then I distressed the whole thing again.

    Decorative Calender Shelf Liner Recycle Idea Petticoat Junktion project

    When I was trying to decide on the paper for the interior I noticed how the white paint on the front edges of the shelves popped out at me. So I painted them gray too. If you missed the post about the Calendar as shelf paper you can see it here.

    gray paint finish has me seeing red Petticoat Junktion 4

    And that was the process Ladies and Gentlemen. Sometimes my first plan, second plan, and sometimes third plans don’t work.

    Have you ever worked a project over two or three times before you got it right?

    I think you will enjoy my video on How To Antique Painted Furniture....

    Receive furniture painting tutorials and thrift store upcycle project ideas for free. Sign up below.....

    More Tutorials For You:

    How To Prepare Furniture Before Painting
    Why Distress Painted Furniture
    Nautical Style Furniture Makeover
    Paint An Old Dresser With Latex Paint Then D...
    Paint An Old chest And Use Dark Wax To Antiq...
    Two Tone Turquoise Painted Furniture
    « Mantel Decorating Idea For Any Season
    Ceramic Cherub And Another Edition of My Arkansas Home »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    1. Treva Mills

      February 17, 2016 at 7:48 am

      That is a WOW piece of furniture! Thanks for sharing how it was done.

      Reply
    2. Loni

      January 20, 2016 at 10:51 pm

      Wow! That looks fantastic! You are the queen. Love it!

      Reply
    3. Lynn

      January 20, 2016 at 11:46 am

      Hi Kathy, so glad I stumbled on this on BlogTalk. Just found a little piece this weekend and considering doing something gray-ish. Pinning this for future reference.

      thanks for all the detail you provided. Will certainly come in handy.

      Have a great day, Lynn

      Reply
    4. EFFIE CARROLL

      January 20, 2016 at 7:08 am

      Like the gray doors and the distressed look overall.

      Reply
    5. Gracie Redfield

      January 19, 2016 at 3:19 pm

      Beautiful work!

      Reply
    6. nancy

      January 19, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      Holy smokes, what a lot of work. What patience you have. I would have thrown the piece on the woodpile!!!! Nice salvage.

      Reply
    7. Paulette Morris

      January 19, 2016 at 1:23 pm

      I think I would have gotten rid of a little bit more white. And yes, I've repainted many pieces until I get the look I want.

      Reply
    8. Kimberly Desabrais

      January 19, 2016 at 11:41 am

      Beautiful! I absolutely love everything you do. Can't wait to see what you are up to next. You really inspire me!

      Reply
    9. Karen

      January 19, 2016 at 11:10 am

      I liked the white doors. Black pulls would look nice, too.
      Being a fan of this piece, I feel I can be honest.
      I want to somehow pull out some of the details in a more noticeable way.

      Reply
    10. regina

      January 19, 2016 at 11:08 am

      Looks great. Definitely worth the extra effort.

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Kathy!

    The gal behind Petticoat Junktion and I love decorating my home. My decor is eclectic and unique. I find fun things at thrift stores, junk shops, and flea markets and make them better. Every day is a new adventure.....

    More about me →

    Popular

    • DIY Magnets Made With Vintage Keys And Old Hardware
    • Trash To Treasure Home Decor Makeovers
    • Top 100 Trash To Treasure Makeovers From Thrift Store Finds
    • How To Repurpose An Old Drawer
    • How To Decorate Glass Bottles And Jars With Old Jewelry
    • Turn An Old Wood Box Into A Flower Container

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Thrifty Home Decor

    Ideas for fun loving homeowners who like to DIY. Tutorials on painting furniture, recycling, repurposing, flea market and thrift store shopping, and home decor ideas.

    Martha's Circle
    Plaid Crafts Creator
    Behr Designer Stories

    Shop

    Get Amazon Prime

    Find my favorite supplies, tools, home decor, and more on Amazon here

    Disclosure:

    *Petticoat Junktion is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. 

    Copyright © 2022 · PETTICOAT JUNKTION · PRIVACY POLICY

    Receive furniture painting tutorials and thrift store upcycle project ideas for free. Sign up below.....
    Receive my furniture painting tutorials by email free! Sign up below....