Well, we made it through two feet of snow here in New England. Four and a half hours of shoveling… piece of cake! Three snow days home with the kids constantly cooking and cleaning… no problem.
Being snowed in actually gave me some time to finish up this navy blue server I’ve been working on since early December.
This piece was once the base of a two-piece hutch, but unfortunately I could only fit the base in my truck. I’m now wishing I had gone back to retrieve the glass-door cabinet top. Since the top is missing, it’s now officially a server – which is basically a small buffet.
Here’s how it started out. Notice the very country scroll detail along the bottom edge that was once there.
That country detail wouldn’t complement the sleek navy blue I had planned and had to go. With chisel and hammer in hand, I carefully knocked it back, sanded it down, and was left with a straight bottom that now enhanced the substantial feet.
This piece was also an opportunity for me to try yet another type of paint. I’ve used Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint, several different brands of latex, spray paint, and even enamel. Still in search of a paint I can say I love to use, I decided to go with General Finishes Milk Paint on this server. The color is Coastal Blue.
Of course it will take a few more painting projects, but I can say that my initial impression is that I’m really liking this milk paint. General Finishes easily covered in two coats with no show-through, the finish was very smooth with no brush strokes, and it’s actually less expensive than the Chalk Paint.
Polishing the original brass hardware took some elbow grease, but I wanted to keep it. The hardware was of good quality and the antiqued gold color added some sophistication to this small piece of furniture.
To polish the brass, I mixed up a homemade paste of white flour, vinegar, and epson salt. This actually worked better than the chemical brass polish I had on hand.
The inside was finished with two coats of a light gray latex paint. The perfect complement to the dark navy on the outside.
This server is for sale in my Shop.
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Thank you & Enjoy!
Stunning!
Thank you