Before and After Gossip Bench Project

This is a gossip bench I picked up at an auction a few weeks ago.  It was filthy and missing a screw or two and some needed to be tightened.  Other than that, it was in pretty good shape.  No one seemed to be interested in it, so I got lucky and got it real cheap.  After agonizing for a few weeks over what to do with it, I finally came up with an idea and this is how it turned out.  

I used a regular satin latex brown paint called Riding Boots for the base color and Natural Aspen for the accents and table.  When the base color was still slightly damp, I rubbed it with a damp cloth to achieve the worn or distressed look.  Well, I didn't really like the way it looked, so I applied what you might call a wash with the second color (Natural Aspen).  I just used a wet brush dipped in the paint and then wiped the excess off on newspaper before applying to the bench.  

Well, I still thought it needed something, so I just happened to have a fern leaf stencil.  I agonized over using that for about 30 minutes and finally said, "Give it a shot. You can always sand it off and start over."  So, I did, and I really liked the extra little something it gave to the whole thing. 

The final step was applying a light coat of a combination walnut stain and polyurethane. And, to me, that made it look just a little bit better.  So there you have it.  I am satisfied with it and it is now for sale in my booth  down town.  I just hope at least one other person likes it.  

I have not been to furniture painting classes and I am certainly not an expert when it comes to doing this type of thing, but I enjoy it a lot and I am learning along the way.  In my opinion, I think anyone could do this if they wanted to, and develop their own style.  


There is an auction coming up next week and hopefully I will be lucky enough to come up with another project.

If anyone has any comments or ideas, please feel free to share them.