When my cousin asked me to refinish this piece she found Value Village, I was happy to do it for her. I’m not used to painting entire pieces so it gave me a chance to flex my skills.
Products:
- Paint accent: Country Chic Paint – Dark Roast
- Paint sealant: Country Chic Paint – Clear Wax
- Cubby sealant: MTN Acrylic Varnish
- Cleaner: Krud Kutter
Tools used:
- Dewalt impact driver
- Country Chic Paint 1.5″ oval brush
- Country Chic Paint wax brush
- Staalmeester bent fitch brush
- Staalmeester microfibre roller
- Sanding block
- 400 grit foam sanding pad
- Tack cloth
- Safety gear- respirator
How I refinished this piece:
*When scrolling through the Instagram posts on your desktop, click on the black slide to start and pause the videos*
Step by step instructions
- 🪛 When removing the hardware, I taped the screws into the locations that they originally came from to make reinstallation easier
- 🧼 Cleaned with Krud Kutter to properly ensure that any invisible grime was removed
- 🏝️ Scuff sanded the entire piece with 150 grit; this gives the paint something to “grab onto” when it’s applied
- 🪛 I tried to remove the inside cubby to make painting easier but no luck
- 📼 Taped the edges to ensure crisp lines
- 🎨 Used my Country Chic Paint 1.5” brush, Staalmeester Bent Fitch Brush (long handle for inside the cubbies) and Staalmeester roller to apply the paint
- ☕️ Painted the entire piece using Country Chic Paint’s Dark Roast- a deep espresso bean colour
- 🦭 To seal the paint in the cubbies, I used Montana Acrylic Varnish Spray – this made getting a smooth finish so much easier
- 🕯️ For the rest of the piece, sealed with two coats of Country Chic Paint’s Clear Wax (waited 24 hours inbetween)
- 🪛 I installed new hardware (including a new drawer guide)
Now this dated secretary is more modern and ready for its new home!









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