Weathered barn wood looking night stand

our landscaping is complete.

the fall veggie garden is planted.

the play house is seeing a lot of action from the kids.

i’ve been noodling over how best to store sandals by our back door, while avoiding looking like your typical Chinese household…shoes all piled up so that no one can get in the door.  we remove our shoes in the house, as do our guests.  but we want to give our pals something to wear when they visit our backyard.  so what’s the best solution?!?

This is NOT the solution!  (This isn’t our house, but it also isn’t far from what is seen in most Asian households.  If  you aren’t Asian, you’ve probably never had to endure this.  🙂

as i’m only half Chinese, i spend a lot of time fighting my urges to let shoes pile up.

so we had this night stand purchased from a consignment shop several years ago.  it served its purpose.  but there were a few problems with it….outdated finish…oh, and termites.

termites + new house = bad idea.  outdated finish + new house = bad choice.

so, what to do?  what to do?

can chalk paint save the day?  can this thing be salvaged enough to at least solve our back door sandal/crocs problem?

i decided to keep the trim as is, sanding lightly to distress.  after the first coat of paris grey, i dry brushed antique white on top without first applying a wax.  if possible, i wanted to achieve a rustic barn wood look to match the rest of our interior decor.   sanded with 80 grit, including the trim.  waxed with a thin coat of clear wax, minimally buffing with a rag.

since this will be kept outside, i wasn’t too worried about getting it just right.  i figured the rain, sun, and wind will facilitate in creating a natural finish.

i’m curious to see how the chalk paint holds up outdoors.  another piece i finished without wax is already weathering, but i’m not sure how it will hold up in the long run.

will the wax protect the paint more?  does anyone have experience with outdoor uses?  i’ve got a few other pieces i’d like to try, but the Annie Sloan site has minimal info on outdoor uses/techniques.

as my people say… xie xie…or sanku.

 

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