Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Foil Bombay Chest

silver foil bombay chest

So I have a wonderful friend who suffers from the same ailment I have…
furniture addiction.
Sometimes hers gets so bad that she feels a little overwhelmed (I don’t know WHAT that might be like), and she has to dispose of some furniture or be buried in it (seriously, not WITH it…IN it).
I try to help her out by transferring some of her stash from her house to mine.  Aren’t I a good friend??
Here is a piece that came home with me a few weeks ago.  And this is exactly what it looked like.

Bombay Chest - before1 Bombay Chest - before2

My friend was in the midst of trying to rescue it from a bad paint job, but it was a mess!  The paint was peeling off in places, and sticking like glue to others.  It was going to me a major pain in the pantooka to either sand or strip all that paint off—and it just didn’t appeal to me in the least!
 So I went with “Plan B.”
 Last summer I experimented with a foil finish for a couple of thrift-store nightstands—using real live aluminum foil!

aluminum foil nightstands
You can read more about it here:  Bling for the Bedroom.

I had been thinking about it because, for whatever reason, this little project has been extremely popular on Pinterest lately!  It seemed like a perfect solution to covering up the bad finish without having to remove it all.
If you’re interested in more of a step-by-step description of the process, see the nightstand project, or check out the Ivy Cottage’s tutorial on covering her wall with foil (Amanda was my original inspiration).
Here I am slathering wallpaper paste and foil on this Bombay chest.  You have to press down firmly, doing your best to remove all the air pockets.  It’s tricky on details trim.
foil bombay chestb
And a word of warning…tin-foil-cuts are every bit as painful as paper-cuts, and they happen a LOT more often!
Oooh…nearing the finish line!
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Once the foil is on and everything is dry, scrub off the paste residue with a damp cloth.  There will be a lot of it.  Then use a drop or two of acrylic paint (straight up, not diluted) to glaze the surface.

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I chose not to try to cover the feet with foil.  They are painted with Rustoleum Metallic Aluminum paint, and glazed with black in the hopes that they will “blend in” with the rest of the piece.

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Ready for some beauty shots? 
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It really shines in the sun!
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The whole piece is covered with 3 coats of polyacrylic.  It gives a nice, smooth finish—but beware, it will always be a little fragile!

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The knobs came from Hobby Lobby. 
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So there you have it!  I think this would be a super fun piece for an entry, don’t you?

 fall2012 095 

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Creating with the Stars

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This project has been featured at Apartment Therapy, Bless My Nest, and Beyond the Picket Fence.
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Linking up here:
Domestically Speaking Elizabeth & Co.
Primitive & Proper Thrifty Décor Chick
Friday Remodelaholic 2805
My Simple Home Life’s Simple Creations Friday Miss Mustard Seed’s Furniture Feature Friday
Funky Junk’s Saturday Night Special The DIY Show Off
Beyond the Picket Fence Someday Crafts
Knick of Time
Mod Vintage Life
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Perfectly Imperfect {Primp}
Common Ground My Repurposed Life
From My Front Porch to Yours All Star Block Party
A Little Knick Knack
Cowgirl Up! {aka} design
Coastal Charm

38 comments:

Unknown said...

wow! that turned out really cool looking. doesn't even look like aluminum foil, great alternative to stripping off the paint!

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

amazing girl! That looks like a LOT of work! I have a huge commercial roll of alum. foil somewhere....hmmm
super job Korrie!

Ramblings of a Southern Girl ~ Rhonda G said...

You are such a good friend to help out your friend that way! :) ...That is one beautiful transformation! Stunning! I'd love to try this out, now to find a piece for the project...

Full Circle Creations said...

Love it! Looks like A LOT of work! Great job.

Holly

Lynneb said...

Oh my gosh that chest looks amazing! Nicely done!

Anonymous said...

Super cute... But you know now you are enabling your friend right ;) but you are still awesome for helping out! - Susan

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I love the shape of this chest, Korrie! That would call out to me and then I'd finally be checking how much work it would need. I can't believe that is aluminum foil ~ it looks great.

Karina Russell said...

This is so cool. I love it!

Karina Russell said...

This is so cool. I love it!

Cassie Bustamante said...

that looks super cool! but i don't ever want to cut my hands with foil.... ick!

Rachel said...

I knew it! Did I call it or what?? When you first showed a picture I said it looked like tin foil! I just feel so smug. :D

Unknown said...

Wow, that is really neat. I've never seen that process before. Certainly not something you do in a hurry.
Kim

Homeroad said...

Korrie I love this! I never thought of using aluminum foil... what a great idea... it looks fantastic!
Susan

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

Korrie, I love love love this project. I have never seen a foil furniture project before. I must find a piece to try this on.
Your poor old piece is now the belle of the ball! What a transformation! I hope you will share this at TUTORIALS TIPS AND TIDBITS! Link goes live Wednesday at 8:00.
Just beautiful!!!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Korrie, What a unique and beautiful transformation! I love the new look.

Dianie said...

Hi Korrie,
What a gorgeous chest! I am really impressed with this tin foil tecnique, it's just amazing.

~Diane

Heaven's Walk said...

THAT is so cool, Korrie! What a fun technique!!! I'm so going to try this on a future piece! :)

xoxo laurie

Anita at Cedar Hill said...

What a lot of work, but it turned out gorgeous!

Gypsy Heart said...

Gorgeous! You have a tremendous amount of patience to do this. I've seen your nightstands and they're all beautiful!

xo
Pat

SImple and Serene Living said...

Wow, that is amazing.

Pamela said...

Who would have thunk it!! Amazing Kori!

Sue@Uniquely Chic said...

I think this is super cool...it turned out great and you didn't even have to strip :)

Unknown said...

Unbelievable!!! What a beautiful transformation - waaayyyy beyond my skill level for sure :)
Love it!

Bliss said...

Jaw dropping....... I love it, I'm pinning it.

Bliss

Unknown said...

Wow! I really love this. In fact, I love your entire site. I just found it today and it's great. Thanks for the amazing ideas!

Stan and Jody Gabara said...

What a beautiful piece. Definitely one of a kind!
New Follower.

Jody

Revi said...

I love it, and I think I pinned your other piece! :)
-Revi

Anonymous said...

This is insane! I am in love with how you did this! It looks incredible, and well worth the time and effort. So, so cool.

Kirsten@madeforaking

Sharon @ Elizabeth & Co. said...

Aluminum foil, wow! How awesome!

Heirloom treasures said...

If I hadn't seen it,I wouldn't have believed it. If I live to be 150,I will never be able to do all the great projects tempting me on blogland and pinterest. This one sure is tempting,it's gorgeous.
:)

Unknown said...

This is amazing-I have to try it out and what a great friend you have-bombay chests are one of my great loves! Wanted you to know I featured this on my Saturday favs so stop by to check it out and have a great weekend-Claire

Unknown said...

When you say fragile. How fragile is it?

Unknown said...

How fragile is the finish ?

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful piece! I love it, pinning!

Judy said...

It's beautiful! Can I do this on a thermafoil bathroom vanity? Will it hold up? How do you clean it?



;

Unknown said...

I found your page as I was looking for some inspiration and my god did I find it. This foil decoupage project is amazing. I cannot believe you do this by hand! I love it. I just wanted to stop by and let you know your DIY is adored by a fellow DIY'er...me! Please come visit my blog if you get a chance at www.DIYDesignMom.com

Great job! Jacquelyn

WIMommy said...

how fragile? AND- have you ever done a headboard? I bought an old door and was thinking this might look pretty on the door as a headboard.

Anonymous said...

This might be a solution for me! I have a hand disability; do you think a springy brush might assist in prodding foil into detail crevices? What about a slower drying glue for those less nimble in the hands?