Using Paint Creatively

• One of the easiest ways to come up with a new look for old furniture is through the creative use of paint. Before you can paint, however, you'll need surfaces that are clean and smooth. Do this by sanding the furniture with 80-grit sandpaper. Use a clean, damp cloth to wipe off the sanding dust before you begin painting. Use gloss latex enamel paint for best results.
  
  Once you have prepared the surface, let your imagination, and your color scheme, be your guide. Dressers can be painted a solid color with a different color, or a different shade, for each drawer; think hot pink with rose and pale pink drawers, for example. A tabletop can be painted in four colored stripes; use masking tape to mark off sections and wait until each section is dry before painting the next one. You might paint each table leg one of the four colors you used on the tabletop. Paint the seats of wooden chairs one color and the rest of the chair another.
  
  For a 1950s look, consider the popular pink and gray combination for your furniture. For the 1960s, come up with a psychedelic color scheme and paint flowers, rainbows and peace signs on top of a fresh coat of brightly colored paint.
  
  

Have Fun With Decoupage

• Invest in a large bottle of decoupage medium (see Resources), some white glue, some good quality small paintbrushes and a good pair of scissors. While you're at the thrift shops, look for items from which you can clip pictures, such as old magazines, old illustrated and children's books, greeting cards, or rolls of wrapping paper or wallpaper.
  
  Once your piece of furniture is ready to paint, find pictures you want to use before deciding on the paint color. For example, if you've come across a roll of sunflower design wrapping paper, you might want to paint your chair a spring green shade and then cover it with dozens of sunflowers; after the paint on the chair is dry, simply cut out the sunflowers, glue them down and coat them with the decoupage medium. You might like to cover a tabletop with fun food illustrations or decorate dresser drawers with pictures of Victorian children.
  
  Once the decoupage is dry, coat the entire piece of furniture with clear polyurethane.