Blake & Taylor Store
I’m really excited about Blake & Taylor furniture paint, sold right here in Australia.
You may remember my blog post a month or so ago about a gorgeous Antique Boutique I visited in Brisbane, Queensland. You can read my blog post and view some beautiful pics right HERE.
Blake & Taylor have come up with their own brand of Furniture Paint and I tell you, I think they’ve NAILED IT! Available online, you can check out their website HERE.
Prices are extremely competitive and INCLUDE shipping anywhere in Australia. International buyers can also enquire for shipping prices to their location.
I picked up some “French Linen” and “French Blue” along with some clear and dark wax.
And here’s my first project:
Starting with this little cupboard I picked up from an Op shop/ Thrift store here in Australia.
I think its a washstand, so that’s what I’m going to call it. Looks pretty old, and I’m not an antique expert, but these things you can kind of tell, and get to know. It was looking shabby, but not in the right way, with a few unsightly scratches in wrong places and it generally needed a face lift.
Just like other leading brands of antique style finish furniture paint, there’s really very little need for any sanding or priming on most furniture surfaces. However, since this piece had a fairly glossy white finish, I sanded lightly to roughen the surface to ensure the paint would stick well.
Here’s a peek at the lovely French Linen colour and the texture of the paint.
(I’m not sure the colour is shown as accurately as it should be here, but French Linen is a tannish grey)
First coat went down nicely, covering well, so I knew I’d only need two coats.
I normally do remove hardware from furniture, but this door knob looked really well stuck on there, and I’ve seen plenty of furniture where painters just slap the paint on over it, so … yep, here it is!
This is the paint after it has dried.
Introducing … French Blue! A beautiful colour that you can picture on an enamel jug or wash basin.
The inside of the cupboard was unpainted, so it was great to feel the difference as you paint over the painted surface on the outside, versus the unpainted, porous surface of the inside.
Both surfaces still covered extremely well with only TWO COATS.
The piece was looking great as is, and I was tempted to leave it un-sanded around the edges. But as with a lot of old furniture, the door as it closed, was rubbing in the very corner, causing a little of the paint to be removed near the bottom where it opened near the hinge side.
So I sanded back slightly around all the edges allowing some of the original white paint to peek through. I think I like it!
Next I applied a coat of clear wax (also available at Blake & Taylor)
Wax is applied with a lint free cloth very sparingly. It has a lovely citrus fragrance. Leave for approx. 15 minutes, then buff with a clean, dry cloth.
Check these next 3 photos and see if you can see a subtle colour difference than the ones above. I managed to change one little setting on the camera and I think these show the more true brownish/tan tinge of French Linen.
The only thing I think this piece could really do with is a lovely stencil in the centre panel. Good stencils are hard to find here in Australia at the moment and a lot of painters are ordering them from overseas online. But wait, there’s more …
With 9 Furniture Paint colours currently in their range and new colours being added each month, Blake & Taylor have excelled in making available, a local product that can stand proudly among other leading brands of furniture paint on the world-wide market today.
If you’re a local to the Brisbane area, drop in to their store at 11 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington and check out their wares or better still, book in to a workshop held in their HQ Creative Space to learn tips and tricks from the experts over a delicious morning tea.
I’d love to know what you think of this paint, so if you do purchase either online or stop in to their store, let the lovely staff know you heard about it via , and then drop me a line to tell me what you painted. I’d love to post your pictures (or a link) on my page or here on my blog.
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3 Comments
Little Miss Maggie
October 12, 2013 at 11:57 amVery nice makeover. I agree about stenciling the middle of the panel. Those stencils look like they will be beautiful and timeless. The colors of your little cabinet are great too.
Patrick Tan
December 13, 2013 at 4:17 pmPainting old furniture by yourself gives it a personal touch, making you appreciate it more. I wish i can also do a project like this for my home.
Patrick Tan
I Restore Stuff
December 14, 2013 at 1:07 pmThank you Patrick. Yes it does. Its quite easy to do. I have some youtube tutorials you can follow if you click on the link on my blog.