D.I.Y. Dipped Barstool

       I inherited 3 wooden bar stools from my mom when I moved out for college. They were a simple, stained wood stool which I painted a mocha color a long time ago....in college...wow, was it that long ago!?

       When we moved into our house they were too short for our bar and falling apart, but we had to save up for almost 3 years before we found our current bar stools. As soon as the new stools came in Matt gave the old ones to Goodwill {or tossed them and lied to me}...he hated them! I convinced him to let me keep one of the nicer stools, under our desk area in the kitchen, because it is just so dang useful when I need to reach something up high.

       However, over time it became scratched up and had paint dripped on it from some crazy artsy person in our house ;). Sooo, when I was priming Abram's laminate bookshelf I decided to prime the stool as well to give it a fresh look. I wanted the paint to last a little longer this time...

Supplies:
- Stool or chair
- Putty to fill holes

- 220 Grit Sand Paper

- Kilz Oil Based Primer (or Zinsser Oil Based Primer-more odor, or Water-based Primer-    needs more drying time and a sanding)

- Base paint for stool/chair

- Paint colors of your choice to mix with the glaze (OPTIONAL)
- Clear Glaze (OPTIONAL)

- Dipping Paint Color

- Painter's Tape

- Paint brush 

- Foam paint roller
- Paint rag {damp and dry} to wipe
- Clear Polyurethane 

- Mineral Spirits to clean supplies
- Gloves

- Mask to protect from fumes
- Plastic to protect surrounding areas

Step 1:
        Fill in the scratches, sand them down, and wiped the stool with a damp cloth. 

  

Step 2:         

       Next, use a small foam roller to roll on the Kilz Oil Based Primer to really create a binding agent for the paint to stick to. I used a cheap brush just to get the paint in the cracks. Zinsser Oil Based Primer works well too, but has a strong odor...so since there was a pregnant woman in the house, we decided on the odorless Kilz {still has a small odor so use in a well-ventilated area}.

TIP:  If you use water-based you MUST sand before {not the case with the oil-based}, and wait at least 7 hours for the primer to cure. I believe the cure time for the oil-based is only 2 hours, but I usually wait a little longer to be sure. After I primed, I lightly sanded {between coats} with a 220 grit sandpaper to take off any drips or brush strokes.

Step 3:
       Next choose your paint color for the majority of the stool; I used a Custom White Valspar Semi-Gloss that I had left over from another project. I used a better quality brush to paint 2-3 coats. {Lightly sanding in-between}

* Again, you MUST wait the required amount of time for any primer or paint {on back of can} to cure in between coats or the finished piece will be sticky and might even peel...and it will never really go away.

Step 4: (OPTIONAL)

       I wanted the stool to look a little more distressed, so I lightly sanded some of the "heavy traffic" areas to reveal the dark paint or wood below...it really doesn't take much sanding...just a couple swipes. If you want to do this, but don't have a color that you want to show beneath, pre-pick your distressed areas and paint them that color before priming.

Step 5: (OPTIONAL)
       If you want it to look even more antique, use this glazing tutorial I used on the dresser {like I did in the pic below}.

Step 6:
       After the paint cures {and glaze}, tape off where you want the "dipped" paint to stop. Then  just paint the area where the dipped color will be...two coats. I used a mix of a black/brown custom paint {first coat} and a copper enamel paint {1-2 coats} I already had from painting a fleur de lis painting I did for my mom.{creates a distressed look to go with my stool}.  I also peeled off the tape before the last coat of paint completely dried...about 10 minutes after painting. The reason is because I have found some latex paints like to peel once dry when you try and peel off the tape.

TIP: If you are having issues with the dipped paint bleeding behind the tape, simply paint a coat of the base color before painting the dipped color. This should help to create a barrier against the line of the tape.

Step 7:
       To make sure everything stays protected and in place, I did a final coat of Polyurethane clear coat, in Satin finish...always put a clear coat on furniture and cabinets. 

TIP: Make sure the clear coat you choose does not yellow over time, especially if you are using white/light paint.

• Base paint is a custom Valspar Semi-Gloss
• Glaze from Lowes mixed with a sample of customized black valspar paint
• Dipped is custom black/brown, followed by Liquitex Glossie, Copper Enamel {from Hobby Lobby}
• Polyurethane water-based clear coat in Satin (because I wanted to reduce the shine of my paint)       

   
    Glad I finally got to try out the dipping technique; I think it is a cool spin on the traditional looking stool. Also, if you like my cabinets {besides the mess on them}, stay tuned, I am typing up a two-part post of the process that took me 2 years to complete. I'll save you a lot of time! We finally got the gusto to finish when I got pregnant...procrastinators.