Creating country primitive furniture in the dining room is a fast and easy project for any creative home decorating buff. All supplies can be purchased at home decorating store or online, reasonably cheap.
Your investment of time will be inconsequential and the effect is stunning. The trick to finishing primitive country furniture is in performing the refinishing process of existing furniture.
These primitive country furniture tips offer a few ways to redecorate and transform existing furniture in your home to early American furniture.
Turning existing furniture or second hand furniture you've purchased into primitive country furniture is easiler than you think, doesn't cost much in labor or supplies, and sets the tone of the room as Americana and charming.
Any raw wood or painted surface currently in the room can have a primitive paint treatment applied to give them a primitive rustic look. Dining room chairs, kitchen cabinets, dining or occasional tables, and even your existing floor covering.
Begin with a light sanding to remove the surface gloss or treatment on your furniture. Wipe with a slightly damp cloth.
If the surface you are working with is not real wood you'll want to prime the surface with paint primer.
If the furniture is real wood you won't have to worry about priming the surface. Allow the surface to completely dry. To achieve the look of country primitive furniture,
dry brush the primer with a very wide paint brush - allowing streaks and texture to your wooden piece. Next, allow the primer to completely dry.
For the next stage in the process you may want to test a few different paint samples and treatments.
My personal favorite is to take a dark, complimentary color of your existing wall color as the base coat. You next add a top coat of paint or stain and rub it into the surface. Achieving the look of and owning this type of reproduction style furniture is, after all, a process that is rewarding.
"I made it myself!"
Doing it yourself - making your own rustic country furniture on the cheap is something to be proud of - not everyone can to accomplish this task.
Start your first applications with a dark brown color as the base. This is the easiest and truest way to achieve the primitive country furniture style. Remember that this base paint is not the actual color you want your furniture to be finished as, but the color you will see 'peeking' through the top layer.
The finish color, which is the next part of the process, will be closer to the tone and hue of the piece when you're done. Any heritage color (dark or muted, reds, greens or mustard) works well for making primitive country furniture. If you're uncertain the color palettes, ask at the paint store. You may consider trying a lighter shade for a bolder effect for a more
href="http://www.goodbyecitylife.com/country-home/french.htm">French Country look.
There is one more step in the process - the antiquing - which will also change the color and hue of the top coat of paint. With both the base coat and the top coat dry brushed on the surface of your soon-to-be cabin furniture, allow the piece to fully dry.
With a fine piece of sandpaper take a look at the piece you are working on (whether it be a chair, a photo frame or kitchen cabinets) and ascertain where normal wear would have occured over the years. Lightly sand these areas - faking a time worn patina. To take that aged patina, (antiquing), process one step further, rub in a mixture of dark pine wood stain and painter's glaze (used in faux painting effects). You can layer this stain on, leaving it darker in the nooks and corners of your cabin furniture, repeatedly until you achieve the look you're after.
These methods work on real wood just as easily as on the inexpensive, fake wood furniture. If you're creating prim country furniture with chairs, leave dark areas at seat bases, wear down bottoms of the legs or tops of armrests. If you're after a country look in the kitchen, wear away the area with sandpaper around the knobs of your doors.
Speaking of kitchen hardware, consider shopping for new knobs and pulls with a more rustic styled set of hardware.
Once you have had success creating smaller pieces of primitive country furniture, move onto larger pieces and by all means enjoy with your decor.
Date Published: Jan 22, 2009 - 2:45 pm
Primitive country furniture brings a harmonious balance into your home with the rest of your decor. These hand-crafted, rustic, and pre-aged furnishings provide warm and welcome comfort to your family and your visitors. For decades the cabin decor, Adirondack, and mountain lodge styles have been known as the least imposing and most comfortable styles available to the country decorator.
Primitive country furniture will blend nicely with other similar decorating styles such as the ones listed above and even Arts and Crafts, Mission Movement, French Country and Craftsman furniture. Now, through the incomparable woodworkers of the Amish communities, you too can recreate the surroundings of the great outdoors in your own country home. Your furniture will be understated with simple classic lines. Cloth and paint colors are neutral or in early Americana colors. The primitive furniture and pillows will be cozy and overstuffed. In the old days, many primitive country furnishings were made from twigs, branches and other natural elements - so look for earthy colors and uneven tones. Primitive country furniture series has tables, chairs, desks, armoires, nightstands, dressers, benches, beds, and thick wood coffee tables. You'll find them painted, raw, aged, or in artisan hand crafted, old fashioned, traditional designs. The primary feature of this style country furniture is the use of materials from reused pieces, barns, and posts. Planks are old, or fashioned to appear vintage or antique. Some primitive furniture has been created and decorated with bark, branches and twigs. Each log and twig is especially chosen for their shape and texture - right down to the decorative trim. The chunky wood styles of primitive country furniture lend themselves easily to armoires, wardrobes and big tables. Big chests and trunks also double as an innovative coffee table or bench for the foot of the bed. In the double drawer wardrobe you'll find much more than a closet. Plain oval dining tables with benches make excellent primitive country dining sets. The wooden wall cupboards, wardrobes, plate racks, and hutches give your dining room a comfortable, country style. Or, place a rectangular work table in your kitchen, and use antique kitchenware for your cooking and serving - this brings back memories of an old farm house, doesn't it? Use traditional lighting and chandeliers for a truer experience - with those roughly finished cupboards and racks nearby the kitchen experience will be rustic, homey, warm. There are many different ways obtain primitive country furniture, and they aren't all expensive! Buying used furniture and roughing it up to age it, or overstuffing and recovering larger pieces are two easy and inexpensive alternatives. This repurposing of existing furniture is also good for the environment. Just because your existing piece of furniture isn't working for you today, doesn't mean that it can't be changed to work for you in the future. For instance, a friend of mine was given an ugly outdated, veneer covered entertainment unit. It was large and just what she needed for her dining room to display her plate collection and cookbooks. We spent 1/2 a day sanding, painting and aging the piece and today everyone asks where they can get primitive country pieces just like hers!
Country decor is possible with all the rooms of your house. You can decorate your home wholly or partially in the country style. So take a look at your existing furniture with a creative eye and consider some of the ways below to changing it to suit your style: Paint, then sand and stain. You won't believe how different a piece of furniture can look once sanded, painted and stained. You can even change the style of the piece. A cheap wooden Ikea table turned into a beautifl primitive country coffee table (years after use) with a thick application of crackle paint and whitewash finish. Outdated dressers can also change. Change the hardware. A few vintage, restoration or antique handles, hinges or pulls can turn a piece of wood furniture into a rustic masterpiece. Similar to painting, staining and sanding, old glass balls or brass handles add primitive to any previously country furnishing. One of my favorites is to re-upholster or re-cover a sofa, chair, loveseat or footstool. Thick primitive fabric is now easier to come by than ever before (or just look for muslin) to update a piece of furniture. If you don't think you have the skill to re-upholster a piece, shop around for some country slipcovers - instant change. Buy antique or vintage pieces. Besides being environmentally friendly, those deals fit right into primitive country decor. Rather than spending $2000 and more on a new couch or dining set, why not shop around for something similar, but gently used?
Primitive country furniture is available at affordable prices and will lend that welcome air to any room of your home. Country decor reduces the modern air to most homes and apartments - enhancing the peaceful and authentic nature of your home and your family members.
Date Published: Jan 19, 2009 - 6:52 am