A shabby chic tardis in disguise
Tardis and some resourceful person comes along and decides to repurpose this old antique. Or one day the Doctor gets creative with house paint.
This was a project that got away from me. It was supposed to be a simple exercise in Shabby Chic Couture.
Many rooms in the house have recently changed colour, the furniture needs to match.
At the start of this two month thought the idea was to, simply, paint the furniture. When there was paint leftover from redecorating it became a good excuse to try out some shabby chic decorating. Starting with a light on dark blue wardrobe.
I failed to notice that the dark blue paint I'd purchased closely resembled Tardis blue - especially when applied to a rectangular Tardis shaped box.
Do I make a Tardis? or do I go shabby chic? Forget Titans, it was a clash of the ideas.
The solution.....Mash the two ideas together. Hello shabby chic Tardis.
you will need:
Sandpaper or paint remover (if required)
Masking tape
Small roller
Paint brush
Paint tray
White base coat paint
1 litre Semi-gloss paint - Dark blue (Tardis blue)
1 litre Semi-gloss pant - in a light colour
Test pot of back paint
Artists brush or stencil brush
Stationary -
Ruler
Pencil
Black Sharpie
Paper (for stencil)
Craft knife (for stencil)
method
step one
Fill in any nicks or holes with wood filler.
Sand all surfaces of the wardrobe. Don't worry about sanding all of the stain off, all you really need is to rough up the varnish, and sand off any lumps or bumps.
If you find this too hard you can use a paint or varnish remover. My wardrobe was covered in that iron-on fake wood, which had a very thick varnish so a used a jar of brush-on paint remover to take it off.
*Tip - When using a brush-on paint remover, pour the remover onto the
surface of the wood, then spread using a paint brush.
*Tip - Choose a rounded edged scrapper, or round off the edges on a squared scrapper, this should help prevent the scrapper from gouging the wood. This tip is especially important when stripping an antique or a piece of furniture that holds sentimental value.
step two
Paint a 'base' coat over the wood - using a paint brush, add a thin layer.
This will help to protect the wood and allow the top layers of paint to sit better.
step three
Use a small roller to paint the flat surfaces and a thin paint brush on the edges. Apply 2 layers.
step four
Paint a dark strip at the top of the door, you'll want 2 layers. I used a dark blue but black would work.
Create a stencil of the "POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX" sign by printing off the letters and cutting out with a craft knife. Use an artist's brush or stencil brush and dab at the stencil with white paint (from base coat)
Using a ruler mark out the windows and squares of the Tardis. Edge with masking tape and paint.
*Tip- you only need to paint around the edges of the
squares.
Paint the square closest to the door handle white. Use a black sharpie to write on the 'FREE FOR PUBLIC" sign.
step five
Paint over the Tardis with you lighter colour (I used Spindle semi-gloss paint from Resene) Same as before use a small roller and thin paint brush.
Give it 1-2 coats.
Note - The lighter paint will not cove the black sharpie letters. Don't worry, you don't want to cover those completely.
step six
To give it a naturally aged look pay particular attention to ageing the parts of the wardrobe that experience the most use - along the edges and around the handle.
Step
seven
Put the wardrobe back together (If you took it apart) and replace the
handle.
Done. Allons-y!!!!!!!!!!!