Guest Post: Interiors by Kenz

Today's guest post is brought to you by a dear friend of mine, Mekenzie. We've known each other for years and I love her to death. She's a doll and I'm sure that if you aren't already a fan of her blog, you'll know before this post is done why I am a VERY BIG fan of her work! Check out this wonderful post she's set up for today, then go check out her blog so see her beautiful home and other projects!

Also, she's giving away an AWESOME prize at her blog, check it out!

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Hi TWL readers!  My name is Mekenzie, and I am SO excited to be guest posting over here!  Dani and I go way back to elementary school, where we would Modge Podge crafts and eat glue together.  Okay, I don't actually remember if we ate glue (possibly a side effect of eating glue?), but Dani has been a friend of mine for a long time, and I LOVE reading This Workman Life.  She always has great recipes, great tips & tricks, and the best mommy advice.  

Who am I, you ask?  Well I'm the voice behind Interiors By Kenz, a fun little DIY blog. I am an ambitious DIY-er with some pretty outrageous projects.  I don't have one pair of sweat pants that isn't covered in paint.  My motto 'round these parts is DIY BRAVERY!  Extreme humiliation shouldn't keep us from creating beautiful things. (See more of my real life story here!) 

Today I am going to share with you one of the best things I have learned as a DIYer:  HOW TO PAINT FURNITURE WITHOUT SANDING!  Say what?!  It's true.  I am lazy, and I don't have a lot of time to spend on projects.  Discovering this trick was like finding a pot of gold.

When I got married, my mum gave me this hutch, which was built by my great grandpa, to put my piano music in.  It was incredibly meaningful, but so atrocious looking.  

I removed all the hardware, and took out the drawers.  I taped off where the drawer fronts ended, so there wouldn't be unsightly paint drips.  Then it was prime time!  I used a Rustoleum brand of primer called "Cover-Stain: Oil Based Primer."  It kills stain and sealer, which means no sanding.  YES!  But be prepared, Something this powerful comes with a price.  I hope you have windows (If you don't, what kind of weird house are you living in??)  The smell of this stuff is RANK STANK!  Also, it is incredibly sticky.  Just know that you will need to throw away any and all tools used during the priming process.  If at all possible, do this outside.

Once the primer has dried (over night will do), you are good to paint.  2 coats is standard.  But that goes by so quickly.  In a couple of hours when your paint has dried, you have 2 options:
-You can either seal it and be done with it

-You can glaze it for an antiqued look, then seal it.

For the sake of this post, I will teach you how to glaze.  IT IS SO EASY!  And it will make all the details POP!  I used Valspar "Faux-Collection Tintable Glaze.  (Make sure to take it to the paint counter at the hardware store and have them tint it the color you want).  I used black glaze.  You brush on a coat of glaze, then wipe it off with a dry rag.  DO NOT LET IT DRY.  Wipe it while it's wet, and it will leave the right amount in the details and cracks, etc.  If you want your glaze darker, you can go back and apply more coats.  I would recommend glazing sections at a time, instead of brushing an all over coat on, then going and wiping it off.

Once the glaze has dried, let's seal it up with a solid coat of Poly.  My favorite sealer is Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic, Clear Semi Gloss.  Slowly brush a coat of the poly on, making sure there are no drips.  Let it dry over night.  

When it's dry, if you see any bumps or bubbles, you can lightly sand with 220 grit sandpaper.  Put your hardware back on, put in place and enjoy!

I hope this gets your gears turning thinking of things you can paint!  And when you do, let me know! I would love to feature your projects on my blog.  Thanks so much Dani for letting me stop by today! And you all have an open invitation to stop by Interiors by Kenz anytime.

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Uh, Kenz is giving away a $50 (YEAH, FIFTY) dollar gift card to Target. Go check out her giveaway and see if you're the lucky one to win it!