Upgrading Benches for a Kitchen Island

Being one of the administrators of the group Trucs/Décos en tout genre of all kinds, I am responsible for managing the posts and images of the group. Upon seeing a pending publication from one of our members, Isabelle Plourde, I was immediately taken by the upgrading benches project for her new kithchen island. I quickly contacted her to find out more about this revaluation!

Isabelle is a very kind person, she was delighted to tell me the story around her chairs. She is passionate about upcycling, and particularly for wooden furniture.

Very recently, they purchased a new house in which there is a beautiful island in the kitchen. She was very happy since it was the first time she had this. Not having any island chairs and preferring reclaimed to new, Isabelle began to do research left and right in order to find an inspiring idea.

She was charmed when she saw a repurposing of chairs for bistro-style dining room furniture. She found the idea brilliant given that she herself had old furniture of this style, which was awaiting revaluation. Since the chairs were the perfect height, she immediately began looking for shades that would perfectly suit the style of her kitchen and current decor.

Wanting to use Colorantic products for this transformation, she immediately began her research on the different Colorantic platforms, and it was when she saw the transformation of a church pew that she was won over.

So she wasted no time in obtaining the products needed for this transformation!

List of Products Used

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Upgrading Benches

Step 1: Preparation

By reading the following, you will discover all the stages of preparation. This is probably the least fun step, but it’s the one that will ensure your work lasts in the long term.

Spray the cleaner and varnish remover on all surfaces.
Leave to act for 30 minutes.
Rinse very well twice using a cloth with hot water to remove all residue.
Using the sanding block on the coarse grain side, lightly sand the surfaces to scratch them. Be sure to dust very well before proceeding.

Since the chairs were previously finished with an oil varnish, Isabelle applied an oil-based primer. A step not to be overlooked when making the transition from an old oil finish to the new Colorantic paint. This step ensures durability, especially since these are kitchen chairs which will need to be cleaned very frequently.

Step 2: Painting

Now comes the fun part: applying the paint.

Using oval brush #6, Isabelle applied a first coat of Colorantic paint, Tractor Dust.

When this was completely dry, she applied a second coat of the same color.

Once the paint was dry, while letting the brush glide lightly over all the surfaces, she applied the color, Volcan, by Colorantic.

Step 3: Protection

To protect the paint, Isabelle chose the clear glaze, Translucent Window from Colorantic.

Wanting to give an accentuated effect in certain places, she made a black stain by mixing one part of clear glaze and two parts of Colorantic paint, Night. Yes, you read correctly…by mixing glaze and paint, you will obtain a stain.

Using the #6 oval brush, she applied the black stain while letting her imagination run wild until the desired effect was achieved.

As she progressed, she made corrections. Sometimes she found the effect too pronounced, so she reduced it by wiping lightly with a damp cloth. Sometimes she found the effect too pale, so she added more glaze to accentuate it.

When she finally achieved the desired effect, Isabelle applied two coats of Translucent Window clear glaze to all surfaces to increase protection.