Saturday, December 1, 2012

Painting my Piano


I finally finished the last huge piece of furniture for my formal living room. Painting the piano! I've been thinking about it for along time but couldn't decide on the color until everything started to fall into place.

I got this piano as a gift for my birthday 2 yrs ago, my sweet husband surprised me with it, how fun. It is a very used piano off of Craigslist. I probably wouldn't recommend painting a brand new piano. The brown color was really weighing down my living room, it was almost making it feel like there were two separate spaces, one bright cheery side with reds and whites and the dark brown side that didn't fit in.
I had the usual concerns about painting a piano but it is pretty easy when you use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I left my piano in the very spot it always is in to paint it, no sanding or priming necessary with the chalk paint. I debating for along time between a Paris Grey or Old White. I finally settled on Old white, knowing secretly that I plan on replacing the carpet with a beautiful laminate whitewashed wood flooring that I already have in my kitchen. This will all take place when I have the money and my husband puts in the flooring himself ;)




 Anyways.....back to the piano, I still haven't decided if I'd like to use a dark wax over it, I have a huge armoire in the room that is heavily dark waxed and I just don't want everything looking super old.

When it came time to distress it, I used a neat distressing trick that you may or may not already be aware of. Since it was in my home, on the carpet, instead of sanding down the edges I used a damp wet rag to wipe the areas I wanted to distress. It takes a bit of elbow grease but it does a great job and looks very natural.
It is also a great technique if you have another paint color underneath that you'd like to show through.


Because of the- no sanding at any point in the process- I wasn't worried about ruining the important stuff on the inside of the piano and changing its main function, music. Not that I can play the piano really well, someday right?

I just love the little flower carving detail, it adds such character to the piece. I painted it in coco chalk paint to make it pop a bit and match with the stool. Do you recognize the stool, it's from one of my older posts?




 I'm almost ready to take final pictures of the entire room for the blog but I'd thought it would be so perfect to show it when it's all decorated for Christmas. It's like my living room was made just for Christmas, it's so perfect:).

Jenine



Linking back to...
missmustardseed.com

8 comments:

  1. Love how this turned out! I painted mine years ago and have never regretted it!
    xx
    Anne

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  2. I love it! I know the feeling of a piece weighing you down. I have painted several pieces over the last few weeks!

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  3. I love it too its beautiful already and I love love love to listen to someone playing the piano. Can't wait to see the whole room!

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  4. What a brave, brave girl you are to paint a piano. It looks great and has just enough distressing. I don't know if I would use the dark wax on it either- xo Diana

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  5. Love love LOVE it! Over at heavenswalk.blogspot.com she had the neatest idea about making a glaze using odorless mineral spirits, ASCP clear wax and your choice of ASCP-mix it together for a glaze and yippee! I tried it on old white with the glaze with graphite and it is really neat!!She can give you the formula on her blog, wow the combos of glaze colors are infinite! Maybe on the piano?

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  6. hey! i would like to know what kind of piano you have... cause i want to do the same and i've been searching for one just like yours :)

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