Cobalt Credenza

This credenza was done on a tight turnaround for a client who found this piece and worked with me to develop the design. It mimics the design direction of a recent piece I did. In this post, I'll share a product review, process, and show a bit of how I present ideas to clients who request custom work. But, first the pictures of the final piece: Process - Taped off the areas that are to be left unpainted. Notice the horizontal pieces of tape. That's the reminder to self NOT to paint them! - Lightly sanded the entire piece except for the taped off areas of front panels. - Primed with Kilz tinted water-based primer. - Painted three coats of Sherwinn Williams All-Surface water-based enamel and quickly discovered that this paint would not work (see product review below). - Shifted to Benjamin Moore Aura paint in satin and after one coat, the desired result was achieved. - Sealed the top with Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane in satin.

Tip For mid-century pieces with tight-fitting drawers and cabinet doors, I've learned to tape off the edges and never paint them. If painted, they will scrape against surfaces and eventually stick or the painted surface will get scratched over time. Better to go clean by using tape on every edge.

Product Review I use Benjamin Moore Advance and Aura paints exclusively for mid-century pieces because of their consistent performance. The stuff is amazing. However, Sherwinn Williams has been trying to get me to use their paints and I've read good product reviews by other painters so after my client speced a SW color, I decided to try it. I purchased their All Purpose water-based Enamel. Due to the dark color choice, that paint was recommended. After three coats, I wasn't getting the opacity that I wanted and came to realize this particular product would not achieve the desired result. I'm sure other SW products are great but would never recommend the All-Surface Enamel.

Design This design mimics the concept in this piece. Design options were drawn for the client using Adobe Illustrator.

  

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