Faux-finish toy chest

Hands-on time: 1 day, over a period of 2 days.
Total time: 48 hours of drying time.
Skill: Intermediate.
Cost estimate: $20.00 per toy box (not including cost of the box).

Materials & Tools

• Unpainted wooden toy chest
• Sandpaper
• Tack cloth
• Steel wool
• Acrylic or latex paints in assorted colours (for this project I used light blue, dark blue, orange, grey, green and red)
• Paint brushes in assorted sizes from 1-inch to 2-inches
• 2-inch foam brush
• Glaze medium
• Sea sponge
• Assorted paint brushes up to 3-inches wide
• Ruler and pencil
• Painter's tape 3/4-inch to 1-inch wide (optional)
• Textured paint roller (3-inches wide) and paint tray (optional)
• Clear, matte-finish polyurethane

Faux finishes are not just for walls. This project is about experimenting with faux finishes and testing your ideas on unpainted wooden furniture. I used a toy box as a canvas to try different paint techniques, finishes, colours and rollers before attempting to transform my son's bedroom. There are no mistakes with faux finishing, only discoveries. For this project I used a combination of glazing, dry-brushing, sponging, textured roller and stripes, you can use these ideas as a springboard for your own creations.

Sand the entire box or chosen furniture piece and wipe with a tack cloth to prepare the surface for painting. For the base coat, paint the wooden box in a light colour like light blue or light grey using acrylic or latex paint. Let the box dry for at least 4 hours.

For the second coat, paint the lid, the body and the bottom border each in a different colour (I used, red, orange and green), and let dry.

For the first faux finish layer add glaze medium to your choice of latex paint colour following the product instructions (for this step I used a medium blue colour). Then paint the entire box with a combination of sponging and dry brushing to give it a weathered look. Allow to dry.

Work out the pattern for your design on paper. If you choose to add stripes calculate the number of stripes that will fit on the length of the toy box. Measure and pencil in guidelines onto the box then apply painter's tape. Paint the stripes in with a 1-inch flat paint brush in assorted colours and let dry.

To add extra flair to your creation, with a textured roller to apply a glaze combination in a lighter color (I used white). Apply paint to the roller and blot onto paper to remove any excess paint. Then apply the textured pattern to the box horizontally. Repeat for the lid and let dry. Gently remove the painter's tape.

Add more painted stripes by repeating the stripe steps and let dry.

For a distressed effect, lightly sand the entire exterior of the box with sandpaper or steel wool, especially at the corners and edges. Wipe with a tack cloth and seal the toy box with a coat of clear-finish non-yellowing polyurethane and let dry.

Tips

• Once the toy box is completely dried add finishing touches such as: glued-on trimmings like beads, stones, and wooden ornamental pieces (recommended for older children only). For best results add any decoupage or stencilling detailing before the varnish stage of the project.
• To learn about different faux finishing techniques, visit www.parapaints.com.

Variations

• Consider trying different faux finishes like: ragging, combing, spattering, crackling, marbleling, or dragging and stippling. Faux finishing supplies and easy step-by-step technique pamphlets are available at hardware stores.
• Get creative and experiment with what you have around the house to create unique faux finishes such as using a straw broom, make your stamps with potatoes, sponges or cork, use a wire brush, adapt an old window scraper, brush or comb to make jagged edges. Use anything that can create a unique intriguing texture or geometric shape, from hair nets wrapped around a sponge to feather dusters to balls of wool.