Soap Stone & Limestone French Cabinet
26February 29, 2016 by Terry
One would think that the less surface area to paint on a project the easier it would be …
NOT the case with this piece at all!
As innocent as this beautiful little cabinet looks, it really gave me some grief. Because the glass on the sides and the door were nailed in with bamboo -type strips that appeared to be quite dry, I decided to play it safe and not try to remove them. This meant that I would spend an hour or so just taping everything off and covering the glass with paper to protect it … inside and out! All the curves and details on the windows made this a challenging task in itself not to mention a test of my patience :)
Here is the before of this lovely cabinet.
You can see where taping and papering these detailed doors and windows might take a bit of patience …
To give it an updated fresh new look I painted it with Fusion’s Soap Stone on the outside and Lime Stone on the inside. The whole piece got 2 coats of Fusion’s Top Coat as well as this cabinet gets used daily and it needs to be durable.
I did sand this piece first and used Ultra Grip on it prior to painting it as the original surface was super smooth and had somewhat of a shine to it. I wanted to ensure that the paint adhered properly. The only thing I didn’t like about the Ultra Grip was that it makes your piece feel a bit textured if you aren’t careful when applying it. It isn’t really self leveling. None the less, it is helpful for adhering the paint to a shiny surface.
I think it turned out lovely.
The hardware got a coat of silver metallic paint as well and white wax was used to subtly highlight the carved detail at the bottom of the cabinet door. I tried to give it this effect all the way around the door and side windows but it actually cheapened the look of the cabinet so I removed it leaving only the detail at the bottom.
There are glass shelves that go inside but they didn’t come to me with the cabinet so I couldn’t stage it the way I wanted to … but once they are in it takes this cabinet to a whole other level. It’s owner has the most beautiful seaglass blue and green dinnerware that she stores in it and it looks stunning with the grey and creamy white cabinet.
I could have taken photos of this cabinet all day! It’s so fresh now in it’s new dress!
I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
If you missed Making broken Beautiful you can check out last week’s party here.
Sharing this cabinet at:
The Curators Collection 
i just love it Terry!! I like your sheet trick in front of the mirror …. I’ll have to try it …. it’s much easier than figuring out how to do it on photoshop (the bane of my existence)!
Have a great day!!
Maxine :)
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Thank you Maxine! I’m trying not to bring the furniture I do for others into the house for photos anymore. My back can’t take the hauling of the furniture upa and down the steps anymore:( I haven’t mastered “the Sheet” yet but I’m getting there! Thank you for popping by! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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I’m going to do the same thing this spring…. cleaning out the “studio” aka garage and will set up a photo staging area as you have. Thanks !! Please enjoy your day as well.
Maxine
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so pretty!! until I read what you wrote I wondered what you would actually use it for. Shelves will be good lol.
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Ha ha! You’re right! It’s a good thing I mentioned about them ;) Hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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Terry, I can’t tell you what a relief it is to see something NOT painted white…lol! This is just stunning, and you’ve done yourself proud. Please come and share your beautiful work at Five Star Frou-Frou at A Tray of Bliss? We go live each Friday and we’d love to have your prettiness on show. Love, Mimi xxx
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I would love to come and share in a new party! Thank you for the invitation!
Smiles!
Terry
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Hi Terry, I’m loving the makeover and the color is dreamy! Two good gripping primers I use are Gripper and Stixx. Both adhere super, even on faux wood. I usually tint them light grey, which works extremely well when a light color like white paint and it’s easy on the dark paint too. Love this makeover!
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Thank you Wendi! So good to know about the primers! I will certainly try them! I am so happy for the tips! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
Terry
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wonderful little cabinet makeover. I would hate to see it leave if I had done such a wonderful job redoing the painting on it. I’m sure it hurts to return it to its owner.
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It really does tug at my heart but at least I get to see it often as it belongs to a dear friend of mine. I know it’s living in a home that loves it! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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OMG Terry! And you say I get beautiful pieces! That thing is dripping in elegance. I love the color and French style so much! Just gorgeous!
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You are soooo sweet! Thank you for saying so! I hope you have a lovely day!
Smiles!
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This is gorgeous, Terry! The color are beautiful. We have a similar piece sitting in storage and you’ve inspired me to pull it out soon.
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You are so sweet Amy! I can’t wait to see your piece! Thank you for the sweet compliments and I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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OMG Terry! And you say I get some good pieces! This is so beautiful and your transformation of the cabinet is so amazing! Great job!
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Thank you so much! I drool over the pieces you get to work on! Really! Wish there was that type of furniture around here! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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The cabinet turned out beautifully. The elegance of the lines and the color are outstanding.
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You are so sweet to say so Debra! Sometimes less really is more! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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I love French Vitrines–wish it was mine!
Catherine
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Just looking up “vitrines” on Google …. I’ll get back to you ;) …. ha! I love that you have so much knowledge and proper terminology for things! I always learn from you! Thank you! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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It’a beautiful Terry! Love the color and you use of white wax in just the right places. Pinning to share ☺
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Thank you Marie! And thank you so much for the share … flattered! I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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Terry, this piece is stunning! I love the color you chose, so elegant. I’ve never used ultra grip before but i have a piece I’m working on now that is about to send me over the edge. nothing that i’ve tried so far is working so i’m going to give ultra grip a go. Thanks so much for the tip! Hugs, CoCo
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Thank you CoCo for the sweet comment! This was the first time I tried the ultra grip and I think it really helped. I hope you have a great day!
Smiles!
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I love this! I was always afraid to paint antiques. Now I wonder why? This is fabulous! Thanks for sharing with us at Thursday Favorite Things blog hop!
Cheers,
Jennifer
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