Sharing the type of paint, brushes, and sealer I used to give this old piano a major facelift!
The Before.
When my sister moved in next door last summer (hurray!), she inherited this piano (hurray!) -
Bill and my brother were actually able to move it in here last Saturday (hurray! okay, last hurray!) -
And even though we weren't sure of the condition sound wise, I couldn't wait to give it a new look!
The wood tone was a bit orange and there were plenty of scuffs and water ring marks -
But the worst part was that when we opened up the top and front panels, we found lots of evidence and some damage from a mouse that had once lived in it from what looked like years ago! Yuck! This took us a couple hours to clean on Saturday night before I started painting and we are still hoping that it will hold a tune!
The color I chose.
Wavelight by Hello Hobby, from Walmart.
I grabbed this green on a whim a couple months ago. I was actually looking for the color Ink in Walmart's old Waverly brand that I've used many times in the past for a different project; but after I saw that they had a new brand, I cried for a minute and then grabbed this because I thought the color on the outside looked sooooo cool. And it wasn't until the piano was in our house this past weekend that I realized I needed to use it to paint that!
I liked it immediately!
After 1 thin coat, I thought I'd have to paint at least 3x, which I did end up doing
(so I needed 2 bottles of the 8oz or 1 bottle of the 16oz to paint).
The color is much different than what was on the paint container but I still love it!
Inspiration.
Once I started painting, Wavelight reminded me of colors I've seen in 2 of the historical fiction shows we've been watching this past year - Outlander and the Last Kingdom. 18th century and 9th century vibes?
Yes please!
Aren't those colors amazing?!
And I laughed when I realized that the vintage framed art that was on the gallery wall above the piano is a picture from the Scottish Highlands with that green in it (a nod to Outlander).
I sealed it with the natural colored wax that really did give it an old world feel - it brings a depth and richness to the color, making it seem like it's been around awhile (maybe even as far back as 18th and 9th centuries Britain ;))
What I used.
*You could pop into Walmart and grab all of this stuff but one of stores still carries my beloved Waverly chalk paint brand instead of the new Hello Hobby brand; and sometimes they don't have the Minwax finishing paste...
Two 8 oz. bottles of Chalk paint (I didn't see this color in the larger 16oz. container)
2" chip brush
Small flat artist brush
Painters tape
Minwax finishing wax in natural
Wax brush - but a rag or old t-shirt would work fine instead
Lint free rag or t-shirt to buff the wax
Here's the paint color and the wax, then the chip brush, flat artist brush, and wax brush below.
Also, if you like green, but are looking for something without the blue or teal in it, then here are a couple other greens the new chalk line carries. The one I used, Wavelight, is in the middle.
Total cost of project.
I only had to buy the chalk paint for this one.
Two bottles of paint at $6.50 each cost about $13.
I already had the clear wax, but it runs $10.
I already had the wax brush ($13) an artist brush, chip brush, painters tape, and rag.
The piano came from my sister's new house next door and was free. Movers to get the beast over here, free (thanks, Bill and Andy!).
The piano in our home.
So the dream of actually having room in our house for a piano has finally come true - the dream of having the kids put on a Christmas concert... not quite yet! ;).
When we added onto our house and moved the main dining room table out to the addition, we were able to put a smaller, round table, in it's place in the old dining room, leaving just enough room for a piano in the corner.
Thank goodness it fits! It also brings a bit more cozy quaintness (or is it quaint coziness?) to this already small space.
Don't worry, Trip can still get in and out of his chair over there, haha!
The kids, and Bill, are already sitting down to give it a go!
There we have it - what I used to paint the piano.
I hope you like this makeover as much as we do! I will keep you posted on how the tuning goes, and look out for the How To Paint a Piano and My Tips Post coming ASAP (I didn't want to make this post too long)!
Happy March and almost St. Patrick's Day! Don the GREEN (even if it's with chalk paint ;) ;).
May your days be many and your troubles be few.
May all God’s blessings descend upon you.
May peace be within you, may your heart be strong.
May you find what you’re seeking wherever you roam.
May the strength of God pilot us, may the wisdom of God instruct us.
May the hand of God protect us, may the word of God direct us.
May thy Salvation, O Lord, be always ours this day and for evermore.
Amen.
- St. Patrick
The finished product on the piano is unreal! 🙌 The mice probably wish they hadn’t move out!