The Driftwood Buffet

Hi friends! I’m on a roll with buffets lately. Both the last and the next blog posts will also be about buffets and what’s even more of a coincidence is that they are some sort of shade of gray. Gray is my favorite color right now so you can guess that I will be painting in that color a lot! This particular buffet was done in Driftwood.

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This little gem was found in a barn in Castroville, Texas. The owner was trying to clear out his barn to make way for upgrading his workshop and I was happy to take it off his hands. He showed me around a bit and explained to me that he was an avid “primitive era” collector. When we got to the buffet, it was buried underneath old boxes, machinery parts and tools. Here it is after we brought it home and put it in our dining room.

The Prep

The buffet needed a ton of work. It was so dry from sitting in the barn for decades that the veneer peeled right off, the wood felt rough and the humidity allowed the wood to become soft enough for a primitive crescent style tool to form an indentation on the top.

To start off, I gave it a good washing with dish soap and warm water. After it dried, I took a scraper and began scraping off the chipping veneer, which was easy because it loosened the glue. Then came the sanding. I didn’t want to do too much sanding since I knew milk paint was going to be the primary finish. I payed particular attention to the parts of the buffet that needed it, but over all it just needed smoothing out. After I sanded, I blew it out with compressed air and gave it two light coats of Shellac to help with some chipping.

The Look

I love this gorgeous color called Driftwood by Old Fashion Milk Paint. I’ve always been scared to use milk paint but the more I use it the more comfortable I have become using it. This color is a mix between browns, tans and grays and it is so complex in color that you can’t really call it one color or another. It’s just Driftwood.

After a good sanding with the orbital sander, I sealed it with two coats of General Finishes High Performance Top Coat in Satin. What I found after the top coat began to cure was that it seeped under the milk paint forcing it to continue chipping. As you can see in the photos above it was in the beginning stages of flaking. It’s an easy fix if you ever encounter this. All you have to do is remove the flakes with a scraper, sand until it’s smooth and go over it with a coat of Fusion’s Beeswax Finish. This wax is different from other waxes as it has hemp oil built into it. It penetrates the surface sealing the paint from the inside out!

Up here on the top you can see in the bottom right corner where the tool indentation is. I decided to leave it with out filling it just because it’s a cool piece of history this piece will always have. It’s a reminder of where it came from and surely is a conversation starter!

Finishing Touches

The look of naked legs is definitely trending! I love the contrast it gives to painted furniture! I gave the legs a quick sanding and refreshed them with two coats of Watco Danish Oil. I love using this stuff because its so gratifying to see instant hydration when hand rubbed on wood.

These pretty ivory tear drop pulls are from Hobby Lobby. Honestly, these are probably the most versatile knobs on the market. You can put them on any kind of furniture no matter the finish. They add a little elegance to any piece, but they mostly dress up super rustic furniture. These are a no-fail piece of hardware.

This cute farmhouse style paper was ordered from Spoonflower. It’s a cream and gray ticking stripe that perfectly matched the color of the buffet!

I love that this piece also found a place in a historic home in Hondo, Texas. It went to a lovely young couple who renovated their home and my jaw dropped when I saw how amazing it turned out. This buffet made a lovely addition to the home.

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