Remember when I hit a Flea Market Auction in Bowral a few weeks ago? Well, a few of the items I bought didn’t make it into my Online Shop. That’s because I wanted to keep them for myself!
One of those items was this cute kitchen stool…
I have been keeping my eyes peeled for one of these for a while now. Not only do I love the look of them, but they are incredibly useful! I have wanted to restore a kitchen stool for a while. Since our house in Balmain was built in the 1920s, it has 3 metre high ceilings. These ceilings looks wonderful, but when trying to change a light-bulb or access high cupboards, it can be problematic for shrimps, like myself.
The great thing about these vintage stools, is that they fold up from a step ladder into a stool. They are a much better option than a huge step ladder as they don’t take up nearly as much space, and they don’t need to be stored in a cupboard. They are so pretty, so I plan to keep mine in the bathroom or living room as an extra side-table until I need to actually use it.
This little beauty needed a good scrub as it was coated in cobwebs and dust. But after a smart brush-up, and wipe-over with a damp sponge it was spick and span!
Although I do like the raw-wood finish, it was pretty roughed up and had lots of paint splatter on it. So I set about restoring my kitchen stool. I went in search of Miss Mustard’s Milkpaint, which I had brought with me from the USA. I have painted a few tables using this Milkpaint and blogged about that process here. I simply mixed a small quantity of the Milkpaint powder with some water.
Milkpaint is awesome as you don’t need to sand the wood first, you can brush the paint straight on. I love this colour – it’s called French Enamel. You can now buy Milkpaint in Australia! Check it out at www.refinished.com.au
Making progress. I needed to continue stirring the powder pigment into the water as it sometimes settles on the top. I waited for each layer to dry (which only took about ten minutes) before doing the next layer. I painted three layers on this as I didn’t want it to look too chipped or worn.
Matt took this photo of me without asking. Cheeky. I wasn’t going to put it up as I was self-conscious about my growing pregnant belly… and my inside-out T-shirt… but, hey, who says you need to look glamorous while doing DIY!?
Pretty.
In the kitchen where it belongs. (Well, it’s in my Mum and Dad’s kitchen at the moment, while our kitchen is built).
Didn’t it come up beautifully? I absolutely love it. I’ve seen a couple of these stools on my travels. So leave me a post on Facebook if you want me to keep an eye out for one for you.