Last time I walked you through the process I use to stay focused on a project from beginning to end as I planned to have focus time to paint the second coat of paint on the interior of my hutch. And then…
Life happened.
As I was painting the first coat of paint I was noticing what I feared would happen: the tannins in the wood began seeping through the white paint, causing it to turn pink. Eek!
(And, life happened… again… and I didn’t get pics of the pink, but trust me: it was. not. pretty.)
This tannin bleed-through happens sometimes when painting furniture, especially with cedar, mahogany, and sometimes oak. Thankfully, because I have painted furniture numerous times, I knew what to do. But it did cause me to change my focused time. So, I want to share with you what to do when life messes with your scheduled plan for home decorating.
By the way, the unexpected happens to everyone, novice or professional. So don’t feel defeated when it happens. Instead, realize this is part of the process and figure out what your next step will be. For me, it was stopping the project in its tracks and finding the right product to help the situation, and in the process, help you know what to do should this happen to you!
There is always something to be thankful for, right?
My focus became finding this:
This product will stop tannin bleed-through almost every time. You simply paint it over the dried coat of paint you have already applied. It comes in a handy spray bottle also. I use the spray rather than brushing it on because brush strokes can sometimes agitate the substrate and bring out more tannins. The spray simply coats without agitating. (If you don’t have the space for the spray, the brush-on version may work better for your situation: RUST-OLEUM 00908 Stain Block Primer/Sealer – Pint. Try to paint in only one direction; if you go back and forth too much, you’re more likely to agitate the tannins.)
The shellac dries within 15-30 minutes unless it is super humid. I try to pick a day that is going to have low humidity to do this as it really needs to be used outside or in an extremely well ventilated area. Note: this product is flammable and toxic, so make sure that you are wearing goggles, a mask, gloves, and protective clothing.
Safety First!
Also, if it is windy outside, wait for it to calm down before applying. Do NOT use this inside your home, and do NOT use it around children. Safety first!
OK, so with all that said, you can apply this as a sealer to any furniture piece you are nervous about having tannin bleed through. I prefer not to use it very often as it is toxic, so I will usually do a test coat or patch on the areas of concern and see what happens.
Forced Re-focus
My focus on this hutch has had to shift to a few days later since we are expecting rain and high humidity for the next few days. In the meantime, I am revamping my focus areas on my calendar.
There are other projects in my home that I can accomplish during the painting break for the hutch. Like I said before, this happens to everyone at some point in a home project, so rather than getting frustrated by it, I shift my focus to what IS possible.
That possible thing is spending some focused time working on my master bedroom with Jim Bob, and spending some time today working on my menu plan and grocery list so we stay full of nutrition (which, of course, helps with focus on other things in life!).
So, when life happens and your home projects get derailed, realize that it is simply a chance to be thankful and focus on other areas that need attention until you can get back to the original project you had planned. All is not lost. Rather, this is your time to refocus, and accomplish something else. You can do this!
Have you ever had to stop mid-project? How did you handle it? Do you get discouraged when things didn’t go as planned? How do you handle it? Leave me a comment below and let me encourage you!
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Many blessings as you bless your home today,
Amy (the Decor Pixie)
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