Mini Buffet Makeover – Leah Noell Design Co

Isn’t this little buffet just so sweet? I love finding these smaller gems. They are just the perfect size. I knew right away that this would be a perfect coffee bar. Coffee bars are a great way to implement a unique piece into your kitchen and add some counter space. This piece even came with a glass top so it is a double bonus.

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Material List:

The first thing I did with this piece is remove the hardware and fill the hardware holes. The bat wing hardware just wasn’t speaking to me. I felt like it took up too much space on the drawers and wouldn’t flow with my design plan. When I fill hardware holes I fill them all the way through. I let it dry overnight. The Dixie mud usually shrinks a little and then I go back and fill them again until they are flush with the drawer.

Now its time to prep for paint! This piece was in mint condition. It didn’t even have a scratch on it. I gave it a quick sand with a medium grit sanding block. Just to rub the shine off a little bit. Nothing too much. Then I cleaned it with Dixie Belle White lightening cleaner. I mix up about a tablespoon in a spray bottle and use it to clean my projects. Then I rinse it off really well. It’s very important to clean your furniture and rinse your furniture for proper adhesion of the paint. Once it was dry. I painted BOSS primer in clear on the whole piece.

Let’s talk about priming really quick. I love to prime. It prevents A LOT of problems that you can run into when painting furniture. Such as paint not adhering, bleed through, and it also gives the paint something to stick to. It just makes for a more professional look! I notice when I use Dixie Belle’s BOSS it has a little tiny bit of a grit to it that allows the paint to stick better and I usually use less paint when I use the primer. It comes in white and clear. I used clear for this project because I painted it a darker color.

So this leads me to the next step! Painting! I painted this while piece with one coat of In The Navy. I let it dry and then added a raised stencil with Dixie Mud. This stencil is from redesign with Prima. It is a thick stencil made for 3D stenciling. This one here is similar to the one I used. I couldn’t find the exact one, it may not be on the market yet. To get a raised stencil you set the stencil where you want it, and then smear dixie mud all over and pull it off. Let it dry!

I did this to all the drawers and let them dry. I sanded any rough edges back. It looked like this when I was done.

Then I gave the whole piece a final coat of In the Navy paint with my oval round brush. I love Dixie Belle’s synthetic brushes for clean painting like this. Once the paint was dry I hand painted the lettering on the piece with liquid gold leaf paint in Brass. I wanted the lettering to match the gold leaf! Then I applied the gold leaf with speed ball adhesive and set it on in a pattern that I liked. Then I used 600 grit sandpaper and slightly wore it into the paint for an antiqued look.

Then I brushed off all the excess gold leaf and vacuumed the whole area. Gold leaf can really make a mess! I sealed the whole piece including the top with Dixie Belle Clear Satin. I wanted to mute the gold leaf shine a little bit, and the clear satin did just that. I gave the top 2 additional coats of Dixie Belle Gator Hide on top of the clear coat satin. I do this because adding the clear satin first prevents the gator hide from streaking. I only usually use the gator hide on top. It is heat and water resistant so it is perfect for a coffee bar top! The last thing I did was drill new holes for the hardware. I’m going to link these hardware pulls for you. They are my absolute favorite pulls and I’ve used them on several makeovers. Here she is all finished!