If you remember a few weeks ago, I snagged this beautiful, vintage buffet on Facebook Marketplace with a plan to transform it into a TV console for our basement!
And if you’ve been around for any amount of time, you know I’m a liiiittle obsessed with painting furniture to create a cohesive style in our home: our patio furniture, filing cabinet turned pantry, and hand-me-downs – just to name a few.
Though I paint quite a bit, I haven’t quite found “my match” in a furniture paint. So the hunt continues …
Fusion Mineral Paint
I recently heard about a new-to-me brand that I wanted to try – Fusion Mineral Paint. Come to find out, my next door neighbor is friends with a local distributor – and even better news: this business is lovely! If you’re local, check out Grafted Together Furnishings in West Chester, OH and tell them I sent you.
Anyways, the paint! It’s supposed to be zero-VOC, minimal prep work, easy application, great coverage, matte finish, and no top coat required. Sounds pretty amazing, right? Let’s see how it goes!
Supplies:
- TSP Cleaner (or alternative) + an old rag (this should be good for most pieces, but see note below)
- 220 Sandpaper or sanding block
- Paint brush – I purchased mine from Grafted Together; it was synthetic. You can use natural fiber, but the synthetic provides a smoother finish.
- Mini Paint Roller – I used a foam roller and I think a woven roller cover would have been better. The paint brush had much better coverage than the roller!
- Fusion Paint Color of your choice (SO many gorgeous options)
- Zinsser B-I-N Shellac Base Primer
- Drop cloth
My Process:
- Collect your supplies and have on hand (this helps to keep the least amount of frustration 😉 )!
- Remove any drawer pulls or removable pieces that you don’t intend to paint.
- Remove drawer faces or other part(s) of your piece of furniture that would be more easily painted if not attached.
- Wipe down, clean, and dry all surfaces on your item being painted.
- *Side note to say, our buffet had a distinct scent to it! Not the best, y’all. It’s just an old piece of furniture.
- So first, I cleaned all the surfaces with Simple Green cleaner, then TSP, then sanded everything. It helped, but the scent wasn’t quite gone.
- I tried baking soda with lavender sprinkled throughout the buffet and also put drops of Citrus Fresh essential oil all over it with a dehumidifier nearby!
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- I think some or all of the above helped, but if I put my nose in the depths of the cabinet, there’s still a faint scent, but it didn’t stop me from moving forward! Research your piece before you begin.
- If it’s a very smooth surface, rough it up a bit with a light sand paper
- Wipe down and dry again
- Tape off long edges you don’t want to paint (I just go for it without tape)
- Protect your floor with newspaper or a drop cloth
- Begin with primer if needed. *I didn’t end up using it, but see note below.
- Start painting with a slightly damp brush. I recommend painting each surface by surface, then coming back to the first surface you painted for a second coat.
- Fusion paint quickly dries to the touch. Once you’re finished with the coat on one surface, Grafted Together recommended lightly brushing over the entire surface with long strokes in the same direction, which creates a consistent “sheen” or “texture.”
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- Refer to the paint can for recommended dry times between coats and follow it! 😉 For Fusion, 6-8 hours between coats is recommended. I didn’t realize that at first and I only waited an hour.
- *I ended up needing 4 coats, but I believe if I started with a primer, it would have been less.
- Wait and wait and wait until your piece is very dry (again, refer to paint can for recommended times) – I’d say at least 24 hours.
- Cure time is different than dry time! Fusion cures over 21 days, meaning it hardens and the paint sets. So be careful with your piece within those first 21 days!
- Attach drawer fronts or any other detached parts.
- Re-attached hardware. I spray painted mine with Rust-Oleum matte black.
- Pour yourself a drink and enjoy the fruits of your labor!
The Final Reveal!
It’s hard to believe how far this space has come since we began our 1970s basement update six months ago! Slowly but surely, it’s coming together and we really enjoy spending time here.
I really liked working with Fusion Mineral Paint – it was very easy! The coverage and texture actually reminded me of chalk paint, which I really like. I suggest checking out Fusion’s website and different styles of painting. I just used the paint straight-up with no distressing or added features. The paint doesn’t require a topcoat, but you can use Fusion’s Tough Coat for heavily used top surfaces.
We’re not in any rush to begin decorating, but one thing on our list is to upgrade this hand-me-down TV sooner rather than later! Whenever that happens, it will have a great place to land here above the newly painted console!
As I mentioned above, Fusion Mineral Paint takes 21 days to cure, so in the meantime we’ll be mindful of what we’re putting on top of the TV console. And actually, I already have our next furniture painting project picked out: a pedestal table also for our basement!
Have you used Fusion Mineral Paint? Or do you have a piece of furniture in mind you’d like to try it on? Let me know if I missed anything in the tutorial or if you end up trying it!
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