Product Description

"...quite probably, the best general instructions on furniture decoration that exist."
- Booklist

Painting and Decorating Furniture is the definitive book on reviving old or unsightly furniture with simple craft techniques. Sheila McGraw shows how to breathe new life and color into old wood, metal or plastic laminate cabinets, desks, dressers, tables, chairs and cushions.

With more than 1,000 step-by-step color photographs to guide the reader, and concise easy-to-follow instructions, the author demonstrates original treatments and techniques, including new stains and faux finishes, decorating with found materials, and inventive uses for fabric, posters and baskets.

Popular treatments such as dragging, smooshing, block printing, metallic leafing, crackled varnish, faux plaster, antiquing, découpage, and other fine art and furniture finishes enhance furniture with freehand, decorative and folk painting. The stenciling and other projects all include patterns.

With expert descriptions of tools and materials, McGraw generously shares her extensive knowledge and years of experience. Projects are easy-clean-up, fast-drying and use water-based paints and environmentally friendly primers, stains, varnishes and strippers. Painting and Decorating Furniture is fully cross-referenced and indexed. The "Read This First" sections prevent mistakes, and complete Materials Lists avoid frustration.

Enormously popular, this new paperback edition of Painting and Decorating Furniture will introduce more buyers to its strong formula of excellent content, beautiful production and indisputable value.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #877514 in Books
• Published on: 1997-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

From Library Journal
McGraw, whose previous craft books include Papier-Mache for Kids (Firefly, 1991), gives clear, well-illustrated instructions to over 30 furniture decorating projects. She begins with an overview of the materials, equipment, and basic techniques needed for preparing furniture to be decorated and continues with the projects that primarily involve various paint techniques, but she also shows how to refurbish cushioned seats, mosaic a tabletop, and fabric-cover furniture. Although the directions are generally clear, more detailed techniques such as tole painting are better illustrated in Priscilla Hauser's Book of Decorative Painting (LJ 9/15/97). With the variety of projects illustrated, this book will be popular addition to collections whose patrons are looking for how-to books.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
A great gift for the do-it-yourselfer. (Style at Home Magazine 19991127)

Truly the most inspiring. The illustrated steps and materials lists let the reader believe 'I can do this!' (Newsday 20000301)

McGraw has a wonderful eye for unleashing the personality of seemingly bland, ordinary pieces. (New Orleans Times-Picayune 20000205)

McGraw shows how to breathe new life and color into old wood, metal and plastic laminated cabinets, desks, dressers, tables. (Lee Littlewood Copley News Service 20000412)

This is an 'ooh and ahh' book. (Sandy Guerra-Cline Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram 20000701)

The highly organized projects are well-illustrated with step-by-step instructions anyone can follow. (Jim Carlson Country Decorating Ideas 20040103)

Truly inspirational ... full-color photographs detailing each step of the project are extremely helpful for the engineering-challenged. (Jennifer Isaac Calgary Sun )

McGraw shows how to breathe new life and color into old wood, metal and plastic laminated cabinets, desks, dressers, tables. (Charlotte Observer )

Beautiful color photographs will provide you with lots of inspiration ... technical aspects are covered in full. (Liz Graham Newfoundland Herald )

A good start for beginners with simple, easy-to-follow projects, furniture preparation and materials. (Joy Kraft Cincinnati Enquirer )

Sandy Guerra-Cline, Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram, Nov 27, 1999
This is an 'ooh and ahh' book. As in, 'Ooh, look how she made faux stucco seraphims and mud-colored paint look like a million bucks,' and 'Ahh, I didn't know branches and leaves could look so sophisticated.'"