This website uses cookies and other tracking technologies (also known as pixels or beacons) to aid your experience (such as viewing videos), as well as “performance cookies” to analyze your use of this website and to assist with marketing efforts. If you click the "Accept All Cookies" button or continue navigating the website, you agree to having those first and third-party cookies set on your device. If you do not wish to accept cookies from this website, you can choose to not allow cookies from this website by updating your browser preferences. For more information on how we use Cookies, please read our privacy policy. Accept All Cookies

Menu

toggle menu
  • Home
  • Products
  • Inspiration
  • Lifestyle
  • How-to
  • Competition
  • Latest
  • About
  • Stockists
  • Contact
Home » Lifestyle » STACEY MEIKLE: MY SHABBY-CHIC FURNITURE PAINTING BUSINESS

STACEY MEIKLE: MY SHABBY-CHIC FURNITURE PAINTING BUSINESS

Stacey Meikle tells us about her fab business Stacey’s Shabby Shack and her latest upcycling ventures.

 

I’ve come so far since I entered the Rust-Oleum ‘Make it Yours’ competition 2 years ago and won. My business is going from strength to strength and it seems giving up my career in buying was a good idea. I love that I can say my job is to create beautiful one off pieces of furniture for people to enjoy in their homes for many years to come — doing something good with things that people think are only fit to throw away!

 

Here are a few of my favourite projects that I have recently completed.

 

VINTAGE CHALKBOARD

I was given an old broken dressing table mirror by my Aunt. It sat for months in my workshop, as I didn’t know what I was going to do with it. Then it came to me. I had seen a lot of chalkboard pieces going around on the internet at the time and thought it would be perfect for a similar treatment. I first gave it a good clean and sprayed the whole piece using Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint in Copper.

 

Next I taped off the top section and used Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint in Black. I thought there was something missing, so I found a lovely stencil (on eBay for £3.99) and, after taping off around the stencil, I used Rust-Oleum Painters Touch spray paint in Black Satin to add a final touch to the piece. I was thrilled with the end result and now it’s useful again.

 

BIRTHDAY UPCYCLES

It was coming up to my son’s second birthday and rather than giving him presents purchased in a shop, I wanted him to have something that I had put some real thought and love into. I set about deciding what he would like and remembered he loved a rocking horse we had seen when we were on a trip to Brighton. So I looked on various websites and managed to find a lady selling a vintage one on eBay for just £15! When I arrived to collect it she had a child’s table and chair outside by the rubbish bin so I asked her what she was doing with them and she said I was welcome to take them for FREE! I was so happy, I had found two wonderful presents for my son that I could turn into beautiful gifts for his birthday.

 

When I got home I started to think about what I could with each piece. I decided that the rocking horse could do with some colour. I gave it a good clean and sanded it down as it was very dirty and all the old paint was chipping off. I painted it first in Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Antique White, then taped off each section and painted the seat in Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Duck Egg and the bottom section in Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Ink Blue. To finish I used Rust-Oleum Furniture Finishing Wax in Clear to seal. I was so pleased with the end result.

 

For the table and chair I didn’t want to paint it conventionally, so I decided as my son loves drawing I was going to make the top into a chalkboard for him. I sanded the whole top down as it had paint on it from the previous owner. I then taped off the edges and painted the legs in Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Antique White. I painted the chair in Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Duck Egg, this way the set matched with the rocking horse perfectly. Once the legs were dry I applied 3 coats of Rust-Oleum Chalkboard Paint in Black to the top surface. My son’s face on his birthday is something I will never forget. He was so excited and still uses these pieces daily which fills me with some much happiness as I know I created these for him. A good tip when using the chalkboard paint is once dry use a piece of chalk to rub all over the board section and rub off, this seasons the board before you write your messages on it.

 

LACE EFFECT

Finally, a customer came to me looking for something a little different — “Not just your ordinary chest of drawers”. I managed to find these gorgeous vintage style drawers in a charity shop for just £30! We decided to go for a lace effect design using Rust-Oleum Chalky Finish Furniture Paint in Belgrave and Rust-Oleum Metallic Spray Paint in Bright Gold.

 

I first gave the drawers a good clean using sugar soap as they were very dirty and smelly! The drawers were sealed shut as they had been obviously been in a damp, cold environment so I kept them by a heater for a few days to loosen them which worked a treat!

 

Once I had removed the handles I got to work painting two coats of Belgrave on the drawers and shell of the unit — already they were looking lovely and new. Once dry I used a net curtain, which I purchased from eBay for 99p and secured it to the drawer fronts using masking tape. I then sprayed the gold paint evenly from left to right until all the drawer fronts were covered. I left this to dry then carefully removed the net. Crystal style handles finished off this piece perfectly and to date I think it’s one of my favourite pieces I have ever done.

 

So, these past two years have been a wonderful rollercoaster ride and I hope it continues long into the future as I am fully enjoying this new career path. Getting up each day and creating unique furniture transformations is amazing and I am so proud of what I have achieved so far.

 

Follow Stacey’s Shabby Shack on Facebook.

 

Sign up for our newsletter and get a free book of ideas.

Thanks for signing up, please Click Here to view the previous issues.

Share this

How-Tos

Kitchen-HowTo-Thumbnail-Large

How To Use Kitchen Cupboard Paint

More >

VideoThumbnail-4

Rainbow Care Package DIY

More >

VideoThumbnail-

How To Chalkwash

More >

VideoThumbnail-2

Marvellous Mountain Wall Mural

More >

View all

Inspiration

FIVE WAYS TO ADD THE WOW FACTOR TO YOUR BATHROOM

More >

Get The Midas Touch With Metallic White Gold

More >

how to style your home the rose gold way

More >

make an industrial statement with metallic gun metal

More >

View all

Lifestyle

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET FURNITURE UPCYCLER ELIZABETH DOT DESIGN

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET FURNITURE UPCYCLER ELIZABETH DOT DESIGN

More >

Behind The Brush: Meet DIY Diva Julia Kendell

Behind The Brush: Meet DIY Diva Julia Kendell

You might recognise her from DIY SOS...

More >

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET DEBBIE CARNE OF ALIJOE DESIGNS

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET DEBBIE CARNE OF ALIJOE DESIGNS

In this week’s Behind The Brush interview, we’re getting to know the founder of Alijoe Designs, Debbie Carne ...

More >

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET SAM AND CATHERINE OF ROCK TERRACE

BEHIND THE BRUSH: MEET SAM AND CATHERINE OF ROCK TERRACE

More >

View all
  • Products
  • Inspiration
  • Lifestyle
  • How-To
  • About
  • Stockists
  • Make it Yours magazine
  • Contact

Follow us

Rust-Oleum, Portobello Industrial Estate, Birtley, Chester-le-Street, County Durham, DH3 2RE
Tel: +44 (0)191 410 6611 Email: enquiries@tor-coatings.com
© Rust-Oleum 2022 Copyright. All Rights Reserved. 'Make It Yours' is a registered trademark. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions