When you outgrow something or think it’s time to upgrade, we often choose to throw our old pieces of furniture in the dumpster.
However, for someone who has an eye for beauty and art, a piece of discarded furniture could be the next sophisticated art project to create.
Jay Zaluski is a full-time healthcare worker who discovered his love and talent for upcycling old furniture during the pandemic.
Instead of focusing on the negative news about the pandemic, Zaluski started upcycling pieces of furniture that he found in the marketplace or even in the dumpster.
Last January, Zaluski saw an old bedside table in the bin, and he took an interest in it, so he decided to take it home.
Zaluski thought that the bedside table had a lot of potential, and it only had a few drawings on it. A stickman, a small car, and other doodles from a child – it was cute, and he knew he would be able to upcycle the bedside table.
As a start, he poured paint stripper and waited. For the top part of the bedside table, he used two coats.
While he was waiting, he also removed the door and the hinges. He cleaned them and then went ahead and scuffed the paint on the door.
The most time-consuming part was removing all the paint and then deactivating it using mineral spirit and steel wool.
After almost all the paint residue was gone, he started sanding and making sure he made his wooden canvass flawless again.
Zaluski started applying hexagonal tiles on both sides and the top of the bedside table. He started putting the whole hexagonal tiles and then started cutting the tiles for the edges.
Since the original drawer of the bedside table was curved, he decided to change it into a flat one, thus allowing him to put the hexagonal tiles properly.
He also applied paint strippers on the hinges and sprayed the new color that he wanted.
Zaluski then decided to apply the shou sugi ban technique to this project.
The shou sugi ban technique is a unique method of conserving wood by charring it with fire. This technique gave it a beautiful and unique color.
Next, he applied beeswax and then black tile grout. Then cleaned and sanded the surface of the bedside table.
Lastly, to achieve the color he wanted, he diluted the dye with 50% water. It gave the bedside table an amber tone that was sealed with spray varnish.
He finished it by adding golden square knobs.
The before and after of this bedside table was phenomenal. You wouldn’t even have a clue that it was the same piece of furniture.
An old bedside table they threw in the dumpster turned into a sophisticated piece of art that would go perfectly to a new mansion.
If you want to watch more of Zaluski’s project, follow him on his Instagram and YouTube accounts.
You can also watch the complete DIY project below to see the stunning finished project.
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