DIY “Restoration Hardware” Finish with Furniture Paint – Wood Like Finish – TRASH TO TREASURE

This week we are giving my daughter Quinn’s playroom a makeover and I’m starting by refreshing this storage unit piece I found on Facebook marketplace. We are going to give this black piece a wood-like finish that my friend Mattie calls the “Restoration Hardware Finish.” This finish is easy with only two steps and gives the essence of wood with a modern twist.

BEFORE

This piece was black with a glossy finish. It is real wood but only has a grain texture on the top. I got it on Facebook Marketplace for $150. I love that it had space for baskets so Quinn can access her toys and hid them out of sight. This piece was chipped and scratched a little, but overall in good condition. Before I started this project I did give it a good cleaning.

SUPPLIES

Jolie Paint in Cocoa

Paint Brush

Jolie Finishing Wax in Brown

Old Sock to Apply Wax

If you’re local (Rockwall/Rowlett, Tx) you can pick up everything you need from the Rustic Warehouse.

STEP 1 – PAINT FIRST COAT WITH JOLIE PAINT IN COCOA

I love that with Jolie Paint there’s not much prep. No sanding or priming. With that being said I did notice that the glossy finish made the first coat pretty thin. It took about 15minutes to dry and I went over with a second coat.

In Mattie’s instructions (watch video for her instructions) she said you only need two coats. I honestly didn’t even count the first coat because it was so thin. I went ahead and applied a third coat to make sure I had fully coverage.

Once the paint is dry you can distress it if you’d like. I did distress a little since the piece was black underneath. If the piece was a color or white I wouldn’t have done that.

STEP 2 – APPLY BROWN WAX

This is where the magic happens. This is really simple. Apply a small amount of Jolie Finishing Wax with a sock working in manageable sections of 2-3 square feet at a time. Use medium pressure to remove the excess wax with a clean, absorbent, lint-free cloth. As the cloth becomes saturated with wax, you will need to replace or move to a clean area of your cloth so that it will continue to absorb the wax.

If you wait too long before wiping, the Finishing Wax will begin to dry and might be more difficult to work with. Move on to the next unwaxed section and repeat the waxing and wiping process until you have waxed the entire surface. It’s wax on wax off.

FINISHED PROJECT

I can’t believe how awesome this piece looks! I really wanted something functional for a playroom that is also really pretty in the view from my living room. This piece does just that and the project was so darn easy.

You can see we also made a few other changes in the playroom. We added this amazing wallpaper from a company called Woodchip and Magnolia that I found on Instagram. The quality is amazing and the mural also adds so much interest.

I also purchased a small Frame TV so that it looks like art above the piece. Our living room TV is very close to this space and I didn’t want to look like a TV gallery lol We’re excited to wrap up this room next week and share the finished project!

PLAYROOM COMPLETE

If you’d love to see the playroom completed with all accents see it here in this post.


MORE RESTORATION HARDWARE FINISH INSPIRATION

If you’re looking for more examples and inspiration for the “Restoration Hardware” finish, my friend Mattie has transformed so many pieces with this look.

One place she used it was her open shelving in her kitchen. I love the warmth and interested this finish brings to her shelves.

She refreshed her breakfast nook table with the same finish. It’s great because it brings the element from the kitchen into the breakfast nook. It also helps the traditional table and modern chairs look perfect together.

Mattie transformed a client’s bedroom by transforming the dresser and nightstands with this finish. I love how light and airy it is without buying new furniture!

Mattie also transformed her friend’s coffee table with this finish. It went much more with the new furniture of the living room and gave a sophisticated flair.

I hope this DIY inspires you to transform your current furniture or a piece that you thrift! It really is such a handy technique to have on hand when you want a wood finish without all the stripping or if it’s just not an option for a piece!

I’d love to know if you give it a try. Leave your questions/thoughts in the comments below. If I’m not sure then I’ll have Mattie share her paint tips. She’s a pro and has all the best tips.

PIN FOR LATER

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5 Comments

  1. I’m going to try this today 🥳 and will tag you in my post 😉😊. Thank you for the inspiration 😍
    Judy
    coming home with rob and Judy

  2. I’m going to try this today 🥳 and will tag you in my post 😉😊. Thank you for the inspiration 😍
    Judy
    coming home with rob and Judy

  3. This is my first time seeing your blog and I am very impressed with your makeovers. I want to subscribe but didnt where i can do that? Help!

  4. Hi, I just saw your blog and very interested. We are in the process of changing the color of our entertainment center. It is stained with dark brown and want to change into white color. Our plan is to strip the stain and I thought it is a very messy process, that’s when I saw this blog of your’s and gave me hope. I have questions though, if we want to transform it into white color, do we still need a primer or just use white all the way and do you have suggestions what brand to use?
    Thanks in advance.

    Gina

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