Mid Century Modern Sideboard upcycled with Old Fashioned Milk Paint

A few months ago I was in New York visiting my sons.  I stayed with my younger son in his apartment. Speaking of which, that house has been accumulating all sorts of pretty MCM pieces over time.  I really don’t know how that happened.  Every time I visit them… well, there is another one and this Mid Century Modern sideboard caught my eye!

Of course, you all didn’t think I’d be living the high life over in New York, did you?  No I had to work hard all day while my son was at work.  So today I’m sharing with you a piece I upcycled while visiting the boys.  It’s a Mid Century Modern sideboard using my favorite new paint Old Fashioned Milk Paint.​

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I’m a big fan of Mid Century Modern so I’m lucky to have this piece.  I love those clean lines and simple designs. This mid century modern sideboard was in solid shape but on top it was full of scratches and gashes. I tried sanding it but it didn’t come out and I felt as if I was spinning my wheels. 

I was due to leave New York in three days and had to get this one finished.  Maybe if I had more time I would have taken a different route. In fact I had wanted to redo it with Tung oil and bring out the beauty of the wood. But this top was damaged beyond that point.  If I had sanded it more how much wood would I end up removing?  Because of time constraints I decided to paint it and hide that awful top. 

I was aiming for a masculine look and chose to use Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Pitch Black.  But I didn’t want it to be depressing in there so I added a tiny bit of Oyster White. 

After I was finished painting the MCM sideboard I sealed the it with Daddy Van’s all Natural Beeswax and Lavender Furniture Polish.​

This is how it looked after I mixed it up.  I waited for 20 minutes and came back to find a nice thick paint.  This was in marked contrast to last month’s Mirror project where I had also used Old Fashioned Milk Paint.  

On the mirror I had used it as more of a whitewash and had thinned it out with water. Here I was looking for coverage. I added more powder and a bit less water.​

This was after the first coat of paint on the sideboard. It went on really smooth.  In fact, my dad who is my greatest critic was so impressed he said I had surpassed him in brush stroke techniques.  Of course I wasn’t about to tell him it was the paint and not so much my technique. 

It was at this point that I decided to paint the sides along with the top.  It looked kind of silly having just the top painted. In the end I added three coats because I wanted to let the paint cover the scratches and gashes.

I then finished it off with the beeswax. ​

And is the mid century modern sideboard all finished.  You can see a little bit of the white.  I didn’t mix the paint thoroughly and so there were different shades in the cup.  I think it gives the flat gray more dimension.​

All in all I was able to finish this in two days.  I waited about 2 hours between coats and on the final day I sealed it.  Not bad for a rush job. 

No more scratches and gashes!  I was very happy with how Old Fashioned Milk Paint covered this top!​

I’m kinda liking the gray against the original wood doors.

​I went over the doors with the beeswax and gave some life to that tired wood. 

​I had talked to you all about Old Fashioned Milk Paint and how I used it for the first time last month when I redid the mirror. You may want to refer back to that post to find out about the joys of true milk paint. 

As for me, I managed to finish this mid century modern sideboard refresh in the nick of time because the next day I took a flight out of New York.  But I know when I go back I will find my MCM sideboard upcycled with old fashioned milk paint, waiting for me!  And that is the greatest satisfaction of all. 

If you love simple furniture makeovers, be sure to check out how to paint a dresser at Sustain My Craft Habit!

Now tell me, how do you feel about mid century modern?  Yay or nay?  And should I leave the doors as they are or paint them too? (Spoiler alert: I did end up painting the doors of my MCM sideboard after all!!!)

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This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.​

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