Now that I'm back from a much needed break I was hoping I would share a project with y'all . Instead I'm going to show you the good, the bad, and the ugliness of a project that went horribly wrong this weekend. So you remember the abstract art I painted two weeks ago, Right? My plan was to buy a frame and spray paint it in gold . Of course nothin ever goes according to plan. I thought I would go another direction and try out the gold leaf starter kit by speedball. Big mistake!
The good- This affordable small kit has everything to help you get started and it looks like actual gold leaf. Bonus!
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The bad- Not good for large projects such as my ribba frame I purchased from Ikea.
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It started out pretty good but this stuff goes everywhere and sticks to absolutely everything. Picture me with gold flakes in my hair, face and feet. Not a pretty sight unless your the "Statue of Jeanne D Arc".
The ugly- After about 3 hours of trying to attempt to get this stuff to stick, I gave up and was left with this.....
To make things worse I don't know if I can save the frame. If I spray paint it , I don't know how it will react to the gold leaf process. I'm contemplating on making another trip to Ikea and repurchasing another picture frame and stick to my original plan which is what I should have done. Matt (hubs) says he could strip it and sand it down but honestly I don't know if it's worth all the hassle. At this point I'm willing to try anything! Here's to hoping my second time is a success!
Any projects you have done that went horribly bad?
Aw man! Thanks for showing us the good and bad of DIY! I'd say the project that went sour for me was when I discovered my sideboard was veneer instead of solid wood... on to plan B!
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of diy! Sometimes projects never go according to how we envisioned them to be. We just have to suck it up...I suppose! :)
DeleteI hate when that happens. If it were me and my cheap self, I think I'd just sand it a little, then spray paint a coat of primer on there and then try the gold spray paint. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteWe may just have to try that. Crossing fingers :)
DeleteUgh, that's really too bad. Sometimes projects look easy and then I get going on them and realize it would've been so much easier to buy the dang thing!
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly how I feel on most projects! Glad to know I'm not the only one who feels that way. :)
DeleteI spray painted and Ikea Ribba frame and the results were terrible. My mistake was that I didn't strat of with primer, I just sprayed on the paint. It didn't stick and came out all gross and splotchy. After it dried, I sanded it and primed it and tried spray painting it again. It came out better, but still kind of crappy. I think the bottom line is, don't mess with Ikea frames!
ReplyDeleteYour paintings look great - you definitely want frames that complement them nicely :-)
Thanks Kelly! At the last minute I noticed I got birch which is basically crappy stuff so that didn't help. Ikea is usually a hit n miss for me. Some things are pretty good quality while others are well you know ;)
DeleteBummer. But a good idea though! I'm currently fixing a bust of a project myself. The gold metallic spray paint by Rustoleum works like a charm in case you want to try that.
ReplyDeleteWith sooo many gold spray paints out in the market it's so hard to choose one that is right for your project. I will definitley look into that one..thanks!
DeleteIf you can't make it any worse, I'd try sanding and spray painting it, too!
ReplyDeleteConsidering it can't get any worse, that is a good idea :)
DeleteWhat a bummer! I have more project fails than I care to admit! I usually get mad and throw them in the garbage, lol.
ReplyDeleteDang! The "hard" part of creating abstract art ended up being the easiest part?
ReplyDeletePersonally I love the frame as is! It has interesting texture and I love the color! But maybe an ikea trip would be the best bet!
ReplyDeleteI have never used that kit before, but you know I love to gold leaf! I would buy regular gold leaf and put the adhesive over what you have now and the gold leaf should stick. Just put the adhesive over the whole frame including what you have already gold leaf (or whatever that stuff is that comes with that kit), and it should work. If not, I would get some rub n buff, it works wonders and is really fast. And you don't have to prime and sand it, just go right over what you have. Those are the things I would do if it was my fail, and I have had many hehe
ReplyDeleteI actually kinda like it. But I LOVE your idea to have a pretty gold shiny frame, just a bummer it didn't work out like you envisioned!
ReplyDeleteUgh, that sucks! I've never tried gold leaf before. Hopefully you can save the frame! If not, at least they are pretty cheap.
ReplyDelete