Quick Modern Makeover - Personalise Your furniture

Give everyday items, from the junk store or shop floor, a modern, personalised makeover.

You'd never recognise it now, but before we worked our magic with a little help from our local Resene ColorShop, this funky wall panel was an old retro cheese board picked up for a pittance at a second-hand store. The stool below is the Bekvan Step Stool $69 from IKEA importers, My FlatPack. Two everyday items, that now pack a "wow" punch, thanks to a creative lick of paint. Here's how you can do it too:

Step one: Sand both items with various grades of sanding paper.

Step two: Decide how you'd like your colours laid out. If you don't have an old cheese board like ours use a plain piece of MDF and mask off squares with tape.

Step three: Paint the appropriate squares with Resene Magnetic Magic. You need at least two coats, allowing each to dry for a minimum of 30 minutes. The thicker the coat, and the smoother the finish, the stronger the magnetic effect will be.

Step four: When fully dry, paint over the magnetic squares with two coats of Resene Blackboard Paint.

Step five: Paint alternate squares with Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel. Then paint the frame white.

Step six: Use painters' tape to section off parts of the stool and paint with Resene Enamacryl gloss waterborne enamel.

Step seven: Attach your panel to the wall and use magnets or draw letters or pictures to help your little one "step up" and hang up all their bits and bobs in the right places.


Tip: Check how well the magnetic paint is working before applying the top coat

Colours we used:

Resene Spotlight BUY THE TESTPOT HERE	Resene Riptide BUY THE TESTPOT HERE
Resene Umber White BUY THE TESTPOT HERE	Resene Freestyling BUY THE TESTPOT HERE

Resene Blackboard Paint BUY THE TESTPOT HERE	Resene Magnetic Paint BUY THE TESTPOT HERE

Visit your local Resene ColorShop, phone 0800 RESENE (737 363) or :

Stylist: Sheryl Burson 
Photographer: Fiona Tomlinson