On the surface, this looked like a quick and easy project. Mid-century, no major damage, solid wood, nice details and a reasonable price at a thrift shop. I think (not sure), it is a former phonograph/record player cabinet, as it is vented on the sides and has a sliding base shelf. After I put on the first coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Pure White, I noticed spots of red and orange. Known as bleeding, it is common with raw or unfinished wood or as in this case, dark, mahogany red furniture from the 1940's and 1950's.
The best solution is to stop painting (it has nothing to do with brand of paint) and seal the finish. More coats of paint alone, will not work. There are several finishes available that will prevent the stain from seeping into the paint, but my favorite it shellac. It can be brushed on or sprayed, dries quickly and almost always works. I brushed on two coats and let it dry overnight. It bled through my next coat of paint. Another two coats of shellac, another coat of paint..... this happened again and again. After I ran out of Pure White, I used Old White, and when that was gone I used Old Ochre.
This is how it looks now. After too many cans of shellac and paint, too many hours of work, after photographing, writing this post and thinking this project was finally finished, it continues to bleed. It is still in process. I don't know what it will look like next time you see it, but it will not look like this. To be continued...
