Furniture from Dollarama

Dollarama currently has some dollhouse furniture in stock. Can't remember all the pieces because I don't need any furniture but I did pick up a couple pieces to experiment with. They're nothing special (drawers don't open, for example) but they can make nice filler pieces in a scene.

The finish is a bit too red and definitely too glossy for my taste and the wood isn't as smoothly finished as I would like in most cases.

I removed the drawer pulls (just wooden plugs) with a pair of pliers and sanded off all the glossy varnish.

Filled the holes where the drawer pulls had been with spackle.

At this point, it actually looks not too bad and could be used as an aged piece.

HINT: I don't use a great deal of spackle but like to keep it on hand. All too often I'd go to use it and find it had dried out on me - even with the lid on tight. I've been storing the last container I bought upside down and that seems to do the trick to keep it from drying out.

My first thought was to finish this with a black lacquer look and brass handles on the 'drawers' as I have a weakness for black lacquer furniture. Then I thought it would be more practical to keep to a wood finish. Once the gloss finish is removed, these pieces can be given an over coat of brown marker (the furniture retouching pens from Dollarama) and you end up with a nice finish with just a touch of the red showing through.

BUT I took a look in the bedroom of the Bombay house where all the furniture so far is black lacquer look and realized that the table would fit perfectly under the front window.

So black lacquer it will be. If I get another of these tables I'll do one in a wood finish for my stash.