“The Leopboard”: A boring cupboard turned leopard-print conversation piece

Guest post by novalorsten

leobard 1

I got this small cupboard at an antiques and bric-a-brac market. In this case, the cupboard was in good nick, just a little dull. So with the help of leopard print and decoupage, I turned it into The Leopboard!

Here’s how…

Leobard - identify your prints
What you need:[related-post align=”right”]

  • Boring dresser
  • Leopard pattern of your choosing, and a color printer
  • Paints
  • Scissors
  • Modge Podge or polyvinyl acetate

leobard 2

Here I cut around sections in a wobbly way, then painted over a few spots matching up with the pattern. Next I cut out some individual leopard spots to plug the gaps, and try to fool the eye as to where the joins are between the irregularly-cut sections.

leabard 3

At this stage the Leopboard gets a hefty coat of waterproof PVA. This seals the paper from the finishing coat. Without the paper being sealed it is likely to react to the solvents in the lacquer and discolour.

The final decoupage hall cupboard in leopard print

Here’s the final “Leopboard.” The cupboard is finished in laquer and the knobs have a coat of black enamel. I tend to use lacquer on furniture that won’t have to be moved around too much, as it can be brittle and might not be so resilient to knocks — like on a dining room chair — but otherwise it gives it a lovely shine.

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