Now that you've seen what we can do.....

Let me guess:  You love what you see, but wish you could see and feel it in person?  Or maybe you're having trouble judging exactly what that color will look like, or how it would work with your existing design scheme? 

We understand!  And we've come up with a solution!  In response to the overwhelming demand to be able to experience our colors and finishes in person, we are now offering samples. Now you can see and touch our colors and finishes, delivered to your door.  Here in this listing you may order a real-life piece of our finish or paint-job, that you can hold in your hand, examine, feel, and compare to your own walls and other furniture in the comfort of your own home at little or no charge. Or if seeing a swatch on-screen is enough for you, simply view our selection below.  They are made of solid wood and we paint them or refinish them exactly as we would any restoration or project order for furniture.  A variety of colors, textures, and effects are available.  See below.  And best of all, you can return it!!  No questions asked, no strings attached.  If seeing all our colors and finishes here below is enough, then great!  But if you really have to have it right there before your eyes, now you can!

HERE'S WHAT THEY ARE:  Sample color pallets are made of solid 1/8" thick wood.  We recycle this wood from upscale kitchen cabinetry manufacturers, and as such the exact size may vary slightly, and edges and corners may not be completely square.  Nevertheless, they are beautiful and suitable for framing or use with craft projects or just for decoration. If you do choose to keep them, they make a great little ready-made backing for "welcome" signs or other little wall plaques, or to use for a backing as a picture frame.  Then, if you do order from us, you'll have an accessory that matches your furniture!  The size we use for samples is approximately 5x7".   We have them in mahogany or cherry, and can create them in any of our painted colors or refinishing tones.  If you do not want or need them any longer, simply return them within 30 days of purchase for a refund of your purchase price.  You will only be asked to pay for them if you choose to keep them. When you return them to us, so we can re-use them, your only cost is the postage to send them.  We do not make any $ on this item! That's even if you keep them.  We only break even.  The cost is simply what it costs us to produce them.  They are a customer courtesy to help provide a tangible example of our services prior to your order.   NOTE:  In order for us to process your refund with ebay, if you decide to return them, you will need to send your payment strictly within the 10-day guidelines of a standard auction. 

Currently Available Colors:  (shown below against neutral 15% gray-card)

 WHITES:

Standard Brite-White  (shown above, a plain bright white that appears old)

Heirloom Antique Ivory (just barely off-white or "eggshell")  

Antique EggCream (a more yellowed and "aged" white, for that truly antique creamy feel)

COMPARISON:  The Brite-White typically displays "crisper" than the antique ivory or cream color, and when distressed shows more contrast between the white color and the dark finish underneath.  This can make the wear look more "chippy" and overall the piece will be more dramatic.  It is the brightest white, but has a subtle tone that still appears aged and antique in feel. The effect is that of a Victorian milky white paint that has not yellowed at all over time and still has its original bright coloring.

The Antique EggCream white gives a "softer" appearance that is more relaxing to the eye.  It's more creamy in feel and tone, with a very light amber caste, which also lends to a an older and more authentically antique appearance. It looks like paint that was applied 100 years ago and was left to gently yellow with time.  The wear for the antique white appears a bit subtler than the bright color.  Apart, they look almost the same, both appearing as "white".  When placed together you can easily see the difference:

  On the left is our Antique EggCream, on the right the standard Brite-White.

Can't decide on white??   That's why we now offer a third white, and recently our most popular choice, Antique Heirloom Ivory.   This white is right in between the other two whites.  It is less bright and softer than the brightest white, but is not as amber as the cream color.  Still soft to the eye, but brighter and "more white" than the cream.

  GREENS:

Victorian Moss  (shown above)

Granny Green  (not pictured)  

COMPARISON:  Victorian Moss has a bit more blue in it than the granny color, and appears slightly darker.  It is based on colors used in the very late 19th and early 20th century, and is very Victorian in flavor. The Granny Green is a "newer" color historically, based on the cream-n-green color combo so popular in the late teens and 1920s, and is a paler color.

   A superb example of the difference in greens in these two nite-stands:.  The one at left is an older more Victorian 19th-century style, and we have highlighted that age and simplicity by using the Victorian Moss color, more authentic to the style of the piece, highlighting is simple 19th-century farm origins.  The stand at right was actually made during the same decade, the 1920s, but is a more fanciful 20th century style, which we have highlighted by using the Granny Green, inspired by that era.

 BLUES:

French Blue  (shown above)

Pale Baby Blue (not pictured)  

COMPARISON:  French blue has a very slight tinge of violet, compared to the standard pale baby blue.  Apart they both look blue, but together you can tell the difference. If you look at the listing pics below, where it shows the tiles stacked from the corner, you will see where French blue shows its true color, violet!  Baby blue is just that, plain old pale and soft blue.

PINK, YELLOW, AND RED:

Though we do not currently have photos of these colors as pallets, we do have them available as standard options, and you may still order them as sample pallets to view and touch.  Two shades of red and a very pale are available:

Super-Pale-Pink

Farm-Red (not to be confused with "barn" red) 

Canary-Yellow

Comparison:  The pink shade is a very soft and subtle shade, extremely pale, almost white but obviously pink. No one else will offer this because, again, they can't pull it off! Our competitors' pink ends up looking like antacid!  Not ours- the trick is to make it so subt it is nearly white but is still eye-catching, colorful, and and obvious and true pink.   We do the same with the yellow.  It is very pale, like our pink, but still clearly discernable as yellow. Don't buy the bananas our competitors will offer you!  Ours is a classy and subtle pale canary tone. 

The red is a deep and rich color, more farmy or "ranch" in flavor but with more oomph than barn-red.  For the country sophisticate!  Here are a couple of pieces to illustrate how these shades work:

    Details: from a chest of drawers in Farm-Red, as you can see not so blah as barn, romantic and elegant, but still off the farm!

    And a wall-mirror in Super-Pale-Pink- almost white, but still pink!  Note the difference with the white wall behind.

  BLACK:

Our shabby black is just that, Black!  Most cottage enthusiasts won't use black because they can't pull it off!  It looks too goopy because they buy that cheap latex at the local discount warehouse store (you know the one I mean), and they scuff it 'til it seems gray.  The way to do black is to use a very thin oil-based laquer.  You still do the wear, same as any other cottage distressed piece, and the result is the look of 100-year-old original black lacquer, similar to the black you would see on a Japanned piece or the Eastlake stuff from the Victorian.  A look all its own!

GRAY:  We cannot show you gray because it's much the same as the neutral background here, so please use that as an example on-screen. You may still order pallets painted in gray, but it is too difficult to display here for blending into the background card.

Other Finish Samples:

    Here are some other natural finishes you can also order as pallets.  These are what they look like before we paint them.  Above are light red mahogany, pale cherry, and jet-mahogany.  The dark jet color is nearly black, but not quite.  It differs from our chic black in that it is not distressed, and shows more gradation in shade from the natural tones of the wood.  Many refinishers will not do these super-dark colors because they are difficult to pull off. Not for us! They are our specialty!  Any other natural wood tone you can think of is also available, including several shades of walnut, mahogany, and oak.  You may view our refinished item samples on our store for illustration.  Look for listings that read "Yes, refinish my stuff!".

If you already placed an order for either refinishing or cottage painting, do not bid on this item!  Existing customers may recieve up to 3x sample color pallets at no charge inclusive of their order, provided they return them upon completion.  If, when your order is complete, you choose to keep the color pallets, we would expect you to pay for them at that time, but only if you keep them.  To request samples, simply e-mail or telephone us to let us know how many and what colors and finishes to send you.

If you have not yet placed an order and would like to see these samples prior to ordering, then you may bid on this listing, as many as you choose. Let us know what colors you want to see.  We will send them to you in padded envelopes.  If they are returned within 30 days of your purchase, we will refund your purchase price for each returned pallet.  All you pay is the original postage cost.

Now that you know you can see our finishes in person, shop our store!  To find a piece to refinish or paint in our store, simply browse our categories, or search this category for proposals:

Click here to search for PROJECT PROPOSALS

Check out my other items!  to look for pieces to have refinished or painted.

ABOUT OUR FINE FINISHING CRAFTSMANSHIP:  We have many years of experience and are skilled craftsman with excellent attention to detail in the professional restoration and refinishing of fine furniture. We make every effort to produce finishes that are thorough and authentic to the items we restore in quality, texture, and color. **ACCEPT NO SUBSTITUTE!**  This is not do-it-yourselfer work, but rather a professional quality oil-based finish. Virtually any color is available, whether light, dark, or in between, for any wood- oak, walnut, mahogany, pine, cherry, etc. Finishes are smooth and durable with no brush marks, streaks, or drips. We apply multiple coats in a multiple step process involving one of a variety of materials which are typically chosen based on what's authentic to the piece and appropriate for its intended use, or by customer request. We cater texture to the desires of our customers as well- from satin to semi-gloss to high-gloss and varying degrees in between. We do not ruin wood by course-sanding old finishes during the removal process, like most of our competitors would do. Great care is taken in properly removing an old varnish or painted coat so as to retain the integrity of the wood and crispness of detail. This listing is for a standard restoration project of the specified size and does not include paint-stripping or cabinetry, carving, or veneer repairs, all of which can be provided at small additional cost.  We specialize in difficult finishes that other dealers and restorers won't even touch, including extremely dark finishes, tinted finishes and gradated finishes, antique-oiled finishes, and color-match touch-ups, and are well-known for excellent quality craftsmanship. Our pieces have even been used in restaurants and bed&breakfasts around the country, and on a couple occasions in local history museums. Whether for home use or commercial, you have our guarantee of a professional and high-quality end product.  You may order just one for an accent piece, or multiple items enough to furnish your whole room or business!  And please check our other offers in this category as other peices are available, both already finished as well as custom orders to your own specification.

Where else can you get your piece refinished or cottage-painted to specification?

.....only at KITSCH-N-KABOODLE!!!