Small business feature: Vintage Paints and Plasters

Photo from vintagepaintsandplasters.com/gallery

By Mary Gadberry,

January 25, 2024 – If you want your vintage home to have the appropriate vintage finishes, or you just like the style, look no further than Vintage Paints and Plasters here in Clovis.

Tom Terranova has nearly 50 years’ experience as a painting contractor, and he specializes in those beautiful wall and furniture finishes we usually only see on TV. His store and studio are located at 1050 San Jose, Suite 106, on the corner of Cole and San Jose.

In addition to the studio and furniture store, Tom offers classes to teach these finishing techniques for both furniture and walls so those techniques will not be lost.

He developed an interest in the faux wall finishes and textures that were popular in the 1990’s, and quickly refined his technique. He kept up with every design trend, and attended an Annie Sloan workshop in San Francisco in 2012 where he learned new techniques using her chalk paint.

His interest quickly grew, based on the finishes he had seen in Europe, and he started researching the different mineral-based paints to determine which paint is best for which application, and which companies had the products he needed for a project.

Tom learned, for example, that there is a company that uses organic products, and that for cabinet and furniture refinishing, milk paint is much better than chalk paint.

Tom’s studio carries many of the products you would need to recreate the look you want, whether on an entryway table or an entire kitchen. He has taken several classes given by Joanna Gaines and can recreate the Magnolia Table look for you, or teach you how to do it yourself through one of his classes.

He is factory trained and certified by the following companies: Faux Effects, CeCe Caldwell’s, General Finishes, Chalk & Clay Paints, and American Clay Plasters. He is also certified to teach the correct applications, and believes that training is essential in order to successfully use the product.

The furniture store, located behind the studio, is a fascinating mix of antique and repurposed furniture, ceramic knick-knacks, with some of Tom’s original creations that show some of the techniques with which he’s familiar.

One of the pieces he has uses a grandfather clock cabinet as a wine rack, and another is a vintage wooden radio case turned into a bar. He says he didn’t start out to start a furniture store, but he had furniture he’d inherited that no one wanted, so he started repurposing, refinishing, and reselling, and the business has grown from there.

Tom’s years of experience and his expertise with the various finishes, whether you want an ombre or a stencil, is evident in his work. Vintage Paints and Plasters can be found online at www.vintagepaintsandplasters.com, while The Furniture Reform School can be located at www.thefurniturereformschool.com.

You can email Tom at tom@theurbanedge.net, and their phone number is (559) 281- 1834.