Black Dog Salvage debuts a new product line.
The guys behind Roanoke’s black Dog Salvage have a knack for transforming lackluster items into something grand—a broken Singer piano into a snazzy wine bar or Old Navy clothing racks into a set of stylish midcentury modern-inspired chairs. Since opening their architectural salvage shop in 1999, and with the creation of their reality television show Salvage Dawgs on the DIY Network in 2012, their radical and ingenious projects have captured audiences across the country.
Up next for Black Dog is the launch of its very own line of products. Teaming up with national retailer Woodcraft, Black Dog has created a line of furniture paint to rehabilitate pieces and give them an entirely new look. “It’s something we have been working on for well over a year now,” co-owner Mike Whiteside (pictured above, second from left)says of the paint, which debuts in March.
After selling other furniture paint brands in their Roanoke store, and seeing the fad take off, Whiteside, with co-owner Robert Kulp (far left), decided to develop their own line. “It was flying off the shelves,” recalls Whiteside. “So, we identified the market and started creating the product.”
The quirky business partners and their crew have a sense of humor, so each of the 15 paint colors has a cheeky name, like “That’s Gonna Leave A Mark,” which is purple like a bruise, or “I Need A Band-Aid,” which is blood red. Two tough acrylic polyurethane top coats (matte and satin) are dubbed “Guard Dog.”
“We played with words and had fun with it,” says Whiteside. And, of course, the black paint is their namesake “Black Dog.” (Their branding is always spot on.) “This is just an extension of the Black Dog experience,” says Whiteside. “It’s a goof, and it’s fun, but it’s also serious.”
Along with the launch of the paint line, Black Dog will host furniture-painting workshops at the Roanoke store, where they will teach customers how to mix and apply the paint. And the company will be rolling out complementary accessories like special paintbrushes and stencils as well.
“We’re kind of shameless when it comes to marketing our products,” Whiteside says, with a laugh. “We have been using the paint on the show.” Tune into Salvage Dawgs Season 5 to see the guys using the paint on their upcycling and repurposing projects, and to inspire your next do-it-yourself project. $32.99 per quart. BlackDogSalvage.com
