I told you it was coming so here it is! I just finished repainting this little gem of a wooden chest!
I saved him from a Deseret Industries (like Goodwill) trip my husband was taking for his mom and step dad. We were just about to hand it over to a worker when I snatched it up. It's solid wood, after all!
It took me a while to start it, because as you can tell from the pictures, I'm still unpacking and organizing after our move.
I prepped the piece by sanding some areas of imperfection. Didn't do the whole thing! Then I cleaned it and waited for it to dry.
I left the hardware on. I didn't paint them with the chalk paint though. I may spray paint them with Rustoleum in the near future (probably would have worked out better to spray paint those puppies before I painted the wood.) I didn't feel like taking them off. Too much of a hassle.
Used Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue. I was so excited because I loved the furniture I saw in Drab 2 Fab that were painted in this color!
On my last project I thinned out each coat of paint with water. I decided to try this first coat without the water.
I went around the hardware with a brush THIS small. Worked great.
If I needed to take little breaks (and mandatory breaks in between coats) I put my brush with the paint on it in a plastic bag and sealed it. Kept the brush fresh and the paint on it wet.
After the first coat. I decided to do a second.
My husband really liked the look of this paint without the dark wax, but I decided to put the dark wax on anyways, because I really wanted to do some experimenting with it.
After the first coat (the one without the water) I decided to add water to the paint of the second coat, because the first coat was thick and gloppy (if that's a word!) . Upon drying, the first coat left these thick drips that I had to sand off once it was dry. I will always add water to my paint from here on out! Makes a can of paint last longer too!
After the second coat had dried, I decided to take my project out to a room with more natural light so I could see it better. I did some sanding in areas of my choosing to look like it was naturally worn. And I sanded down some brush strokes and drips.
I applied Minwax Polycrylic to the chest, covering all of the paint. After it dried, I sanded the entire surface area with 220 grit sandpaper so that the next coat would have an abrasive surface to hold onto. Then I applied another coat and let it dry. You're supposed to apply three coats but I wax anxious to try the dark wax on the polycrylic.
I applied the dark wax, focusing on filling the crevices and really buffing it in. I let it sit for one day and then buffed the dark wax in some more. After that was dry, I applied the finishing touch...
Guilder's Paste! Love this stuff. This color is German Silver. I probably used more of it on this project than most people. I couldn't get enough of it! I basically highlighted some edges and corners with it to make it really stand out and shine.
I simply used my finger. Didn't seem to go on very well with a rag. This dried almost immediately on the piece.
Visit Gilder's Paste to order on Amazon. I bought mine at Drab-2-Fab in Utah. They have the same color, same brand on Amazon though. Some of the many colors include: Silver, Antique Gold, African Bronze, Patina, Iris Blue, Cream, Bronze, Coral Red, Copper.
There are definitely some imperfections but they give it character! I love it!
I was able to apply the chalk paint, Minwax polycrylic finish, wax and Gilder's paste all in doors. There are no fumes! I recently bought a tarp to use in the future so that I don't have to use our towels anymore. The paint cleans out easily if you by chance get some on the carpet.
It's hard to see the natural color because we only have light coming from one side of our apartment, but you can still see how beautiful it is! I'm so excited about it!!!
My husband and I agreed that the piece looked like children's furniture before I applied the dark wax (nothing wrong with that! It was a beautiful, brighter color). After the dark wax was put on it kind of turned into a more mature piece of furniture, if that makes sense... I definitely can't picture this chest in a child's room but it sure does look great in our living room!
I liked the polycrylic and I know that it will provide better protection (and it was easier to apply), but I have to say I still REALLY like the soft, matte look of the clear wax. The polycrylic definitely gives off a more shiny appearance. Still loved the end result though!
*Tip! Brighter colored pieces tend to look better in rooms that aren't very well lit. They brighten up the room. Darker pieces (like heavily dark- waxed pieces) look better in well lit rooms as they add depth and balance.
Questions?! Leave them in the comments box!
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