Old White Dresser

I promised you I would get my next two projects posted on here as soon as I could, so here they are! Well, the first one, anyway.

 

 

I've been working on two projects simultaneously, for weeks, now! The piano and the dresser. The piano is taking quite some time, but I did complete the dresser. I love it!

 

 

How did I do it? Well, funny you should ask...

I keep forgetting to do official “before” photos. I apologize profusely! I do have some semi- before pics. But basically this was a solid wood dresser that I had been using. I’m not sure what kind of wood it is but it is very well made. The drawer joints are even dove tail joints which is usually a sure sign that a piece is well made.

*Remember, this paint is very washable. That's why I feel confident just putting flattened boxes down over the carpet and doing it on the boxes. There's also no fumes, which is a huge plus.

 

I bought this dresser off of KSL (which is like Craig’s List, but it’s only in Utah and Idaho) a few years ago for, I believe, about $100.  It had a stain color that had an orange undertone. I do appreciate the warmth factor but it was a little to orange for my liking. However, my husband really liked the color. It was just way too tempting to paint it though. And we had another dresser in storage that I was wanting to use for my clothes anyway, so I no longer needed the orange-ish one.

Supplies Needed:

-          Paint brush (synthetic bristles)

-          Paint (I used Annie Sloan’s Old White chalk paint)

-          Water in a cup

-          Paper bowl for paint

-          Low grit sandpaper

-          Rags (no terry cloth!)

-          Old socks

-          Polycrylic Finish

-          Java Stain and Top Coat (Apparently these two products are ONLY available on Amazon)

-          Flattened large boxes

 

1. Lay the flattened boxes down on the floor and put your project on them to protect your floor from the mess. Use sandpaper  to remove troublesome spots. For example: scratches or rough spots. You do not need to sand the entire piece! (one of the joys of Chalk paint). Then use a damp rag to clean the entire dresser and remove the dust. 

2. Remove the drawers from the dresser and unscrew the handles. Store the handles and screw in a plastic bag.

3. Line the top part of the dresser with painting tape so you don’t get the white paint on the top of the dresser where the stain will be. Pour some Old White paint into the bowl. Put some water into the paint to the point where the paint is not too thick or “gloppy”.  Paint the body of the dresser. Make sure to pick up drips with your paint brush she you don’t have to sand those down once it’s dried. This specific project required 3 coats. The number of coats will be dependent upon the underlying color of the original piece and how much water you put into your chalk paint.

4. Paint the fronts of each drawer. Again, I did 3 coats. Wait for the coats on the body of the dresser and the drawers to dry completely.

One coat

3 Coats

5. Apply two coats of the polycrylic finish over the dried paint on the body and the drawers of the dresser. Follow the directions on the polycrylic can.

5. Remove the legs of the dresser if you can (some of them are not removable. In that case, just turn the dresser on its side and put the painting tape  around each leg, covering the already painted areas).

 On your dominant hand, put a plastic bag around it, then put an old sock on over that. Stir the Java stain and dip your sock hand into it (this will be a pudding like consistency). Apply the stain on to the legs with the sock, in a thin layer (if you do too thick of a coat it will look black. If you want it to look black, then go for it). Smooth out any “glops” or weird lines or drips. Your goal is to make the layer as smooth as possible.  Let those legs sit out to dry (this stain has somewhat of a strong smell. Open a window or wear a medical mask). However, it's not very smelly.

 

 

6.  Tape up the painted area at the top of the dresser to protect your white paint from the stain. Again, dip your sock hand into the stain and apply the stain to the top surface of the dresser.  Keep the coat as thin as you can, while keeping in mind how dark you want it to be.

 

 

7. When the legs and top surface of dresser have dried, apply the Satin top Coat. I believe the directions on the can suggest two coats. Let those dry.

 

 

8. Screw the legs of the dresser back on. Screw the handles back on to the drawers (You can purchase new ones at places like Hobby Lobby, but these were uniquely designed handles, so I had to use these ones. You can also spray paint your handles using combined paint and primer spray paint). I ended up spray painting mine

This was the end result!

To spray paint them: Clean them really well, place them in a box. Outside, spray them about 2 or three times, waiting about five minutes between each coat.

I used Oil Rusted Bronze Paint and Primer in one. Purchased at Home Depot.

 

 

You’re done!!! 6 easy steps!!

I loved the way this sweet baby turned out. I’m really loving this Old White color.

 

 

*Some things that I learned from this project and past Old White projects: I prefer the way the final color looks when I use the Clear Wax on the Old White Paint. However, the polycrylic is necessary to use on pieces that will receive a lot of wear and tear. So you have to sacrifice either the exact preferred color or level of protection it receives. The white doesn’t look bad with the polycrylic over it, but I do prefer the way the white looks with the clear wax over it. I have put the polycrylic over other colors of chalk paint (like Duck Egg Blue) and I really liked the resulting color.

 

Good Luck!!