Friday 23 August 2013

One Dresser - Two Different Ways


In a previous post (here) I talked about how lucky I felt when I found a particular dresser that had slipped through my fingers a few months previous.  I painted it up in a teal/turquoise with lots of highlighting and distressing and I was so happy with it!


 Fast forward a short two weeks later and I couldn’t believe my luck when I found the same dresser again!  ‘Woop-Woop’ I wailed at my good fortune.  ‘Raw-Raw’ I cheered at the reasonable price.  I picked it up and soon found a person who wanted to provide it with a loving home.


She decided she wanted it painted in pure white to pop off a textured gray wall she had, and although that would not have been my initial choice (you know how I love those blues and greens!) I have to say, that I think it looks incredibly elegant and chic.  The raised and recessed detailing capture the shadows and play with the light so much, that it wasn’t necessary to highlight with another colour.


It took a lot of primer and paint for coverage though (one of the pitfalls of white).  After sanding really well, I primed using Zinsser Cover Stain because it has great adhesion.  I then topped with Dulux Diamond in pure white (my go-to paint).  I used a satin finish as I prefer a lower sheen on my white furniture (apart from factory finished furniture – in that case I love super glossy).


On my previous piece I buffed up the hardware to a soft gold using a sanding block.  The future mother of this baby-girl was more partial to silver though, so I decided to use spray paint.  


I am going to detail the steps I took in a separate post, but to be brief, I scuffed up the hardware with sandpaper, sprayed with Krylon Metalic silver, and then topped it with black glaze to age it up. I then sealed it in with a spray sealer.  Im very happy with the result.



One downside of this dresser was that she was a little on the short side – she only stood a meagre 30” tall.  So like the other turquoise one I painted, we decided to custom add a cute pair of stilettos to this girl – enter Mr. Chuckles for some expert help. 




I sourced a pair of vintage legs, and repeated the same process as I did on the dresser – sand, prime, paint, seal and we attached them using brackets.  The height makes all the difference in the world in my opinion!  I love legs on dressers, and have added them to many now.  It’s a fair bit of work, but the result is so worth it!


7 comments:

  1. I am in love with this. The way you refinished the hardware is stunning! Just Beautiful.

    Kelsey @ White Cottage Boutique

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  2. Can you provide more info regarding the black glaze over the silver paint on the hardware. Is the glaze sprayed on, brushed on - how is it applied? What type of clear coat did you use; Matte, Satin, Gloss?

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  3. Hi sure. After I cleaned and spraypainted the hardware siliver, I brushed on a black glaze and wiped it off with a cloth until there was just a subtle smearing. I also left some darker areas in the creases. After the glaze fully dried I topcoated for protection with a spray on clear coat in a satin finish.

    Hope that helps

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  4. Can you show me the can or bottle of the black glaze you applied?

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  5. I saw this blog a few days ago and was inspired to find one of these 70's chunky ornate dressers to refinish in a glossy vibrant grass green colour. So off I went to my local Salvation Army to see what I could dig up. To my surprise I found this exact same dresser!!!! I practically tripped over myself rushing to the cash register so no one else would get it first! Sadly, I had to leave the rest of the suite behind, but hopefully they find good homes.

    I love that you added those legs and agree they make the piece look better. Are they strong enough to support all that heavy weight?

    Can't wait to get the paint sprayer out and am going to try the Diamond Dulux paint you recommended. I'm going to polish up that gorgeous hardware and leave it in it's original brass finish.

    Thanks for the inspiration!!

    ReplyDelete