Another TWO-TONED MCM Dresser!

Here is my latest installment.  I was lucky to find a few great condition MCM pieces recently!  My garage is currently struggling to contain them all (lucky me!).

I love a great two-tone look, so I decided to do it again on this lovely six-drawer.

I gave the entire body a really good sand, and then put on two coats of primer, before painting on 3-4 coats of off-white.

I use a satin sheen, as I am not a fan of glossy paint.  I used some clear wax to protect and add an extra layer of durability.

For the drawer facings, I sanded them down and topped them with some walnut stain for a great contrasting and contemporary look.

I really love the handles on this piece.  I had a chance to pick up the matching tallboy at a steal, but I hesitated because the condition was a bit drabby-drab.  I might sneak back and see if it is still available though...  

Stay tuned for some more MCM transformations, and maybe some colour too!  Its time for a dose of turquoise!

A Tall Frenchman in Green

This dapper dresser was in dire need of some love when I picked him up. 

He belonged to a young girl who had a fascination with graffiti, named Brittany.  I know this, because she practiced those graffiti skills all over this poor dresser. My powers of deduction tell me Brittany liked The Back Street Boys, was in love with a boy named Brandon, and the stickers plastered all over the side indicate she enjoyed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

 Needless to say, a lot of prep work was involved in making a blank canvas and undoing some of Brittany’s, (ahem), art skills. 

 I had mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to paint in green.  I custom mixed up this colour and admit that I tweaked it a bit with each additional coat to get a shade I was happy with. It was a bit of an evolving process to get the tone just right (not too bright, not too rustic) It reminds me a little bit of ASCP 'Florence'.

I topped with a touch of black glaze and did a light distressing because I felt it needed to be ‘aged’ up just a touch.

Here is a glimpse of just some of the creative flair young Brittany possessed.

Pair of Two-Toned MCM Beauties!

I picked up this beautiful pair of dressers from a very kind gentleman who was moving out of town to be closer to his girlfriend.  He decided to sell up most of his stuff prior to leaving.  I love MCM pieces (doesn’t everyone?) and jumped at the chance to pick up these two beauties. 

First up is the six-drawer which features two drawers with horizontal trim and four drawers with vertical trim for a nice contrast.  I also love the little white piece which separates the bottom drawer halves. 

 They were in very good ‘vintage condition’ already, but the tops and sides had some markings.  Because of this I decided to do a two-tone look which I have done previously (here).  I used an off-white as I find a pure white a bit to stark next to the warmth of the wood.

I removed the drawers and sanded the body of the dresser, I also removed the feet in order to sand and paint them too. I primed first and then did about four coats of white paint (any wonder why I hate painting in white?).  But it was worth it, because I love how good the off-white looks with the walnut drawers.

The drawers were in very good shape with just a few small markings here and there, however, they had a real 70s glossy finish on them.  I decided to lightly sand back the drawer facings to remove that shine, and then do a light coat of gel stain in dark walnut. 

The gel stain didn’t really change the colour much, but the finish is a lot flatter and more contemporary looking now. 

I love the ribbed detailing on the drawer facings, much more unique than just a straight type of panel.

Next up is a frenchy dresser in (what I hope) will be a lovely shade of green!  Have a great weekend.

'Many Coats of Red' Dresser

This dresser was a beast to finish.  Oh my word.  It was very average when I picked her up.  Short (having no legs), and bland.  Just a boring old ‘forget-me-please’ waterfall dresser.  It was free though, so I was determined to jazz her up.

I started by adding the legs, first I added these big chunky blocky type legs, but they stuck out too far on the sides and back, so I traded for these more delicate ones.  I then (with the help of Mr. Chuckles) added the trim on the bottom to cover up the annoying trademark waterfall dresser curve.  Lastly I filled all the holes as I knew I was going to add lots of knobs.

Ok, time to start painting.  I tested my paint, and as I feared it went on like stain (next to no coverage)  I use Dulux Diamond because it dries rock hard and has great adhesion, but Im beginning to realize that in their darker colours, the coverage is pretty paltry. If I wanted stain, Id buy stain.

So I decided to prime with a darker colour.  I custom mixed up some primer first in red (but it looked too pink), so I added some gray and it created a sort of purple/gray colour. It’ll do I thought.  The problem was that when it dried it was actually quite dark.  Consequently my ‘red’ paint when on looking more like burgundy due to the dark primer lurking underneath. 

  
In the end it took about 5 coats of red paint plus the coat of primer.  That makes for a sore wrist.  I topped her off with some black glaze and finished her up with a good sand/distressing and a coat of poly.   I think she turned out pretty well considering where she started from, but lordy, Im doubtful I will use up the rest of that red paint anytime soon.

Below is the before, you'll notice she is doing a headstand.