The Perfect Color for a Craig's List Dresser

I am in love with those adorable french provincial dressers. The flourishy handles are what really get my heart pounding.

When I saw this dresser on Craig's List for $35 dollars, I pounced!

 Disclaimer: I stole this picture from the previous owner's Craig's List Ad.

Oooo baby, don't you just love that faux gold outlined accents and off white laminate top. Yes, I said laminate. But I wasn't afraid of it. For $35 who cares if it gets messed up. If you never take the risk, you'll never learn anything new, right?!

The drawers were still in good shape, but a little loose around the joints, so I squirted my new favorite Gorilla Glue into the joints and clamped lassoed them up!

Then I used newspaper to protect any of the areas I didn't want sprayed.

After sanding all the surfaces to rough them up, I put a coat of primer on everything. Loving that crisp clean white, but the dresser told me to "Keep Calm and Carry On."  So, I cooperated and continued on to another color.

Next, I sprayed Rustoleum Heirloom White and distressed the surface with a wood stain.

The drawer pulls got their own treatment of automotive primer followed by Oil Rubbed Bronze paint. Thank goodness they were happy with their new color because – I'm telling you – that dresser was certainly acting like a diva! She was still demanding a new color.

I have seen many Nantucket Fog makeovers and decided to make a run to Ace Hardware to pick up a small sample of that blue gray color. And I grabbed a can of artistic glaze.

After two coats of the Nantucket Fog glaze, that little dresser still wanted something else. Sheesh! So I pulled out some leftover blue paint from my dormer window shutters.

Finally, she shut up! It's a good thing too, because I LOVE this color. I love it so much that I hauled my tired hiney back over to Ace to match the color just for you.

Does anyone else get starry eyed and entranced by all these fabulous colors?

The closest match is Buxom Blue from Benjamin Moore. Not too far off from Nantucket Fog, but you know those divas they want what they want!

Now, all important divas need something to wear that gets them noticed. Thus, I decoupaged some wrapping paper on the side (tutorial is here.)

And then because I liked the pattern so much, I blew it up and added it to two corners of the dresser top (tutorial for adding a sharpie stencil.)

I added some beachy blue glaze over the wrapping paper and the top graphic.

And I have to tell you that – halleluiah – I finally figured out the proper technique when using the valspar glazes (the tutorial is here.)

I finished up with three coats of a semi-gloss polyurethane.

And here is that stunningly beautiful diva of a dresser. Transformed from Cinderella to the Belle of the ball!

Isn't it amazing what a little oil rubbed bronze can do!

 

 Hard to believe this was wrapping paper in a previous life!

 Peek-a-boo I see a cute stencil.

Now, I have to convince Pretty Handsome Guy that our master bedroom furniture doesn't have to be all matchy matchy!

 Because I LOVE our Pottery Barn Sleigh Bed. 

But not the matching dresser.

 I love the new-old dresser! What do you think?

Any helpful hints on using Jedi mind tricks on unsuspecting Pretty Handsome Guy?

Entered into the:

Painted Chair for the Dormer Window

Thank you all so much for your comments and suggestions about the little white chair that sat next to our dormer window. I ultimately decided to distress the heck out of it and add some handpainted flowers. Then sanded over the painting and finished it off with 2 coats of polyurethane.

This is the before picture.

And here are the after pictures, I hope you like the results!

 

Close up of the seat.

Some readers also thought a little throw blanket might be cute hanging over the back of the chair. I am going to keep my eyes peeled for one. So, what color should I look for? Blue? White? Yellow? or Orange?

Sharing this project at these link parties:

Between Naps on the Porch - Metamorphosis Mondays
Skip to My Lou - Made by You Monday 
Mad in Crafts - Mad Skills Party 

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

All Thingz Related - Anything Related Tuesday

Creating a House of Grace - Twice Owned Tuesday

Aging is so Distressing - Techniques for Antiquing Furniture

Well, despite the fact that I am starting to feel my age, this post is actually about achieving that well worn, loved, aged and antique look on furniture and decor items.

Check out the beautiful sights (some from the Painted Cottage, take the tour here):

Weathered paint worn thin and rubbed off.

Aren't these layers of paint, scratches and wear marks art to your eyes?

Nothing shows character like chipping paint and multiple revealed layers on metal.

or paint splotches on an old ladder.

And you can't forget rust, love that beautiful brown patina!

I have been experimenting with several techniques to add age to "newer" pieces of furniture.

Throwing the chain in:
These are some of my favorite distressing tools:

Throwing a chain at wood gives you those elliptical dents. And, I like to drag the sharp edges of a pry bar across wood to give it some deep grooves. Finally a few random hammer marks here and there finish off the worn look.

 This is the exact same technique I used on my mudroom bench.

Sanding through the years:
The easiest way to add some age and expose layers of paint is to pull out a power sander. I use 150 grit sand paper (but use whatever you have on hand). Then go to town on the furniture, a good example of this can be seen on my Trashy Coffee Table.

My table was previously painted white, I added a beachy blue layer of paint on top of the white. You could always add another layer if you want more colors showing through. I sand beyond the layers of paint down to the bare wood in spots. The challenge with a new piece of wood is that it lacks the deeper darker color tone of antique lumber. When I exposed the wood, it looked blonde and – well – brand spankin' new.  As opposed to some old rustic wood that has aged to a deep rust color or furniture that has been previously stained.

Faking age with stain:
I have a trick up my sleeve for creating those darker wood tones in seconds!
Simply paint some wood stain onto those blond wood spots. And wipe off immediately. If you desire darker wood, re-apply.

I prefer the Minwax Red Mahogany, but another dark color stain would work just as well.

Darker wood showing through adds instant age.

Staining Tea Stains:
You can also use the same stain to give your object a "tea stain". Take this antique gold 80's mirror for example.

I spray painted the frame Rustoleum's Heirloom White. And used Oil Rubbed Bronze for the inside decorative design.

Then, I hand sanded some of the edges to expose the stained wood beneath.

Next, I use a dry brush technique* to brush on the stain and then wipe the excess off immediately. *Keep your brush dry by dipping in the stain and wipe off your brush on a rag before using it.

It is important to use a dry streaky brush. The rattier the brush the better because anywhere the stain lands is where it will remain.

The end results are pretty tea stains and peek-a-boo dark wood below.

A totally new look for a sad 80's mirror.

Glazing the surface:

Did the permanency of the tea stains scare you? Well, have no fear. One of the most forgiving ways to give your object an antique tone is to use a glaze.

I recently tried some glazes by Valspar. This is the mocha glaze.

You simply brush on the glaze, again use a ratty almost dry brush.

The glaze stays wet and can be almost completely wiped off immediately. Therefore you need to either let it dry a little or wipe very gently.

Here is a peek at the mocha glaze on my coffee table legs:

Wipe on...

...Wax off (err, I mean dab off).
Sorry Mr. Miyagi. No wax off today.

I made sure to push more glaze into the gouges and crevices to show off the details.

Using the Valspar Asphaltum glaze ( use the same technique of wiping on and blotting off), gives you more gray tones and gave this picture frame a dirty distressed look:

It may take a while to build up the glazing. But, you can end up with a decent final result. Not my favorite aging technique, but is is very forgiving if you are new to glazing.


A spattering of interest:
Another technique I like is adding stain spatters. This is easy enough to do, but if you aren't wearing protective clothing you might get some freckles added to your body.

Dip your brush into the stain and wipe off any excess. Then gently tap the brush on a stick or handle of something sturdy. A large screwdriver or other solid object works well. This time I didn't wipe the stain off. I let it dry a little then dabbed up the excess.

With these techniques, you can turn a plain painted side table from this:

To a more sophisticated antiqued older sister:

 

Final Coating:
Once you have achieved the antiqued look you like, be sure to put a protective coating of polyurethane over the whole object. I like to use an old can of oil based polyurethane that has already started to yellow. This added the perfect age to my coffee table. (If you use new oil based poly, it will yellow in a few years time.) If you don't like the yellowing effect, stick to the water-based polyurethane.

Now, don't be distressed, grab some sandpaper and a brush and give your furniture an age boost!

Spice turn table turned rustic! Chalkboard lids tutorial here.