Chalk paint Dresser

This weekend I decided to try my hand at something new.  I've had this old dresser for about six months now that I bought really cheap at a local shop  that carries everything used. When I say everything I mean everything.  It's my first stop whenever I need something because I think reusing someones previously loved item is always better  than going new .

This is what the dresser looked like before I started working on it. The top was completely scratched and banged up. It had different colours of paint spilled on it and it actually looked like it had been used as a worktable in someones garage.

It was a well made wood piece and was really solid. All the drawers worked good with little sticking. It was the perfect piece of furniture for a makeover.

I've been seeing a ton of before and afters recently that were done with chalk paint that looked really nice.  I decided to make my own chalk paint because one..it's really expensive and two... I just had to see if it would work. 
I had a part can of latex paint leftover from a previous project and to this I added  some plaster of paris mixed with water. I shook it all together in a large jar and I had my own chalk paint. Too easy.

I started by taking out all the drawers and washing everything down with some vinegar and water. Then I used a palm sander to remove a little of the flaking varnish that was on the top and the fronts of the drawers. Apparently you don't need to sand or prime when you use chalk paint but this dresser actually had loose flaking bits. I only sanded where it was absolutely necessary.


Once it was cleaned up I  painted all the pieces.  I was really surprised at how good the paint covered. The whole thing only needed a couple of coats and it dried really fast so I could keep working without waiting for pieces to dry.




I decided to paint the back as well so it wouldn't always have to be pushed tight against the wall. 







The piece needed some distressing to get the pretty shabby chic look I was going for so I got the sandpaper and started taking off   some of the paint on the drawer fronts and a few spots on the top. 





Once I was  happy with it I added a finishing coat.  For this I used Minwax finishing paste wax.  There are 2 coats overall and a third coat on the top. It added a really nice soft shiny look.

Next I couldn't decide what to do with the hardware.  I looked at some new handles but couldn't find anything like the original ones so I bought some spray paint and thought I'd refinish them. 
I started cleaning them up  with some sandpaper and realized they were really pretty brass. No way was I painting over them.

 
 
 
 
 
This picture shows what the handles looked like before and then after I spent a good amount of time with a sandpaper sponge taking off all the gunge.  What a transformation. I was well worth the effort though, nothing else would have looked this good.

I love how the dresser looks now that it is all finished, and now that I'm done I don't know why I was afraid to try this before. I rate this a complete success, in fact I think the chalk paint is my new favorite thing.

 

 

 

Bye for now and have a great day everyone.