A little history for this dresser ... It was given to Alan by his Grandma, who bought it for him at the local thrift store, when he moved out on his own. It was the nicest dresser he's every laid his clothes in. It's in awesome shape and honestly, what a steal this dresser was!
Needless to say, he TOTALLY OPPOSED the painting, distressing, antiquing, anything that I wanted to do to it! This is the man that has NEVER disputed a decorating scheme, in all our almost 12 years together! So I approached it nicely, he still didn't want me to....
Soooooooo.....
This is me! I'm like a 5 year old. Being told no or not to touch, makes me want to do it even more, I'm also a little competitive ... I REALLY have to OUT DO myself with this dresser! Truth be told, he and I both know, I wanted to do, it was going to be done!!!
ANNNND IT ROCKS! I have taken every picture imaginable for those out there that have NEVER done one. I can tell you that I was a NERVOUS wreck! This is my first "re-done" furniture on my own or without being half-assed, I've never distressed or antiqued a thing ... and I'm a crafty girl!
LET'S get YOU STARTED!!!!
From the start....
- dresser
- electric sander
- 120 grit sand paper for the sander
- Finishing sanding block or use paper from electric (I used both)
- Rags and rags! Old t-shirts work great too
- Drop Cloth, if needed
- Container to store hardware in
- Good paint brush (one you don't want ruined)
- Cheap paint brush (for the stain and glaze - ruins and stiffens bristles)
- Bonding Primer - making sure to purchase the "best for glossy surfaces"
- Paint (I used standard latex, like what I paint my walls with, satin finish)
- Wood Stain (light or dark, I chose dark because I plan to paint the room darker)
- Clear Mixing Glaze (I purchased mine at Lowe's, I'm sure Home Depot has a brand also)
- Paste Finishing Wax- Spray paint (for the handles; either for metal or wood .. most come adheasive to either)
- Cheap container for mixing glaze and stain
Let's GO!
(1) Start by taking each drawer out and removing the hardware. Remember to put the hardware in a container as you take it out, it's very easy lose pieces and parts - I've done this numerous times with other projects.
(3) Take your finishing sanding block or paper and scuff the edges and creases where the electric sander can't reach.
(4) Wipe down and then wipe down again! Key ingredient is to make sure that you're starting with a clean surface, this helps to make it smooth!! AND I used a plain rag but I got it damp, this helps grab the little dust.
(5) Start the primer! I brushed the primer on with my good brush - as you can see...
(6) Do a light sand. This helps smooth your brush strokes.
(7) Wipe down, again.
(9) Light sand again. Wiping down after. Should be smoother than a baby's bum!
(10) Get the paint on! I used my good brush again. I took care to make sure that the coat was covered evenly, brush stokes were going the way of the grain in wood. Patience, I said that right?
(11) Here's the crazy ... One of Alan's many chief complaints was that it wouldn't be smooth and it would be "brushy". So I SANDED again. This was seriously a quick little run over. WIPE down after!
(12) Apply your last coat of paint! Again, keeping the stokes and paint applied even with the wood.
You should be starting to feel proud!
(13) DISTRESS that baby! I took the electric sander to it! Little hard to sand something crazy, when you've just spent HOURS making it perfect! Here's my "how I distressed", I took the sander to any where it would go. I got crazy in some parts, leaving some just for the edges. If the electric sander couldn't sand it down, I didn't touch it further. I think this process is having a open mind and just going with it!
(14) Wipe off the sand dust for the LAST TIME!
(15) Test it out! Put your drawers back in their places, step back and look. I noticed the top was sanded more than the bottom half. So I sanded more on the drawer as opposed to the actual dresser. If you love it, take the drawers back out.
(16) Prepare the glaze. There's really no science behind this. I dumped enough glaze that I thought would cover the dresser, adding a little stain. This was probably three to one ratio; three being the glaze. Next time, I would add more stain, I wanted it a little darker ...
(17) After it's mixed, paint like crazy! I didn't know what the hell I was doing, so I painted a section to see what happened. Turns out the glaze takes a while to dry. You could probably apply it to the entire dresser, then come back to wipe off. I also found that I DID NOT want the antique look over ALL the surface. I only wanted the antiqued look on the edges and creases. So I found that only brushing where I wanted it, was enough. I only let it sit for 10 minutes or so.
(18) Make it perfect! I found that getting the rag damp on one side helped. If I didn't want it antiqued, I just wiped it off. I will not lie when I say I rinsed my rag out A LOT. It really works the way you make it. If you lightly brush over, it lightly takes it off. If the rag is damp and you don't like it, wipe hard and it comes off. If you want in between, make it happen. I was truly impressed with the glaze!
(19) After it's COMPLETELY dried, I took the extra step to add wax. Prevention from peeling and the "I told you so". Rub on and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then just wipe off excess.
(20) The extra step! Chief Complaint #105, when Alan opens his drawers, the wood inside will not match the outside! SERIOUSLY!!?? So... I painted the inside and outside edges (that show when drawers are out) a dark brown that will also match our room. It looks even more FAB, if I say myself!
HARDWARE ... You would be surprised how many people have asked me where I got the hardware - I was going to buy new and my cousin reminded me that it can get expensive. Especially for cute and two pieces per drawer! So Cheaper does it!
(21) Quickly wipe the hardware down
(22) My handles "move". I laid them down flat, flipping the handle pieces that move, upside down. I sprayed two coats. Let dry
(23) Flip the handle right side facing and spray again. Make sure you're moving around the handles. It may look covered if you're looking at them from the bottom, the top might not be painted.
(24) Call EVERYONE and tell them how wonderful your dresser turned out!
I was so proud of myself that instead of making me sick to my stomach with prep work, I've actually started ANOTHER project - in the making!!!!!
I took my precious time to make sure there would be no regrets in a few months. I think you'd be surprised how taking an extra hour or two, may change it a lot! Pick a weekend!
Oh and Alan, he's "coming" around to it. "It's better than I ever pictured it'd be", I guess my work here is done! BAM!
I hope this helps you!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment