Sometimes makeovers don't turn out how you envisioned them. They kind of take you in another direction. Not worse, or better, just different than what the picture was in your head. This was one of those projects.
I had planned on going thrifting and finding a dresser I could refinish for the room makeover I did for my cute neighbor boy. After talking to my neighbor, she said she had one already that we could use. I later found out that it her husband's dresser when he was growing up. That made me want to use this dresser even more :)
I had planned on stripping the paint and staining it but ended up doing this.
When working with pieces that have old paint, always do a lead paint test. The kits are inexpensive and easy to use.
Lead Test Kit (affiliate)
When I starting stripping off the paint, I noticed two things. One, there were a lot of places where there had been damage filled in with putty and some damaged that never was fixed. I started to realize that staining it was not going to be a good option since the putty used was not stainable. The other thing I noticed was that since the first layer of paint was white, and it left a white washed look that I really grew to like.
There are two ways I like to strip paint. One is the heat gun method and if I used a stripper, I always use the Citristrip gel.
Heat Gun with scraping tools (affiliate) Citrus Paint Stripper (affiliate)
After stripping the paint off the dresser, which took two days, I was not as thrilled with the idea of stripping the drawer fronts. This happened one of the weeks we had a heat wave of well over 100 degrees. I also worried if that would be too much of the white washed look. I decided to paint the drawer fronts black. I used chalkboard paint because it is matte and also so my neighbor could label the drawers.
Chalkboard Spray Paint (affiliate)
After stripping the dresser of the paint I scrubbed it clean with soapy water and the hose. Then after it had dried I sanded and sanded. I wiped the dust off with a damp cloth.
Before adding the chalk to the drawer fronts it was a bit to contrast-y. The chalk dust softened it and makes it work.
Have you ever had a project take an unexpected turn?
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great makeover love it. Lead paint can be so dangerous and we may not even realize that something has lead paint. So glad there is a test for it
Is that actual chalk dust, or white paint?
On the black drawer fronts? It is chalk dust :)
Love a good makeover and this is fantastic - natural wood is the BEST - just my opinion.
I use to strip paint off furniture when I was younger - oh it took forever but the reward was so great!
A very nice makeover - the idea of the chalkboard fronts is brilliant. Love it!
I love how it turned out! That whitewashed wood with the chalkboard black really pops.
I love your dresser re-do. I think I might have to try this. Thank you for the inspiration. Have a great day!
I like the result. Did you put any kind of finish over the main part - or just leave it bare wood?
As of right now no. I worry if I do the wood part will darken and it will look like an animal print! I'm still toying with different ideas.
Very creative and perfect for a little boy! Love your helpful tips, too.