Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Dressing Table Makeover with Chalky finish Paint

I talked about this dressing table in my previous post, today I am sharing the makeover of dressing the table. As I told you guys, the dressing table occupies one side of the room and straight opposite side to it is my craft space. I felt the old and outdated look of the dressing table doesn't go well with color scheme of my craft space and it was kind of spoiling the vibe of the room with its look. So I thought its time to deal with it and decided to paint the dressing table in black color which goes well with black background of thumb tack wall art and also with black chalkboard of my inspiration board.While brainstorming ideas I came to know it is quite difficult to paint this furniture with spray paint for me due to the following reasons:
1) It is heavy to lift and take the whole furniture downstairs (We live upstairs) which requires a lot of help. 
2) If it is inside I can paint them at my own time and space . 
3) Even though it is summer and I have three windows in the room, I can't withstand the smell of spray paint until the project is done(Already had enough of it, while painting Kitchen Cabinet) which I assumed will take quite a few days . 
4) There are a lot of stuffs in the room which I have to move somewhere (No place for that) or keep in the room and covered it with cloth or newspaper.(Even though I did that while painting the Kitchen cabinet I did ended up getting paint on some of the unexpected areas). 

With all these points in mind I was searching for other options and came to know about the chalky finish paint. So I thought to give chalky finish paint a try for this dressing table and today I am sharing the steps along with the tips and tricks on how to paint a furniture like this. 


Materials Used :

I used these three products from Americana Decor for Paint and Varnish. I used 2 jars of  8oz Carbon(Black) chalky finish paint and one jar of Yesteryear chalky finish paint and Soft touch varnish for the final finish.


Along with these paints you may need :

Paint brushes (One small and one big)
Petroleum jelly or Vaseline and a cotton rag if you are planning to distress
Gold enamel paint for drawer hardware and a sealant 
Sandpaper fine grit (optional)
Stencil and foam pouncers or stencil brush (optional)
Paper towels and a container with water to wash the brushes in between
Painter's tape
Screw driver for removing and putting the drawer hardware back.




Step 1: Clean the whole furniture(i.e dressing table) and wipe it to remove all the dirt and dust. Mask any area where you don't want paint. In my case, I covered the edges of the mirror. Start painting section by section. First I covered the inner part of the dressing table (i.e around the mirror) . 



Step 2: Decide the areas you want to distress and paint the base color.I did 2 coats of yesteryear  paint.Also I gave the first coat of paint to remaining areas of the upper part of the dressing table.

Here I wanted to distress the center design and the small parts on the outer sides of the dressing table. You can see in the before photo like all these designs elements are kind of merging along with background wooden texture that we couldn't see them clearly . I did not want that. I wanted to highlight those designs at the same time I did not wanted the designs to look like I have painted something in different color and glued on .So, I went with distress look.As always I did a test on a scrap of wood to learn how it works before doing it on the design.



There are many ways to bring the distressed look. I went with distressing using resist method. I used petroleum jelly (Vaseline) as resist but you can also use hard wax as resist. Apply the Vaseline in the areas you want to distress and give a top coat in the desired color.I am using black here. Once the top coat is dry, use a damp cotton rag and remove the Vaseline to get the distress look. 










Step 3: Now give a second coat of paint all over the upper portion of the dressing table and let it dry. It takes around 10 to 15 minutes to dry . One important thing about the chalky paint is that , don't overload the brush with paint. The paint is already heavy and so if you overload the brush it leaves strong brush marks. I read somewhere that dipping the brush in water after loading the paint helps to reduce the brush strokes but that doesn't works in dark colors. I did try that technique which resulted in lighter shade of the black(Carbon) streaks and was spoiling the look. So, take a little amount of paint at a time and work your way. Don't worry too much about the strokes , you will not notice them as long as you intentionally wanted to. (Got it? ;)). Also if you feel any strong brush strokes , you can slightly sand them before applying the next coat of paint.

Step 4: I felt the upper part of the dressing table is very plain with just black(Carbon) color and so to add more interest I decided to go with stenciling. I already had some adhesive stencil on hand so I went with that. Use foam pouncers or a Stencil brush to stencil your design and don't load the brush or pouncers with a lot of paint.After dipping them into the paint, dab them two to three times on a paper plates before using it on the stencil. I used foam pouncers with a little paint on it and used dabbing motion up and down to achieve the design. I used yesteryear color for stenciling.

If you are using a adhesive stencil like me, please ensure to not build up lot of paint on the stencil.This may happen if you use the same stencil to repeat the design. So I advice you to wipe off the excess paint with a damp paper towel after two or three uses.Otherwise the paint gets settled on the edges of the design and the next time when you use the paint starts bleeding into the stencil ruining the design. So, it is better to be quick and wipe off the paint after couple of uses or have a two or three design of the same stencil in hand if you are working on a bigger project like this . I think it will not be a problem, if you are using plastic stencils.





Step 5: Once the upper part is done, remove all the drawers and hardware from it and get ready to start painting the lower part of the dressing table. To create a balance of colors between the upper and the lower part , I painted the lower part of the table with yesteryear color leaving the top part alone. I used carbon color for the top part and the drawers.I used 2 coats of paint all over.




Step 6: Next comes the drawers hardware. Clean and wipe off any dust or rust before painting.I had gold enamel paint on hand. So, I used enamel paint to paint the hardware and sealed it with clear gloss paint for extra protection. If not, you can also try using any Rub n buff paint to update your hardware. 




Step 7: Add a coat or two of varnish to all the painted areas of the furniture to seal and protect the painted surface. Believe me guys, the varnish makes a lot of difference in the way the furniture looks. It makes the furniture looks smooth and gorgeous as it adds a great sheen to the surface. I started liking the dressing table 200% more when I added a coat of varnish. So highly recommend to add a top coat of varnish to your finished furniture.
When you paint the varnish , before it takes time to dry it does look white but it dries clear so nothing to worry there.(Just saying !)

Step 8: This step is totally optional. I wanted to cover the inside of the drawers with contact paper to hide some spills which it already had. (Yes ! May be they are as old as the furniture.Can you believe that this dresser is 29 year old?See the picture below.I haven't seen any Manufacturing date like this in any of the modern furniture.But I think it is kind of cool.). Trim the contact paper to the size of the inner drawer and remove the backing for few inches. Paste it and smooth it using a card and repeat the steps. For more tips on pasting the contact paper, read this post here .








Step 9: Put the drawer hardwares back into its place.And drawers into its place. Also place the upper part of the dressing table above the lower one and voila!! Step back and be amazed at your wonderful makeover.Give yourself a treat to have completed the project successfully and enjoy the new look.



I was just getting ready for the next step to decorate the dressing table with copper mule mugs as vase and some flowers.












I hope you this makeover inspires you to get out of your comfort zone and try something different and amazing if you haven't tried any furniture makeover before.If you have tried, what kind of makeover have you done?  If you have any doubt, please ask me in the comments below and share what you think about this project. As always I will be happy to hear from you.

Happy Painting guys !! 
Love, 
Sahana.

40 comments:

  1. This makeover was amazing!!!! I wouldn't have even thought that the "bones" or shape of the piece you used would have made anything so beautiful - but you chose just the right colors and finishes to really give it a beautiful update!

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  2. Aww what a great transformation, it looks great even inside the drawers!!! You must have a steady hand with the stencils, perfect!!

    I am now following you on all your social media!!

    Thanks for sharing on the Oh My Heartsie Girls Wordless Wednesday, now I would like to invite you to my, Friday Feature-Linky-Party

    Have a great weekend!
    Karren
    Oh My Heartsie Girl

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much , Karren :) And also thank you for the follow and invite .I will surely participate :)

      Delete
  3. Such a fantastic makeover! Great paint job! I'd love for you to stop by the Submarine Sunday Link Party to share this crafty creation! I hope to see you there!

    Navy Wifey Peters @ The Submarine Sunday Link Party

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  4. Looks great! I love your color choice and I always line the drawers too! I love how it looks each time I go to get something from the drawers. Have a great week!

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  5. So very nice now! I know someone who has a piece if furniture much like this one. Will show him this and offer to paint it for him. Thanks for showing the way,

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  6. You did a fabulous job bringing this piece of furniture back to life!
    Marie@The Interior Frugalista

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  7. Terrific furniture makeover!! Pinned to my furniture board also. Linda crafts la mode

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  8. Guess what! I loved this post so much that I chose it to be featured for tomorrow's launch of my new link party - The Beautifully Creative Inspired Link Party. :) Go grab a button you deserve it!

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  9. Beautiful makeover! What a great transformation. Pinned. Thanks for sharing this beauty on Snickerdoodle Sunday!

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  10. Wow, this looks awesome and great job on the detailed tutorial. Looking forward to co-hosting with you at the #HomeMattersParty

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  11. That is beautiful!! Amazing how fast something can go from outdated to brand new, I love it!! #HomeMattersParty

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  12. What an amazing transformation. I have never tried chalk paint, but it seems so versatile.

    Visiting from #HomeMattersParty

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  13. What a unique piece of furniture. I've seen a lot of furniture refinishing with the chalk paint but have yet to try it myself.

    Looking forward to a great month of #HomeMattersParty fun with you!

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  14. Wow! This looks amazing. I love all the details you put into it. Really a beautiful transformation. It's great to be co-hosting #HomeMattersParty with you this month!

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  15. This really turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing your refurbishment and awesome tutorial. Glad to be co-hosting the #HomeMattersParty with you again :)

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  16. How beautiful. This looks like a really fun project. I want to find a piece of furniture to refurbish. Having fun co-hosting with you at the #HomeMattersParty

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  17. Love the new paint job...what a difference! Thanks for co-hosting at the #HomeMattersParty - we love having you on the team! :)

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai


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  18. What an incredible transformation! Wow! Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday.

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  19. Looks awesome and definitely worth all that effort! Visiting from the #HomeMattersParty #53.
    Your Co-Host Enzie

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  20. What a beautiful transformation. Thanks for being such a great cohost on #HomeMattersParty.

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  21. Such a gorgeous AFTER! I love this paint and these colors. I have used both of them before. I love the look of the drawer pulls after your re-did them as well as the liner for the drawers. And the stamping really pulled it altogether. Great job!

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  22. well done.. the only thing i would have done a bit different would have been the background inside where the mirror is. i would have made the gray a shade darker for
    another dimension with out too much of a drastic change. (w the stencil of course)
    very nice though!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your blogs are really good and interesting. It is very great and informative. Gold enamel paint for drawer hardware and a sealant, bankruptcy lawyers in virginia beach Sandpaper fine grit (optional) Stencil and foam pouncers or stencil brush, I got a lots of useful information in your blog. Keeps sharing more useful blogs..

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  25. I absolutely adore these chalkboard Easter eggs! What a creative and unique idea to bring a personalized touch to traditional egg decorating. The pastel colors combined with the chalkboard paint truly make these eggs stand out.
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  26. I absolutely love this dressing table makeover! The chalky finish you achieved gives it such a charming and vintage look. It's amazing how a simple coat of paint can transform an old piece of furniture into a stylish and unique addition to your decor.
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  28. Amazing, Your blogs are really great and informative. Even though I did that while painting the Kitchen cabinet I did ended up getting paint on some of the unexpected areas, bankruptcy and divorce attorney near me, I got a lots of useful information in your blogs. It is very useful to all. Keeps sharing more useful information in your blogs..

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  32. Your dressing table now boasts a chic and rustic charm, thanks to the transformative power of chalky finish paint. This DIY project allows you to express your creativity while giving new life to an old piece of furniture. Enjoy your stylish and revamped dressing area!leyes de divorcio en virginia

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