Dresser Makeover Finally Done!

The project from H E double toothpicks is finally done.  As I told you about in this post, I have had nothing but problems with this piece.  The latest being major bleed-through when I painted it white.

I took Cassie from Primitive & Proper's advice and decided to paint it black, distressing it back to see the white undercoat.

I never did get a proper before shot of the dresser, but here it is without the drawers, so you can see the color.

Here's a photo showing the bleed-through.  I tried shellac and Kilz, and nothing stopped it from coming through.

So I bought some General Finishes milk paint in Lamp Black and painted over the bleed-through mess.

And here's how it turned out.

I wet sponge distressed areas to show the white paint underneath, and changed out the knobs from the simple wood ones that were originally on the piece to some pretty crystal ones.

Can I just say I'm sooo happy this baby is done?

Now I can move on to some other pieces -- which is a good thing since I got a call that my booth was almost sold out!  I'll be taking the dresser and some smalls out tomorrow, then moving on to my next piece--the highboy that goes with the dresser.

Hopefully now that I know what I'm in for, it will go much more smoothly.

And I have to admit I'm going to an auction tomorrow night.  Yes, I'm breaking my self-imposed moratorium on buying before I finish the pieces I have.  But my booth is so empty I'm hoping I can find some things that don't need any work to put in it.

Yep, that's my excuse.  Not that I've really missed picking or anything.  Nope not that at all.  This shopping excursion is an necessity!

I'll let you know if I get any good stuff!


Sharing At:

Elizabeth & Co: Be Inspired
The Dedicated House: Make it Pretty Monday
Green Willow Pond: What we Accomplished Wednesday
French Country Cottage: Feathered Nest Friday
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

The Project from H E Double Toothpicks

I've got to tell you about this dream I had the other night.

I dreamt I was at a fabulous estate sale.  So far, so good, right?  But every time I picked up an item I wanted to buy, something happened so that I couldn't.  First another customer grabbed it out of my hands. 

Then someone told me about another room full of goodies, and I put what I was holding by the cash station.  I followed them down a long hall, only to find there was nothing in the room.  Of course when I went back to the cash station, my item was gone!

I woke up in a cold sweat. What a nightmare! 

Hmmm....you think the dream might have something to do with my self-imposed moratorium on buying anything until I finish some of the big pieces I have?

Or maybe its something deeper. Like I'm searching for something I can't attain...like a neat and clean garage and basement!

I've got to tell you, this not shopping hasn't been easy.  I'm having withdrawals.
 
But I'm determined not to buy anything until I move some of the pieces in the basement and garage. I had big plans to get a set of dressers done over the weekend.

Remember, I was working on this one.

Another nightmare.

These dressers have been the project from H E double toothpicks  since I first bought them on Craigslist.

First, somehow I lost the mirror screws for both pieces.  I couldn't find any at Home Depot, so I ordered some from Rockler.

I had to buy a couple of replacement knobs that matched the existing ones.  No problem since they were the simple wood knobs.

But I lost those too.  They're probably with the mirror screws.  I'm sure I put them somewhere "safe." So off I went to Home Depot again to buy another set.

Then the bottom of one of the drawers split, and I had to get it replaced.  Since it was curved, it wasn't something I could do myself. 

On the bottom of another drawer was decades old contact paper.  It would not come off easily.  Finally I got desperate and used Goof Off with an Exacto blade. 

It came off.

But now I have Exacto blade gouges on the bottom of the drawer.

I eventually got to the point where I was ready to paint.  I wanted to paint the mahogany dressers white.

But ... you guessed it ... bleed-through.

And this wasn't your typical bleed-through in just a couple of spots.  This bleed-through was all over the dresser.  Weird little spots on the top.

And big swatches elsewhere.

No problem, I thought.  I'll just use my Shellac trick.  But for the first time, the Shellac trick let me down.

My husband wanted to know why I was swearing and crying in the basement. 

I told him I hate these dressers.

He just didn't understand.

Men.

Anyway, so now I'm not sure what to do other than strip the whole thing; which I don't want to have to do.

I'm thinking of painting another, darker color over the white, but I don't know what color.  I need to make sure the bleed-through doesn't show through it, so it has to be pretty dark.

In the meantime  I'm at a standstill.  These are two of the biggest pieces I have in my basement, and I need to  get them done before I can move on to other pieces.

Any ideas?  I need help! (In more ways than one, obviously!) :)

Furniture Comes and Goes ... Or Not

Some furniture pieces come into my life and get turned around quickly.  Others sit there waiting for some love...

 

And sit there ...

 

I'm embarrassed to show you my garage or basement.  They are both so full of pieces that need to be painted you can barely walk around them.  There are some pieces in my garage that have been there almost three years.

 

Three years!!

 

So I've made a resolution that for the next two months I'm not going to buy anything. I'm going to focus exclusively on working on the pieces I already have.

 

Even if I find the absolutely best deal in the world.

 

And I'm not going to lie--that's very hard for me.  My name is Deborah and I'm a shop-aholic.  I don't think I'm a hoarder because I have no problem selling the stuff once it's done.  But maybe I'm one of those too!

 

Despite my best intentions, between working at the store an extra day and my freelance work I didn't get anything painted last week.  But I did have a good week at Mr. P's!

 

I sold the desk and chair.

 

 

 

This little chest.

 

 

 

And these end tables (there were two of them).

 

 

 

So now my space is looking a little sparse.  I'm taking a couple of little things there tomorrow to fill in, and I'm currently working on this.

 

 

 

This is one of a pair of dressers.  Have you ever had a project where it starts out looking simple, but once you look a little deeper it turns out to be a whole mess of trouble?  These babies were like that.

 

But I think--knock on wood--I've addressed everything now, and I'm finally ready to get them done.  I plan to show them to you soon.

 

And in the meantime, I'm not checking Craigslist, going to an auction, or looking in a thrift store until these dressers and some other pieces are finished.

 

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

Salvation Army Chair

I hope you all had a good weekend!  The weather here was beautiful most of Saturday and all day Sunday.  Unfortunately I had to work at the shop on Saturday, and chores kept me inside on Sunday, but I hear my overgrown garden calling my name!

Today I thought I'd show you this quick makeover I did for myself.  I found this chair at The Salvation Army.

I didn't take a real "before" photo, but here it is after I removed the cording that was around the back and taped off the upholstery.

The upholstery was in great shape, which is unusual. The chair had some scratches and scuffs, but just mainly needed some freshening  up.  I'll probably reupholster it sometime down the road, but the existing fabric goes with the colors in my living room, so for now I left it as is.

I wanted to lighten it up, so I did a couple of coats of ASCP Paris Grey, followed by a light distressing, and a bit of Briwax in Golden Oak.

And here it is all prettied up!

The Paris Grey matches the lighter color in the upholstery.

The distressing helps to bring out some of the detailing.

Add a throw pillow, and it's good to go.  A comfy seat to read in or plop into after a long day.

 

 

 

And at $30, it was a steal!