Dresser Dressing

Originally posted March 3rd, 2013

So the wood looks really great, and I’m super pumped about that. EXCEPT that the top of the dresser is a little weird. Someone once upon a time attached the piece of wood to the top that was not finished on the sides, then painted those rough edges. They basically acted like a sponge and soaked up all this paint. Also, they are rough and ugly. This is disappointing.

So I think about it for, like, a second. I decide that since the top is kinda funky, I’m not going to stain the dresser. I’m going to paint it. Also, I’ve been wanting to use this Annie Sloan Chalk Paint stuff that I’ve read so much about.

Lots of people who paint furniture like this stuff, and I’ve seen it on the Internet, so I’m like, yeah, I’ll do that. I check out her website and realize that I probably didn’t need to strip the dresser at all if I was just going to paint it, because she says her paint is formulated to just go over anything without sanding or priming.

So I feel like a dummy, but also I don’t. I now know how to strip furniture, and that’s worth something, right?

Also now the dresser is ready for that wood filler. There are tons of gouges and stuff, especially in that problematic top piece, so I spend a little while filling in cracks and the drill holes from the original handles.

That is a gouge, right?

Goodbye gouge!

So while this dries I’m going to go get some paint. But a little more looking around on this Chalk Paint website and I realize that this stuff isn’t available at Home Depot. The closest location is in Agoura Hills.

So I’m like, oh, ok. That’s about 45 minutes away with no traffic. Which is kind of far for paint. But I’ve sort of decided that I have to have it. So I drive to Agoura Hills.

I drive to Agoura Hills where there’s this little cluster of antique shops and I find the stall in the shop where this stuff is sold and HOLY CRAP IS IT EXPENSIVE, OR WHAT? $40 for a quart? Seriously? And then the wax you have to buy to go with it is another $30, like for real?

But at this point, I’ve already made the drive. So I have no choice.
I buy a quart of Chalk Paint in Provence, and then a sample size of Graphite. And I buy a can of the dark wax. It comes to nearly $90. Remember how I said failing it yourself is not thrifty? Yeah. Still true.

So then I go home with my ridiculous paint, and the wood filler is dry and all ready to go. So I sand the thing down a little with my cordless sander. Because yes, I actually own power tools!!

And so I get to painting and I get most of the thing done before it gets dark. But not all of it. And I’m not patient. So I just go get my headlamp and keep going. Also, what did I ever do without a headlamp? It’s the best thing ever!

I even break out my tiny paint brush and do the detaily bits where the top meets the body of the dresser.

And this time it stays outside to dry overnight. And I only wake up five times to make sure it’s not raining because I’m only a little crazy.