Dresser Makeover

I recently had an opportunity to try out Maison Blanche furniture paint and just happened to have an old painted dresser that needed a fresh new look. If you know me, you know I like to rearrange furniture from room to room and as is (before) just wasn’t versatile. Time for a change! 

dresser makeover before

No prep? You got it! No stripping, no sanding, no priming! Count me in! Here is the dresser before. I wiped it down to clear away the dirt and dust, removed the drawer pulls then jumped right in. Color is La Bonne Terre…to me it looks like a very light putty (sort of an ivory with a gray tone). 

painted dresser prep

Being a DIY’er, I paint. A lot. And one of the things that makes a paint brand my favorite is the paint’s consistency. Maison Blanche paint did not disappoint! It’s thick. It was love at first sight. Plus! If I wanted it even thicker, I could leave the lid off to thicken it up without it developing that plastic-y painty film. Pretty cool!  

Maison Blanche furniture paint

I used a regular 2″ brush and gave the dresser coat of paint then started where I began and did a second coat. It goes on so nice and smooth. The paint had a light odor but it wasn’t unpleasant. 

Dresser Makeover furniture paint tutorial

The next morning, I did a third coat and let it dry for about six hours. The finish is so soft and smooth. In the afternoon, using an old sock, I applied a coat of gray Lime Wax. 

Maison Blanche Lime Wax

After 15-30 minutes, I buffed the wax finish.

It’s difficult to tell but it gives the paint a subtle pretty patina (transparent gray). I let everything dry overnight (because my oil rubbed bronze spray painted drawer pulls were still drying anyway). Then added the pulls and the result…

Dresser Makeover after

…is awesome, isn’t it? Much better! Get your own color at Shannon’s shop, here!

dresser styling

I could re-arrange, style and decorate all day, how about you?

beachy decor

La Bonne Terre with Gray Lime Wax

painted dresser tutorial at diyshowoff.com

Need some more examples and inspiration? You’ll want to check these out: 

 Bayou Blue with White Lime Wax at Fox Hollow Cottage

Fox Hollow Cottage

Magnolia with White Lime Wax at Mom 4 Real

mom 4 real

*I received Maison Blanche paint and Lime wax in exchange for a review. As always – opinion and experience is my own. If I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be sharing about it! 

Simple Redesign: Dresser to Media Center

DIY Project: dresser turned media center

Blog: Simple Redesign

simple redesign

Julie from Simply Redesign recently share on her blog “how to turn a dresser into a media center” with the help of her husband. Here is the dresser before:

dresser before

 

Amazing after…

dresser after

DIY media center

Simple Redesign shares TONS of DIY, great custom furniture tips and lots of inspiring furniture makeovers to motivate rescuing something old and making it fabulous. Here are a few more favorites…

painted dresser chartreuse

painted furniture

What are you waiting for? Pop over and introduce yourself. 🙂

Rustic DIY and Enamel Tag Tutorial

  • Beautiful reclaimed barnwood
  • Lovely painted distressed furniture
  • Numbers!

I love each of those things, don’t you? Meet: Kimberly from

serendipity blog

Kimberly is a professional home stager and decorator and a nature at decorating and do-it-yourself projects. Here are some of my favorites:

100 year old reclaimed barnwood before:

reclaimed barnwood

Now: Reclaimed Barnwood Hutch

DIY barnwood hutch

Love!

Dresser Before and After

And a tired old dresser before…

wood dresser before

gets a new distressed paint technique and a new purpose in the dining room… oh-la-la!

painted distressed dresser

See those pretty number tags too? I don’t know what it is about numbers but I love the charm it adds to decor, don’t you? Kimberly shares how to make these sweet little charms…

Here’s what you need:

  • Key tag blanks. (I got mine from Ace Hardware, they are steel with a brass finish and are about 1 and 1/2″ across)
  • Paint and primer (white..but I’m considering doing some blue  or dark green ones with white numbers)
  • StazOn Stamp Ink (and number stamps)
  • Embossing Enamel (clear)
DIY enamel tag supplies
Prime and paint the tags. Once dry, stamp the numbers using StazOn.
number tag tutorial
Line a skillet (frying pan) with foil. (or use an electric skillet). Place the tag on the foil and sprinkle with the embossing powder.
DIY enamel tags
Turn the heat to medium and watch as the embossing powder turns to liquid.
enamel tag tutorial
When the embossing powder is completely smooth and transparent, gently remove the foil (with the tag on it) from the pan and place it on a rack to cool.
enamel number tag tutorial
When the tag is partly cool, but before it is completely cool, gently peel the foil from the tag. and return the tag to the rack until it is completely cool. I also used a nail to remove the powder which had filled the hole while the tag was still warm.
So cool!
dresser after
To pin from original sources and to see more creative DIY and decorating from Kimberly, visit Serendipity.

For more information on enamel tags, see the original inspiration at Can’t Stop Making Things.