Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Country Gray and Old White Two-Toned, Vintage Dresser


I finally came across my first dresser (they are hard to find) at a yard sale!  The man selling it said it is from the 1930's.  Besides missing most of its hardware it was in pretty good condition.  


I should know better by now, but I started painting before I took a picture.  At least I caught my mistake before I got too far along.

I love the legs on this beauty and the carved wood detailing.  I wanted to use more of the glass knobs I used here, so I patched the indentations from the previous drawer pulls with wood filler.


The edges of some of drawers were missing small pieces of veneer, so I just patched the edges with wood filler and sanded them flat before painting.

When I was getting ready to paint the top, I noticed a couple of small bubbles in the veneer on top.  I have never dealt with veneer before and I was kind of nervous, especially since I had already spent the day painting the drawers and they looked so good.  I searched the internet and found information on how to repair veneer.  


I started by slicing length wise through the bubble with my craft knife.  Then I cut a thin strip out, so there would be no overlap and it would lay flat.  I first tried using contact cement, but it just did not flatten enough.  


I was starting to get frustrated, but I could not give up on this dresser.  I turned to Gorilla Glue super glue and it solved the problem.  I used a knife blade to apply the glue under small sections of the veneer and then applied pressure for thirty seconds until it dried before moving on to the next section.  I did this until the whole bubble was glued flat.


Then, I filled in the small gap with wood filler and sanded it smooth before painting.

This is how she turned out:


I painted the whole thing with Country Gray Chalk Paint first.  By the way, I adore this color!  it is so subtle and complex at the same time.  It is hard to figure out what color it is exactly and it changes depending on the lighting.  I got so many compliments on it at Loot this weekend.  I do not think it is one of the most popular Chalk Paint colors, but it is my favorite.  In fact, I need to order more already!  


I used a teeny tiny paint brush to paint Old White Chalk Paint inside the grooves on all the drawers and the side of the dresser.  I also painted the wooden applique in the center of the top drawer with Old White.  I lightly distressed the whole dresser, waxed the surface, and then put on the glass knobs.


I had a little trouble while painting the top of the dresser.  Spots kept showing through until I painted about four or five coats of paint.  At least it is pretty easy to paint the flat surface of a dresser.

This was not one of my easiest projects between the veneer problems and the bleed through, but it was worth it in the end.  I love everything about this dresser now!  



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24 comments:

Amy Gilman and Emily Lee (Sisters of the Wild West) said...

i love this color too. you are so right about it changing colors too. it looks so different in every light i had to check out the post to see if you really used country grey alone. We are your newest followers.
Amy

Our Hopeful Home said...

I love it, too! Isn't it fun finding something grand for a great price? It would be perfect for my Club G.W. with Charm Bracelet Diva Party going on now! Hope to see you there!

xoxo
Kathleen

Emily said...

Amazing! And I love the color!

Unknown said...

ooo love the makeover! So great when you can make something old look so new and beautiful!

Tiff said...

Your dresser looks amazing! I love the colour and the handles you have used! Another inspiring makeover Amanda!

Deborah said...

Amanda you're right , this colour is unique.
I really like it..and the dresser is gorgeous!
What a difference you have made !
It is a beautiful piece now and something to be so proud of ...you did an amzing job on repairing it too! I love how you show how you do the whole job..thanks!
Oooh I want some chalk paint..maybe next month!
Have a great day hunny!

Deborah xoxo

Cassie Bustamante said...

wow- it looks amazing! and i love that tip about the bubbled veneer- fabulous idea! thanks for sharing!

Faith said...

Came out beautimous....you did a really nice job...

Gloria Fox said...

Great job on fixing the veneer. I hadn't seen this color before on a piece and so glad you showed us. Love it!

Joyce - Quilted Nest said...

this turned out beautiful!

Sylvia said...

Looks great! That is the ideal whitish but not actually white color. So tell me, you don't sand before you prime? Is it laziness or do you find that you don't actually need to? Also, what is the deal with chalk paint. What makes it special (it seems really popular in the blogosphere right now)

Between Blue and Yellow said...

Very pretty, veneer can be quite a pain to work with. By the way dressers are a dime a dozen on craigslist!

Julia @ 551Eastdesign said...

I've aways wondered how to fix those bubbles but have never tried looking up how to do it. Thanks so much for teaching me!

Sanghamitra Bhattacherjee(Mukherjee) said...

What a lovely post! Love the colour! Thanks so much for the bubbles part..very interesting:)
Hope to see you on my blog:)

Jenni said...

Amanda, it looks AMAZING! And I love the color you used on the dresser, too, and think it was such a great choice for the piece! You also got such a great deal on it!

Thanks so much for showing us how to repair veneer, I really had no idea, and this can be a stumbling block when buying old furniture that has veneer. I usually didn't just because I wasn't sure how to fix it! But now I do, so thank you!

I hope you have a wonderful Friday and weekend! :)

Blessings,
Jenni

Tammy said...

Wow! $15 is a great price! You did an amazing job on that bubble problem too! It looks terrific. I like that color too! I am your newest follower. Hope you can visit me sometime soon!

Unknown said...

Wow! What a great price and what an amazing job that you did! Love it! Love it!!
Cheers!
Cyndy

L Dizzie said...

that looks amazing!! great job. i bet you can sell it for over 10 times what you paid. yeah, girl!!

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

It's beautiful! I love the white detailing you added. Thanks for the tips for repairing veneer bubbles!

driftwoodesign said...

You did a fabulous job with this dresser. I also ran thru your grand opening post, CONGRATS looks like so much fun.
Kristy @ 4 the love of WOOD

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Christine said...

I just found you via Pinterest. I, too, love Country Gray more than the overdone French Linen, etc. Coco is my 2nd ASCP fav! But shhhhh! Don't tell. I pair it with the gorgeous CeCe Caldwell's Young Kansas Wheat. It's like they were made for each other.

I'm also dealing with veneer on antique, 5- and 6-panel doors. It's a chore, but so very worth it.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and techniques. You make lovely pieces.

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kcon said...

Your work is truly amazing!! I am in awe at the transformations! I read many of your posting but I never see anything about sealing the finish at the end. Do you protect the paint with a finish other than wax or is it not necessary with milk paint?

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