Several years ago I bought this chest of drawers at an auction.
It had been in a fire, but only had smoke damage. I’m in the mood to change things up a bit at home and get rid of things, but I needed more storage in our little TV room so I decided to tackle this chest.
Evidently the two bottom drawers had been somewhere else at the time of the fire and the chest had already been painted white.
Buttons and a plate had been on the furniture at the time of the fire.
So, I cleaned it well (but it was still dark gray) and painted it with Valspar “oops” paint that had a primer in it and was just a neutral color. Happily, it only took one coat to cover.
A la Miss Mustard Seed, I had hoped to distress it and use a brown finishing wax. I am definitely not in her league so I couldn’t bring myself to pay the price for the waxes I found (almost $20). (Some day I will because I really like a waxed finish on furniture.)
Many years ago I did a similar treatment with brown shoe polish so I decided to go the frugal route and use that again. I used a neutral wax on top for more protection. I didn’t get the great look that she does and I wasn’t able to distress it because the black was showing through when I sanded, but I am satisfied with the result. I might add a little more of the brown after I paint and decorate this room. Right now, the wall and chest are very similar in color. I’ll update this after I check a few other projects off my list!!
A close up . . .
