Re-Loved French Provincial Dresser

Hello dear friends! I am back to share something special with you today and I hope that you love it as much as I do. Let's go back to February 2016, when I found the most beautiful French Provincial style lowboy dresser. I had been searching high and low for an unusual piece and found just what I had in mind on Craigslist for a really good price. The only wrinkle was that it was located in Vancouver B.C., Canada. The look on my husband's face when I informed him that we were driving three hours to the north to fetch this beauty was priceless. We hopped into our Durango (rest in peace, I miss your large cargo space) and off we went. I loved that it was located in the New Westminster neighborhood of Vancouver which is chock full of lovely vintage houses from the 1890's to the turn of the century. I really wished we had had more time to explore, but we were on a time crunch that day. I adored the piece which I was intending to use as a credenza/buffet, threw it in the garage and it sat there for almost six months before I finally found my inspiration. Sometimes, all it takes is a single random photo or perhaps a far away friend who's a composer by trade to inspire a big idea. While searching online for paint colors for the front door at our old house, I stumbled across the photo below and instantly fell in love with the grungy undertones that are Paris. It has inspired a whole suite of furniture for my home and I thought I would share the products I use and the process today as I added a matching new piece a weekend ago that I'm pretty excited about.

I found this piece on the app OfferUp. I like this app as I've been able to find some pretty good bargains. As with most of my shopping habits, I prefer doing things online. Garage sales are fun, but I have a crazy schedule with kids and a job in healthcare, so I prefer scrolling through inventory while on a break or commuting. When I found I saw this dresser, I just had to have it as it's an exact match for the piece I already have, just in a smaller size, and I had the perfect place to put it. Our new house is quite a bit smaller than our old one and we no longer have a formal dining room. What was my credenza/buffet has become a television stand and I've missed having a place to display some of my favorite ironstone pieces. She was in pretty good shape, and I immediately set to work by wiping her completely down (inside and out) with a mixture of white vinegar and hot water. This helps to get rid of any stains or odors that might be lingering, and I like that it's chemical free. Once it was dry, I sanded down any flea bites or minor blemishes. Luckily, this piece didn't really have many issues, so it took all of two seconds and I wiped the dust away with a dry cloth. I taped off the top and started in with my chalk paint.

I really dislike when bloggers don't list their products. Unfortunately, I will have to be one of those annoying people as I picked up the original can of paint on the clearance shelf at Lowe's. I have no idea what the color is as it apparently wasn't mixed correctly but it's a lovely vintage dove gray. I was using Christy's recipe (link at the bottom) to make my own chalk paint but I decided to try out Valspar's Chalk Paint on this piece. I hadn't realized that Valspar had a chalk paint in their range of paint products until I randomly stumbled across it while browsing at my local Lowe's. It comes in 40 different colors, B-U-T you can literally have any color from any brand mixed so long as you have the paint code available (mine is in the photo below). Ah-mazing! It typically takes about three coats to cover up the beige laminate body of these pieces. The Valspar brand dried pretty quickly and I was able to get my three coats applied on a Saturday evening before the sun went down.

I let my chalk paint settle overnight and started on the top the next morning. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE General Finishes Java Gel Stain for the tops of my furniture. Most of all the pieces I've refinished have this deep, dark luscious stain on the top which is my homage to the dark top of a Parisian building. I get so many compliments (and questions) whenever I feature or sell a piece online and it is so simple to use. I start out with a cheap foam brush in the medium size to apply the stain on a thick layer. Once the top is completely coated, I take a small paint roller and roll out the product on the top. This allows for a super smooth and flawless finish. Again, it usually takes about three coats to get an opaque coat, the photo below was taken after the application of a second coat. When I'm done with a coat, I just slip my foam brush into a sandwich baggie and put saran wrap around my roller between coats and re-use them because paint supplies can add up quickly.

While the last coat of stain is drying, I go ahead and apply my wax over the chalk paint to seal it in and protect the piece. To give it that vintage Parisian feel, I used a mixture of dark and clear waxes from the Valspar Chalk Paint line mixed together and applied with a small chalk paint brush. It looks pretty scary and streaky when first applied, but I take a rag or towel and rub it in which helps to diffuse and soften the dark wax leaving a warm glaze effect over the paint. It gives it an amazing "antiqued" look without having to distress the piece. I let the stain and wax dry overnight and apply my favorite top coat over the Java Gel Stain. I really enjoy General Finishes High Performance Top Coat. It adds a really nice shiny gloss to the dark espresso top. I always get the QTHS Satin version as it gives the prettiest finish in my opinion. Again, about three maybe four coats to really seal that stain in and protect your handiwork. I apply it the same way as I do the stain, and save my foam brush and roller between applications.

Now for the fun part! I have long been obsessed with Modern Masters Metallic paints and the shade Oyster is a match made in heaven for these furniture pieces. The metallic effect really elevates the piece and makes is so much more elegant! To start, I give the hardware a couple coats of some type of white paint as a base. I'm currently using white chalk paint from Rustoleum that I don't really like. It's great for using as a base paint though and this way I'm not wasting it. Once my hardware has the base, I go ahead and paint a couple of coats with the Oyster shade. This is a super light and very sheer paint to work with. It dries quickly though so it doesn't take long to build up the color. For these particular pieces, I also use this paint on the body of the dresser, along the rounded scallop on the top drawer and flourish at the bottom edge for maximum metallic effect.

Once everything is dry, I put it all together and let it sit for a few days. Chalk paint and wax take about 21 days to fully cure, but I couldn't resist bringing her inside to take photos for you! Isn't she dreamy? I just love the way these pieces turn out! With a wee bit of elbow grease, these tired old pieces from the 1960's & 1970's get a whole new lease on life that can be enjoyed for many years to come. I love that they are so unique and not something that everybody else will have in their home. They are so versatile and can be used in both the bedroom or living room. I've now refinished everything from a coffee table to the buffet now serving as a TV stand to a nightstand that is being used as a couch side table. It doesn't have to cost a fortune to have nice things when you want to redecorate a space in your home. My entire furniture suite in the living room that I refinished cost less than $150 thanks to Craigslist, OfferUp and my local thrift store.

And that is how I refinished my favorite pieces in our new home with my favorite paint/stain combo! I hope that you enjoyed today's post as much as I did sharing it with you. All products I used (paid for with my own money and not sponsored in any way) will be linked below for those interested =)

Chalk Paint Recipe:
Confessions of a Serial DIY'er

Supplies:
Chalk Paint Brush
Sponge Applicators
Paint Roller

Paint Products:
Paint (paint color code is in the photo above)
General Finishes Java Gel Stain
General Finishes High Performance Top Coat
Modern Masters Metallic Paint
Sealing Wax
Antiquing Wax
Small Chalk Paint Brush

Until Next Time,

Frederica