How To Paint Furniture alongside Chalk Paint (and how to live a DIY disaster).

Hey ya'll. So recollect the $50 Craigslist dresser I establish finally month for my TV stand upwards project? And recollect how I said I was going to stain it? 
Well, my inaugural of all effort at staining a dresser was a total fail. I spent 2 weeks on this thing, stripping it, staining it, hating it, paradigm it 3 unlike colors, in addition to ultimately saving the twenty-four lx minutes stream alongside some novel chalk paint.
Welcome to the latest episode of disaster blog.

So, I've sentiment of a 1000000 ways to tell this story, most of which involve me leaving out 99% of it, but ultimately I've decided simply to tell you lot everything.
I'm sticking my toe inward the vulnerability pool. Don't allow me sink.
I forgot my floaties dorsum at the hotel.

Let's rewind to the beginning. I've been working on assembling our living room, in addition to finding the right sized dresser for the TV has been the hardest part. I'm ordinarily express inward the budget department, thus I've e'er had to attempt in addition to create the best of what I already own.

When nosotros inaugural of all moved in, nosotros had a rattling former TV in addition to an antique dresser (that volition eventually halt upwards inward the entryway nook). It was the hottest of messes, in addition to oddly enough, I even thus expect dorsum upon that fourth dimension stream every bit a swell one.

Youth.

Then, Kevin was introduced. It was the worst thrift shop dresser ever, in addition to no affair how hard I tried...it simply didn't work.

So, during the 3 calendar month stream that I was living at Panera in addition to the floors were existence installed, I spent a lot of fourth dimension searching thrift stores in addition to Craigslist for something better.

And I eventually establish precisely what I needed on Craigslist for $50. 
Here's the original Craigslist picture.
I definitely sent Jesse to selection it up. :)

I was alone interested inward the shape in addition to dimensions, in addition to was willing to expect yesteryear the orangish forest color. 
So, Jesse hauled it dwelling in addition to I laid it upwards inward that piffling extra room dorsum inward the bedroom. Because although it makes null sense, I emptied out that room in addition to receive got been using it every bit my projection room lately. 

So, this is where the story gets kinda odd. My original innovation was to strip the dresser in addition to usage a combination of walnut stain in addition to white launder to create a Restoration Hardware look.

I did tons of research, in addition to was simply surely that I could line it off. 

I succeeded inward stripping the dresser.....and thus totally failed alongside the staining. I didn't realize until AFTER I stripped it that the tops in addition to sides of the dresser were some sort of pressed forest veneer, in addition to no affair how hard I tried (even using several unlike products), the pressed forest simply wouldn't absorb the stain correctly. 

Although the staining procedure was a total flop, the stripping procedure was a success. And since I larn thus many questions almost stripping furniture, I sentiment it powerfulness live helpful to include a piffling chip almost my inaugural of all experience. 

First of all, I chose to usage Citristrip stripping gel in addition to mineral spirits because they barely odor in addition to you lot tin john usage them safely indoors (even though you'll even thus wishing to opened upwards a window). The alone other supplies I needed was a plastic drib stuff (to pick out handgrip of all of the gunk that I scraped off), a plastic scraping tool, some scouring pads, some prophylactic gloves (made for stripping furniture) in addition to some mineral spirits.

I took all of the drawers out of the dresser, poured some Citristrip inward a metallic bucket (that you lot tin john larn for $2 at Home Depot) in addition to simply used a paintbrush to apply the gel to the surface of the drawers in addition to the frame of the dresser.

I allow the gel sit down for almost thirty minutes, in addition to in 1 lawsuit I saw it bubble up, I started scraping off the balance alongside my plastic scraper. I was totally amazed at how easily it came off. 
It was weirdly cathartic to scrape off layers of gunk.
It easily removed all of the polyurethane and fifty-fifty most of the stain that was heavily applied to this 50 twelvemonth former dresser.

Because this dresser had a bunch of grooves in addition to hard areas, I thus used a scouring pad (and an former toothbrush) to take the relaxation of the residue.

After that, I wiped the entire dresser downward alongside mineral spirits (to take whatever of the leftover chemicals) in addition to thus lightly sanded the entire thing alongside 320 grit sandpaper.

And that's when I added forest conditioner in addition to thus tried to stain simply the top, but when it wouldn't take, I simply speedily stripped it dorsum down.  And thus I realized that it wasn't a total loss, every bit raw forest surfaces are ideal for paint. Cup one-half full, ya'll.

So, anyways, every bit I was wandering around the pigment subdivision at Home Depot trying to selection a color for the dresser,  I came across some novel chalk paint. I've painted tons of slice of furniture alongside chalk pigment (including my favorite dresser), but I've e'er made my ain alongside plaster of paris (recipe establish here inward tip #6).  

Mostly, because I'm actually inexpensive in addition to simply can't convince myself to pay $50 for the famous sort (although I take heed it's fantastic, thus delight don't riot.)

So, when I came across this stuff at Home Depot, I was curious plenty to attempt it out. 

And, man child did I ever.

And this is the purpose of the story where my heed tells me to dry out heave alongside embarrassment, but my pump says, 'Onward, girl.'

So, I spent 3 hours paradigm the dresser black. It seemed similar a actually swell sentiment at the time. But, it definitely was not.

It ended upwards looking similar a large chalkboard, in addition to I simply wasn't feeling it for the living room.

So, then, I tried to pigment the dresser using the tan color. 

And I moved my workspace out into the actual living room thus that I could receive got a meliorate sentiment of what it would expect similar inward there.

In all honesty, I sentiment the dresser looked okay inward this color, but at that topographic point were surely times of the twenty-four lx minutes stream when it looked similar a large regal blob against the living room wall.

 I also tried spray paradigm the original hardware alongside petroleum rubbed bronze similar I used here, in addition to it simply made it expect kinda bulky in addition to outdated. 

And every bit you lot tin john likely imagine, at this point, I wanted nix to a greater extent than than to throw a dresser bonfire party. And invite all the people.

But I marched on.

Finally, I decided to attempt 1 to a greater extent than time. For the win.

 Now, I know paradigm a slice of slice of furniture white isn't precisely groundbreaking territory, but I looked through a bunch of inspiration pictures in addition to establish quite a few white dressers that left me feeling hopeful.

via Houzz

So, I decided to become for it.
 I painted it 1 to a greater extent than time...white. And thus I waxed it, added some modern hardware, in addition to finally....REJOICE.
Insert tears in addition to delirious laughter.

So, simply actually quickly, here's what I ultimately ended upwards using.

I used 1 piffling offend of the white Americana Chalk Paint named 'Everlasting'. (*Update: You tin john also honor it online at Home Depot here.) The best purpose almost this stuff is that you lot don't receive got to prime number or strip the slice of furniture or fifty-fifty sand it. You tin john pigment over anything in addition to it volition adhere similar glue. Obviously, I took a actually weird road that involved stripping a dresser in addition to paradigm it several times. But, allow me repeat: All you lot receive got to practise alongside this stuff is pigment it instantly on whatever slice of furniture, fifty-fifty if it has a glossy topcoat. 

Isn't that fantastic? 

You tin john also pigment over a slice that's already been painted, in addition to it even thus works. 

I know. I tested that theory thrice.

And for the finish, I chose to usage the Creme Wax. All you lot practise is rub it on alongside a lint-free cloth, allow it dry, thus buff it to the desired shine. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 wax complete is genuinely 1 of my favorites, in addition to it looks thus professional person in addition to smooth. I actually liked the Americana wax, in addition to I'll definitely usage it again. Also, 1 piffling $9 offend of wax went actually far. I used less than 1/3 of it on the entire dresser. And I was able to pigment the entire dresser alongside 1 offend of paint.

For the hardware, I decided to mirror our kitchen cabinet hardware, in addition to it totally kinda tied everything together inward the master copy living area.

And also, since the dresser was actually former in addition to basically infused alongside the odor of 1960's cigarettes, I vacuumed out the drawers, in addition to thus painted the interiors in addition to exteriors of each drawers alongside some Kilz primer (to trap the smoke smell) in addition to thus I used our leftover wall pigment to coat the drawers. (You may recollect when I did this a span years agone alongside green paint.) It ended upwards existence kinda cute....white on the exterior alongside a piffling popular of grayish off white on the inside.

 In summary, at nowadays the dresser feels create new, in addition to I would similar to erase the yesteryear 2 weeks from my brain.

And although the jumbotron is even thus dorsum inward the bedchamber (where we've been living), I ventured out into the living room for the inaugural of all fourth dimension since February, laid upwards the tiny TV, in addition to door pigment to create some dark in addition to white fine art that I framed over the sink. It's basically a scribble, but it seemed to work, thus yay.

And that, ya'll, is finally all.

I'll live dorsum inward a calendar week or 2 alongside the dining room reveal.

'Til then!

P.S. Thank you lot for making it all the means through some other long in addition to awkward post. 

10 points for existence a soulsister.

That's all for today! 'Til adjacent time!

To banking company lucifer out to a greater extent than slice of furniture paradigm advice, you lot tin john banking company lucifer out my overstep v slice of furniture paradigm FAQS here.

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