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Elegant Madelyn Chest of Drawers

This chest of drawers is a lovely solid piece that is on to bigger and better things now that she's all dolled up in Annie Sloan's Pure White Chalk paint.

The piece is stylish with its ornate carvings along its front legs, and the sweeping bowed shape of the dresser front. Paired with its large spacious solid drawers, painting this dresser was a great investment.

Black & White
I love the choice of glass knobs with antiqued brass bases - the dark color connects with the dark keyhole spaces in the drawers, while creating stark contrast with the bright white paint.


Prep
Years before the client had partially painted the piece in ASCP Paris Grey (see photo below).  The dresser top started with a chipped and unevenly peeled shellac finish which I sanded down with my new B&D random orbital palm sander. :)  The underlying paint was a deep orange color. I decided to prep the surface with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 Primer in White. As I've found with many antiques, areas of underlying stain seeped through the primer. I've learned that when painting with light colors, you want to find these spots early and remedy them before painting with your pricey Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. Some of those dark stains (and oily spots) will keep seeping through even if you paint many layers!

See the chippy dresser top?

Seepage :(
After identifying the seepage spots, I apply Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac in Clear -- either in select seepage spots or on entire surfaces/pieces. You need to consider how well this spot painting will blend with the overall surface. Sand the spots lightly to create smooth transitions with the neighboring areas. I typically apply two layers of the shellac. This part of antique restorations can be frustrating. Plan for it by having the materials on hand and expecting this step before jumping right into the painting fun. However, if you are painting your piece with dark or red-toned colors, you won't have to worry about any of this!!

The Leading Ladies in this production


Game Time
Finally, the piece is ready for showtime. I painted two coats of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. I like to sand lightly with 400 grit sandpaper in between layers to create a smooth surface. The final step was waxing with ASCP Clear Wax. After rubbing in the wax with a wax brush, I wipe off excess with a clean dust-free rag and then very lightly buff with 400 grit sandpaper. This is different than the buffing I do later to attain the desired shine level of the surface (you do that when you know the wax is dry - a day or two later). For the dresser top, which will be seeing lots of use, I applied second and third coats of light wax a couple of days apart.

Miss Madelyn "before"
Miss Madelyn "after"

I'm so pleased with the results.  This piece has so much to offer!



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