You never know what you'll find on Craigslist: I found two dressers in dire condition just asking to be my new project. I purchased the pair from a nice couple and brought them home to see the real condition; it was amazing that I got them home intact one dresser tried to topple lose out of the bed of my truck. This was a moment where constant prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is necessary to not damage your items/vehicle or someone else's car or cause them harm. This project is a completely new area for me since I had never used paint stripper, so with much research I landed with the idea of using Citristrip, it's supposed to be better on the respiratory system and environment. So here I am starting a project in December when it should wait until warmer weather, but I'm impatient.
You can see the paint peeling revealing a blue/black antiqued layer of paint, which we thought was the original layer, but the original layer was a polyurethane coating on pine wood. In one of the drawers we found a piece or paper glued inside and it dated the dressers to 1962: 50 years old!
We started the project by giving it a thorough once over looking for cracks and deciding how to fix the problems that had occurred over 50 years of use. Once the knobs, that were still attached, where removed it was time to apply the orange goo. (Note: the foam brushes above are not recommended for applying the paint stripper, it will dissolve the brush.)
After reading about the product I decided to give it a try; once again I will mention this is better for the environment, but probably wouldn't have the punch that chemical strippers contain. We gave our opinion of this product with the thought of a handicap: cold weather around 60 degrees Fahrenheit and humid.
The latex paint the previous owner applied easily peeled off with a little scrubbing.
Aren't they beautiful, the curves and design are artfully rustic.
A little damaged and quite frankly splitting in areas we will have these better than new. To intrigue you here are some samples of the color ideas floating in my head.
BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Hawaiian Cinder Interior/Exterior Paint
BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Vanilla Custard Interior/Exterior Paint
BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Forest Ridge Interior/Exterior Paint
BEHR Premium Plus Ultra Burnished Mahogany Interior/Exterior Paint
I would love feedback on colors or any other ideas for this project that I will conquer, just leave a comment below and be sure to follow the blog and receive updates on this topic and others including food, gardening, and inspirations.
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I do like this color combination.
ReplyDeleteThey really have a lovely shape to them! I'm always partial to white furniture or red, but I guess it depends on where you'll be putting them.
ReplyDeleteWe did the same to some family pieces. I like your colors. Maybe darker on the outside but shelves lighter or vice versa? For mine, I wanted to keep them the original color as much as possible except for the knobs. You can see ours here. http://movingontothepast.blogspot.com/2012/12/dressing-table-saving-family-furniture.html
ReplyDeleteYou'll love these when you're through. I am sure they are so much more well built than what you find (for a reasonable price) today.