Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Distressed Milk Paint Dresser

The pollen count around here has been pretty bad - achoo! But the temperatures have been perfect for painting. Today I have a distressed milk paint dresser to share. If you've been here before, you know that I write "lightly distressed" in something like 99% of my furniture posts, but not today.


Here's her before shot. The top was really rough, but otherwise she was in pretty good shape for her age. 


And the top drawer is very cool. First of all, it is all solid wood that is thick and very heavy.

It has a nifty little button on the inside. Just push it  .....


and the drawer front drops down and she becomes a desk.


I haven't figured out the purpose of the holes inside the drawer, one in each back corner.


And the underside of the drawer has an interesting design cut into it too.


I thought she was a good candidate for Miss Mustard Seed's milk paint and this time I decided to go wild and crazy and skip the bonding agent. This allows the paint to self-distress and chip randomly. And to be quite honest, that freaks me out a bit!

Here's a milk paint dresser I did a few weeks ago with the bonding agent. The paint adhered well and I did my usual light distressing. The color here is Kitchen Scale - really pretty!


This color is a mix of Lucketts Green and Flow Blue. I shook it up in a jar. I think it helps to mix, let it sit for a few minutes, then mix again. But I do find it hard to keep the paint mixed. Little color pigments seem to settle out pretty quickly and that makes it difficult to maintain a consistent color.
There was some random chipping, but not all that much. I'd seen a few bloggers write about pieces where pretty much all the paint flaked off. I certainly didn't want that to happen, but I was expecting a little more.


 So after lightly distressing the edges as I normally do, I decided to go over the drawers with the electric sander and give them a more heavily distressed look. And I know for some of you, this probably wouldn't even be considered heavy distressing, but it is for me.


Of course she looks better without the bright glare. But we were rushing off to get her delivered to Main Street and it was a really sunny afternoon.


Believe it or not, I've painted everything in my garage and needed to go pick up more furniture!


The wooden knobs suited the rustic style of the piece so no need to change them.


And I think her legs are especially cute!




I finished up with a coat of clear wax and she feels silky smooth!
It was fun to experiment and I think the heavily distressed look suits older pieces. But I'm pretty sure my next furniture post will once again contain the words "lightly distressed"!
So what's your comfort level when it comes to distressing?

I'm sharing with ...


24 comments:

Twice Nice said...

Welcome to the wild side! Just kidding, 90% of my finishes are "lightly distressed" too. Your dresser turned out amazing! Love the color, and I think you got it distressed just the right amount. Distressed pieces sell crazy fast around here.

Lisa said...

It's lovely Sharon. Perfect amount of distressing. I love the look of heavy distressing, but it seems a little less is more popular. I think it's good to step out of our comfort zones once in a while and this piece proves it!! Have a lovely week.
Lisa

Korrie@RedHenHome said...

You and I feel pretty much the same way about distressing! It's good to shake things up once in a while ;-) The color is lovely, and it looks great! I am anxiously awaiting my very first order of MMS milk paint!

Cassie Bustamante said...

you are too funny! i love the color and the distressing! some pieces can jus use more than others! but i know what you mean... i am more of a light distresser myself! :0

priscilla said...

Love it ! Great color and I think it has just the right amount of distressing :)

Debbie @ MeandMyDIY said...

It looks beautiful Sharon, even with the "extra" distressing. :) I'm so proud of you that you've finished painting everything in your garage! Just wondering, where do you find your furniture? I don't seem to have a lot of luck around here, but maybe I'm not looking in the right places. That said, I only have one piece in the garage right now, but the storage room is another story.....ack! Have a great day!

Debbie

Victoria's Vintage Designs said...

Looks great, love the color!!

cindy said...

Just entirely too gorgeous. I wish I could find more of these antique dressers. I think milk paint suits them best :)

My Repurposed Life said...

what a fun color! :) love this dresser Sharon.
I'm thinking those holes in the drawer may have been to hold/support some kind of cubby (shelf?)

love it!
gail

Ali Richardson said...

Beautiful! I love the custom color and I definitely think the extra distressing suits the style and age of this piece :)

Unknown said...

I love the color of the dresser! You distressed it just enough too! I still have a few pieces to paint. My problem...I forget to take before pictures! lol
Blessings My Friend,

NanaDiana said...

I love what you did with that piece,Sharon. I wonder if that drawer bottom was a replacement piece from something else-with the holes and embossed design? Odd, huh?

For myself- I prefer a bit cleaner look with not such heavy distressing. I don't know- I think the heavy distressing is the trend right now and I do think it is better suited to the old pieces, too. xo Diana

Deneen@dreaming-n-color said...

I tried milk paint today and I didn't use enough powder so mine was watery. I painted three coats but no chipping. I decided to just keep what I got and try again!

Unknown said...

Hi all,

Nice image about this topic. Milk paint has remained the essential choice for farmhouse furniture restorers. The durable finish of milk paint is mainly due to the casein content. Thanks!

Living Room Furniture

Our Pinteresting Family said...

It turned out fabulous, Sharon. I love how you did a combo of two colors on it. That top drawer is great too...what a lovely dresser/desk. :)

Kim said...

I like the heavier distressing! I think it really fits the piece. I love the dresser itself, how unique with the desk shelf...they don't make them like they used to!
:) Kim

Teresa said...

I love to ooh and ahh at all the distressed and chippy furniture that I see online, but my comfort level with it is pretty low.

I love it when milkpaint crackles too.

Chris at Red Gate Farm said...

Love how it turned out... and for such a "fixer upper" it was an interesting piece! Do you think the mystery design was perhaps because they were using up what they had?

~Chris

Laurel Stephens said...

I think you were brave to use your sander to distress this interesting piece. (Love the desk mechanism.) It really paid off, and I think the heavier distressing really suits it. So far I've only distressed by hand, but I really want to try doing it with a palm sander. Another great project, Sharon!

Sherry @ No Minimalist Here said...

Hi Sharon, I love the color and the amount of distressing is perfect.
xx,
Sherry

Unknown said...

What a pretty piece! The colour you mixed is lovely too. I'm going to have to sand my lastest little table project because I had trouble mixing the MMSMP and now need to sand off the bumps lol. Time to try again for the second coat.

Unknown said...

Maybe the holes are for dowels to hold the desk in place so it doesn't fall out when in use.

Unknown said...

Maybe the holes are for dowels to hold the desk in place so it doesn't fall out when in use.

Number Fifty-Three said...

I love every little bit of this! The shape of the dresser, the color & the distressing. Just perfect!

Angela @ Number Fifty-Three