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Monday, July 15, 2013

Classic French Dresser

I love finding quality, stylish pieces.  In this case, it was a Dixie French style dresser. 



The dovetail drawers, wood on wood drawer guides and wood dust covers were all the ‘buy’ signals for me.




By now, I guess you know I try to save the tops of pieces.  So this dresser was no different.  After I stripped it, this is what I found: 



What do you think?  Is that some beautiful grain, or what?

I kept the base simple, Old White.  I am diligent with the Shellac, but have noticed after painting and beginning the waxing process, the wax seems to pull off some of the paint.  When I want thorough coverage, I am not a fan of a streaky paint job.  Hmmm…what to do?  I added a small amount of Old White to the clear wax and that helped immensely.   


Does anyone have any other suggestions for keeping the paint from pulling off while waxing?  If so, please, please share!

Anyway, after some light distressing, dark walnut stain, and several coats of poly acrylic, this lovely old dresser was complete.




I was so thrilled to be able to include some flowers from my yard in my pictures.  Azaleas along with tulips are so lovely to see at the end of a long, cold winter.  But now, we’re in a hot summer…and my hydrangeas couldn’t be happier!



Thanks for stopping by…

Robin

Linking to:

LilyFieldLife

BlueEggBrownNest


StoneGable

MissMustardseed

Update:  I heard from Suzanne at The Painted Drawer and Fiona from LilyField Life, both very talented ladies.  One suggestion was to make sure the paint was completely dry before applying the wax.  Another suggestion was to lightly sand between each coat of wax, and make sure to use a very thin coat of wax applied with a soft cloth.  So I tossed my wax brush aside, used MMS wax (I find this easier to apply than Annie Sloan wax), and used a soft cloth to apply the wax.  I've just finished a Dixie Hepplewhite dresser in Old White and there was NO STREAKING!  

Thank you ladies!





10 comments:

  1. beautiful job! that top is gorgeous! and love the classic look! it's so versatile!

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  2. hi I have experienced the exact same problem with waxes removing paint! Unpredictable and frustrating. Hope someone has some suggestions .
    Beautiful job on the dresser.

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    1. Hi Veronica,
      Maybe Fiona will have some thoughts. She uses ASCP whites quite frequently. And thank you for stopping in and commenting! :)
      Robin

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  3. Gorgeous! How lucky to find a Dixie dresser! I think if you do one coat of Old White, sand, then another coat and sand, it should not pull off when you wax. I always sand prior to waxing even though it makes a huge mess. Also, super thin layer of wax with a really soft cloth...anyway those are my tips :)

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    1. Thanks, Suzanne, I'll give that a try! I just picked up a Dixie Hepplewhite Chest and Dresser in a mahogany finish. I've been reluctant to get started on it because I want to paint it in Old White. With your tip, hopefully it won't give me too much trouble! Have a good weekend.
      Robin

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  4. hi Robin, this is just stunning - I would have done the exact same finish on this dresser - similar tastes I think. It's very beautiful. Not sure about any more hints on the wax other than what we emailed. what a bummer.
    thanks for linking to paint parade
    Fiona x

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    1. Thank you Fiona. Love your Paint Parades! Waiting for the paint to dry thoroughly, along with light sanding between coats (as suggested by Suzanne at the Painted Drawer) may be just the trick. Stay tuned....

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