I purchased the chest because I loved the lines. The drawers were serpentine and it had a little door area for hats, I presume. I loved it and it was a steal at $50! BUT....the finish was AWFUL!! It had been painted a multitude of colors but the icing on top was a crackle finish of two hideous browns! This was really a crime against real wood. See Example 1:
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The crime continued with the paint slopped on all the hardware and even inside some of the drawers! I started stripping everything down. I scraped and stripped, sanded and stripped. I scraped and stripped some more and then sanded again. See example 2:
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Don't let this pictures fool you. There were many layers of paint and the under this awful brown I believe I found, white, red, and green!
I finally got it all stripped down only to find the top and the front of several drawers were stained or damaged too much to be restored to show off the natural beauty of the wood. That left me with one choice....PAINT! I had really worked hard to get all the old paint off because the dresser had such beautiful lines and I really wasn't sure how old any of the paint was. Once I was stripping it I figured I'd better just go all the way. However, when all that hard work was done....it almost broke my heart to put paint back on it!
By this time, I was so into this chest of drawers, I couldn't imagine parting with it. I really didn't need another piece of bedroom furniture but, it was LOVE!!! I couldn't part with it!
I decided I was so in love, I started painting it to match my Sugar Bug's room. When I was finished I was more in love than ever...and Sugar Bug loves it too! BONUS!
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The moral of the story, at least on this one, is ....no matter how frustrating stripping may be, the payoff really can be worth it!
I am going to share this with my new friends at Primitive and Proper. Cassie was so nice last week with her party and I can't wait to see all the other entries too.
Lisa
totally worth all the work- it looks brand-spankin' new and so pretty! it has gorgeous lines and it's perfect for a little girl with its pink knobs! thanks for sharing at my party!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job. Stripping is hard work but it was the only way to get rid of the crackle. Looks wonderful now. Love the color and the knobs!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great finish... looks like satin. I don't have a girl but this piece makes me wish I did. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLisa, what a gorgeous makeover! I love, love love this piece.I have a new admiration for gals who strip furniture. It was certainly worth it,I can see why you wouldn't want to part with this one!You give me hope for my desk, which is still unfinished~
ReplyDeleteI am so glad it worked out for you in the end ~ you are right, stripping is SO tedious & you never really know what you're going to find underneath all that paint. It is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI admire you for sticking to it! It turned out so great! Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous! Your hard work paid off!
ReplyDeleteI can feel your pain, I did my first stripping last month and had no idea how hard it was! Definitely worth it in the end though!
ReplyDeleteHoly cow...i cannot believe you stripped that entire dresser! It must have been a lot of work, but the finish is so pretty. Great job!
ReplyDeleteYour dresser is gorgeous! You sure did put a lot of work, time and love into that. You did a beautiful job. I love the color and the sweet pink knobs.
ReplyDeleteThat is one beautiful dresser!!! I can see why you kept it!
ReplyDeleteYeah, stripping is always one of those "Seemed like a good idea at the time." I always wonder why I start it!
ReplyDeleteIt turned out so beautiful. Definitely worth the elbow grease!
Would love for you to link up to Passion for Paint this weekend.
Thanks so much for linking up to Passion for Paint! Hope you'll drop by again soon!
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