This cupboard was lovely to begin with but in its dark colour it somewhat over powered a room.
I decided that this piece should be a lighter colour and it was the perfect opportunity to use dark and clear wax to give the piece an aged finish effect. You could also use Dixie Belle's Grunge or Van Dyke Brown Glaze for this look.
After cleaning the piece (Dixie Belle's White Lightening is recommended) and removing the hardware, I started by giving the piece a coat of white chalk paint (Dixie Belle's Cotton is perfect for this project). After that dried I applied a French linen colour over the top (Dixie Belle's French Linen).
When that coat was almost dry I brushed on some antique white (Dixie Belle's Drop Cloth). As I applied it, the paint mixed with some of the French linen and the effect was lovely.
When both layers were dry I applied some dark wax (Dixie Belle's Brown Best Dang Wax is perfect for this) with a clean rag and experimented spreading it with clear wax. I worked in small sections and varied with how much wax I applied in
different sections, in crevices for example I added more to highlight the details. The effect was lovely and it really aged the piece.
I then added some gold (Dixie Belle's Gold Gilding Wax) to select areas and sealed the piece with Polyacryclic satin finish (Dixie Belle's Satin Clear Coat). When that was dry I attached the hardware again.
I'm really happy with the end result and the aged finish achieved by layering paint and using dark wax.
While it's still a statement piece, the lighter colour allows the cupboard to draw attention without overpowering the room anymore.
Email us if you have any questions: theprovincialfarmhouse@outlook.com
-Erin