Does this piece look familiar? You may recognise this style dresser from my last post. I was lucky enough to find two of the same style drawers. I toyed with the idea of doing matching drawers but decided against it so I could paint in two different styles. So this piece was destined for a black and gold makeover. Such a classic combination.
See how I achieved this look below. I've included links incase you want to give this look a try!
Material Used:
White Lightening
Slick Stick
'Anchor' Silk Mineral Paint
Sand Bar Chalk Mineral Paint
'Tobacco Road' Voodoo Gel Stain
Wood Grain Tool (Large Attachment)
Gold Gilding Wax
Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax in Clear, Brown and Black
Dixie Belle Mini Paint Brushes
Dixie Belle La Petite Brush and Best Dang Brush
Applicator Pad
Mister with Water
Chux and Scrubby sponge
Baby Wipes
Cleaning and Prep
To begin this project I cleaned it well with White Lightening. Mix 1 tbsp of White Lightening to 1 litre of warm water (in a spray bottle or bucket) to dissolve graduals. If you have sensitive skin you may like to wear gloves. I then rinsed my piece with plain water from my Mister.
This piece was very smooth so I decided to use the bonding primer Slick Stick. This product can also be also on metal, glass, tile etc. I did one coat in the morning, then another coat that afternoon. I then waited 24 hours to start my next step. Some painters like to use a roller to apply to create an eggshell like finish and give the piece more 'teeth' to hold the paint.
Painting
For this piece I used Dixie Belle's 'Anchor' Silk Mineral Paint. Silk is a pure mineral paint that has a built in Stain Blocker and a resistance to UV, Water, Mildew and Grease. It also has a built in Top Coat so it has a low reflective sheen finish. Silk is a wonderful paint for Kitchen, Laundry and Bathroom cupboards and outdoor furniture too.
When using Silk you want to work in sections and avoid over brushing as, despite being self levelling, you can still get brush strokes. It is also recommended that you use a good quality Synthetic Brush like the Dixie Belle Mini. This paint dries from the top down so you need to make sure it dries completely before your second coat. Allow at least 1-2 hours dry time between coats and before adding anything like wax or glaze etc.
Gilding Wax
Once my paint was completely dry I used Gold Gilding Wax to highlight details.
Gilding Wax is oil based so if you want to add this to a project it
must be done last. I added it using my finger but you can use an artist brush etc to apply. This wonderful product can also be used to colour handles and hinges etc.
Faux Wood Top
To create this realistic looking wood top I used Sand Bar Chalk Mineral Paint as base. I brushed on 2 coats of Sand Bar and when dry I organised my supplies. You need to have everything ready as you will be working with the product while it's still wet. I got my Tobacco Road Voodoo Gel stain, my Wood Grain Tool, some baby wipes and my Dixie Belle Mini brush.
I shook my Gel Stain to make sure it was well combined. I then brushed on a strip of the stain (about 15cms wide) and then, while still wet, I dragged my tool through to
create the grain. I held mine at a slight angle and then rocked it sightly to create a wood knot. I repeated the process (working in small sections) but started pulling my tool across the product from the other direction. As I repeated the process across the piece I removed the built up gel stain on my wood grain tool with a baby wipe. I also kept my Mister handy and lightly misted water on my Gel Stain to keep it hydrated. Sometimes it's a good idea to run the tool through the stain more than once to get the look you want. If you don't like the grain created you can use your brush to wipe back over the stain and drag the tool through again.
You can also seal your painted surface first with Clear Coat Satin or Gloss before adding the stain, which gives you more time to manipulate the stain. However, I like that some of it soaks in as you can get different tones as you drag the tool through. You may like to practice on scrap wood to see what grain you like and how you need to hold the tool to get the look you want. You can use this tool with Gel Stain or Paint.
Waxing
For this project I used the wax not only to protect the top but also to tone the paint. I didn't need to wax the base of the dresser as Silk has a built in top coat. First I took my Best Dang Brush to add Clear Best Dang Wax to the top.
The other reason for using clear first is to allow more freedom when using the coloured waxes as you will be able to wipe it back. If you do not use clear wax first the coloured wax may soak into your paint unevenly.
After using the clear I wiped off excess with an Applicator Pad. I then added Brown Best Dang Wax with my La Petite Brush. I used the La Petite as it is tapered and I was able to work the wax into the crevices of the piece. I then wiped back the excess Brown Wax with the applicator pad and repeated the process with Black Wax.
You could also use a Glaze to tone the paint or do a watered down wash of the Gel Stain used.
I'm very happy with this piece and how adding the wood grain to the top warmed the piece up.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us on Facebook or Instagram (@theprovincialfarmhouse) or email us at theprovincialfarmhouse@outlook.com.
