Milk Paint Farmhouse Dresser: Before and After
Sometimes, a piece of furniture you set out to rehab does not turn out the way you envisioned. Sometimes, it turns out better!
I bought this dresser off Craigslist, sight unseen. Well, I didn’t see it anyway. I sent my husband and Dad over to pick it up and truth be told if I had gone along, I probably would have rejected it.
The veneer was peeling off and splintered. And the drawers were falling apart at the seams. It needed far more work than just a coat of paint to pretty it up. And I certainly wasn’t feeling it. But eventually it got in my way in my garage and I got tired of tripping over it so I set to work. I tried every trick in the book to get that peeling veneer off the top. Wet towels soaking overnight, wet towels and a hot iron, and finally sanding. Trust me I tried a lot of techniques. What I ended up with was a gouged hot mess. There was no saving it! The top was removed and replaced. Luckily, I was able to put my husband on that job.
Once the dresser was repaired, I painted it with Sweet Pickins Milk Paint in Flour Sack. I didn’t use the shellac trick to control the chipping. You can see that technique on my blog. I just let the Milk Paint do it’s thing. And trust me it did. It chipped a lot!
More than how I envisioned it would chip. And would you believe I forgot to take pics of that whole process? Bad blogger, bad! But you can get some great Milk Paint Tutorials on my website.
I intended to sell this piece but I love it so much that I found the perfect place for it in my bathroom.
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 of 5 comments
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Love how chippy this is. Will definitely check out the product and technique!
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Can you advise, what is the difference between chalk paint and milk paint? I have only just tried chalk paint and never used milk paint. Are they for different effects eg. is Milk paint for a more chippy look? Thanks in advance.
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@Carole Hi Carole, sorry for the delay. Chalk paint is a thicker more consistent in color paint. I like to think if it as a paint that can give you that French look. It's great for distressing, Milk Paint has a thinner constitancy and can have some variations in tone due to the minerals in it. Milk Paint comes in a powder form and needs to be mixed with water. If it is not used within a certain amount of time, it will go bad because of the milk proteins in it. With Milk Paint you can get a smooth look or a chippy look. I like to think of it as a Farmhouse look. They are both great paints with little to no prep work needing to be done on your piece of furniture before you paint. And both can be sealed with clear wax and you can use antiquating wax on both types of paints as well. Hope that helps!
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