My "Sea Chest" Make Over
by
Mary Carlson
3 Materials
Warning: This piece will NOT be to everyone's taste but it works out perfectly in our space so I wanted to share it with you.
This was the dresser that we got for free. It was "cute" but I wanted to add some life into it. In a world full of white, I like color and shinny things. :)
Wonderful husband!
We are from IL and it's been cold here as most winters are but I had been going stir crazy not being able to mess around with pieces so my husband was kind enough to sand the drawers and the dresser top for me in my little basement work room ... it definitely made a mess!
He sanded all the drawer fronts, the dresser top and just one little part of the trim piece around the dresser. Beautiful job and wood grain for sure!
I got my supplies together for the first part of this project. I grabbed my Unicorn SPiT Sparkling Stain. This stuff is AHMAZING! These are some of the colors that are going to be released very soon. Unlike the original Unicorn SPiT this line smells like Lemongrass. The Sparkle that is in these is so pretty!
From top to bottom of this picture I painted on my three different colors. Once the front was covered I blended all three of the colors together.
Here they all are with just the stain on them. They don't all match and that is intentional. I wasn't looking for a matchy matchy effect. Just a blended sea of color.
I then used the same process on the top and one part of the trim in the middle of the dresser. It doesn't look spectacular yet, but hang on!
This is the magic of the Unicorn SPiT! Once you place your topcoat of choice on it will make the colors sing! Depending on the piece, etc. you get a 3D pop of color! You must use an oil based sealer with Unicorn SPiT. Unicorn SPiT is a water based product and if you use a water based sealer you will get a muddied mess, trust me, I know :( But anyway I have found that this automotive sponge works wonderfully for a streak free application.
Super hard to get the sparkle to show up but you can see the reflection of the flash on the dresser top. I used 4 coats of wipe on poly on the drawers and I did 5 coats on the dresser top. The more coats you use the glossier it will turn out. I do sand with a super high grit sandpaper in between coats, allow for drying times of course, but it just gives it such a glass like finish to me it is worth the extra time.
We picked a soft gray paint for the remainder of the dresser. I used a new to me product line from Rethunk Junk by Laura. I had seen postings for it and decided to give it a whirl. I have to say that this was a beautiful product to work with. It went on very smooth, coverage was great and according to their website you don't have to seal it! I mean you could they say on a piece that is going to get a lot of heavy use but since this was only going on the sides and front of this dresser I have chosen not to add a sealer and also since this piece is for us I will be able to see how well it holds up!
Here is a picture of the paint, cute packaging too! :)
Here is one side complete. I did put two coats on and allowed drying time in between.
These pulls are from D Lawless Hardware
This dresser seemed to be homemade, the pulls then of course aren't standard at all. I wasn't sure how I was going to rectify that! I wanted something to make a statement but feared I was going to be limited on my choices due to the sizing issue. I reached out to D Lawless Hardware and told him my situation and he put his thinking cap on and came up with these. These waterfall pulls are just stunning! They look like little mirrors, but they also give some masculinity to the dresser which is a good thing since my husband and I share it!
Here it is! It goes amazing with my river mirror as well. I wish I was able to capture the sparkle essence but I only have my smart phone, which isn't very smart with the camera capability. It was a challenge to try and get a picture of her in her space. Thank you for reading and happy DIY'ing!
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4 of 10 comments
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Love love love!!!! Such a great job! Also my dresser I did with rethunk junk by Laura, I only sealed the top and so far the base and drawers and all without a seal have held up for the past 2 years even with my crazy kiddos. 😊
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Beautiful work! I love the unique paint job and hardware combo!
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Thank you!!!! We actually kept this piece for ourselves! The hardware set the piece off for sure and we love it!
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