Shabby Chic Vanity

Lynnette Soltwedel
by Lynnette Soltwedel
5 Materials
$50
2 Days
Medium
This poor vanity! I saw it up for sale on a facebook page, and I knew I needed to save it! Sitting in an old house that didn't even have indoor plumbing (people had recently moved out 😯) and the gentleman cleaning out the house was selling some pieces left behind....he had "fixed it up" by painting it.....OH MY! It was BAD!!
I had removed the mirror before hauling her home. I knew that paint he had put on had to come off....I could have used a chemical remover, but I grabbed the oribital sander instead. I wore a mask while sanding this piece (seriously you should always wear a mask when sanding). I have no idea what type of paint he had used, but obviously he had put it on without even cleaning the piece. The stuff that came off while sanding was DISGUSTING!
This top was something else...even after sanding! See that reddish patch? It felt waxy! So, I grabbed some packing paper and the iron...Putting the iron on low, laid the paper over the waxy spot, and kept moving the iron over it. As the iron pulled the waxy stuff up, I moved the paper to a dry spot, and continued. I managed to get most of it out of the wood with this process.
Oh hey hubby! I LOVE it when I con him into helping. 😉 Here he is putting the stain on the top for me. We opted to go with a dark stain to address the discoloration that sanding didn't quite get, and to hide that bit of reddish spot that remained. Of course, I missed a picture....after the top was done, we taped it off, and spray painted the base black.
Once the top was stained and dry, and base was base coated with black spray paint....inside she came for chalk paint! Hubby had actually picked out this soft yellow (Pale Moon) when we were at Michaels, and I decided it would be perfect on this piece with that dark top!
After she was all painted, I distressed to give that shabby chic look. If you haven't seen my other projects....I always distress with a fine grit sandpaper. I like the control you get. I also go over the entire piece lightly to give the chalk paint a super silky feel. I swear I took pictures, but can't find them....One of the drawers was missing a piece, and hubby fixed it for me! He had to use his dremel to match up that groove....I am not happy that I must have accidentally deleted those photos.
I managed to miss taking photo's of the mirror when I took it apart to paint it. I prefer to remove mirror completely, so happy I did with this one! Look at the stamp that was on the back. I removed the old nasty felt (that is the cushion between mirror and frame) and replaced it with new felt. I love keeping original mirrors. I think those age spots just give the piece character.
And here she is! I sealed the body with wax and the top with poly...added some new knobs, and ready to go. This beauty sold the same day I posted her for sale. I love it when people fall in love with my vision.
Suggested materials:
  • Stain/poly   (Home Depot)
  • Stain/poly   (Home Depot)
  • Chalk paint   (Michaels)
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