French Provincial Makeover

Pat Rios
by Pat Rios
$40
10 Hours
Medium
This is how you can give an old French Provincial Dresser a new elegant look.
Paint: Homemade chalk paint Ben Moore Steel Wool - satin
Rustoleum Spray Paint Silver - for drawer pulls
Glaze: Valspar clear glaze with black latex paint
Here is the step by step tutorial:
Check out the before-after picture below.
And here is the step by step tutorial.
Drawer pulls: Clean with soapy water and spray paint them with Rustoleum Silver


Prepping and Painting


1 - Light sand the whole piece (120 grit)


2 - Clean entire piece with TSP solution and paper towel. Clean again.


3 - Tape and cover with paper the inside of the dresser and drawers to avoid primer overspray


4 - Prime everything with Rustoleum white spray primer


5 - Roll first coat of paint over large areas with a sponge roller (I made my own chalk paint with 2 parts of latex paint and 1 part of Calcium Carbonate)


6 - Brush same paint on corners and details (I ALWAYS use my PURDY paintbrushes)


7 - After it dries, repeat steps 5 and 6 for the second coat


8 - After paint is totally dry (4-6 hours) finish it with glaze.
Glazing


Four parts of Valspar clear glaze and one part of black latex paint (mix them and you have black glaze)


A cheap brush


Baby wipes


1 - Brush glaze over a small area, i.e. a drawer. Immediately wipe glaze off with a baby wipe with steady linear movements (horizontal for drawers and top, vertical for sides)


Wipe as much or as little as you want, depending on the look you are trying to achieve.


2 - Repeat step 1 on other small areas. The largest area will be the top.


3 - After your piece is dry, lightly apply some brush strokes on the edges of piece (see pictures) using a cheap brush "dirty" with black glaze. The brush should be almost dry, just with a tiny bit of glaze.


* If you don't like what you did, wipe it off with a baby wipe and start that small area over.
Sealing


After whole piece is dry, spray Minwax Polycrylic, satin. 2 coats.


This is a short video to show how I glazed this piece.


I hope you give it a try! Let me know if you have any questions.


Thanks!


Patricia.
Pat Rios
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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  • Natalie thomas Natalie thomas on Oct 17, 2019

    I absolutely love this piece and the finish you’ve created. I have the same dresser and would like to replicate what you’ve done. The drawers appear to be outlined in black and also a strip of black along the bottom. Is this an illusion in the picture or did you outline/paint these areas in black?

    thank you, Natalie

  • Wendy Boudreaux Wendy Boudreaux on Dec 21, 2020

    I absolutely love this !!! I will be doing this to my bathroom cabinet... do you prefer baby wipes or will a dry lint free cloth work just as well?

  • Lucy Lucy on Jan 15, 2021

    what did you do to the hardware? is it new or did you do something with the existing?

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