I need help with paint

Linda Valentine
by Linda Valentine
I'd planned to paint my dresser and bed a teal. Then ran across this picture. Does anyone know how it's done? i have an idea, sort of, but need some opinions from people who are better at this than I am.
  8 answers
  • Docmags Docmags on Jan 08, 2018

    It's beautiful! Looks like dry brushing to me. Be sue you really prep the dresser first. Not doing this step has ruined many projects. Take off all the hardware and make any repairs or clean-ups now.


    You'll want to select a stunning base coat, then a few complementary (or contrasting) colors. Then paint your dresser in your favorite color. You want a solid color coat so you may need two coats.


    Once it's completely dry, choose one of your other colors. Take a dry paint brush & put a very small bit of paint on your brush. Some people do this by painting a thick stripe of paint on a piece of wax paper before starting. The color should only touch the brush in a few spots. You can run the brush over a paper towel before you get started if there's too much paint. Very softly run the brush in a very level line across the desk. You can take a different dry brush & blend or drag the color across the drawer.


    Once this color has dried, repeat with all the complementary colors, allowing reach coat to dry thoroughly before starting the next. Use a light touch. You don't want to cover up too much of the base coat or you'll lose that color you love.


    Seal it when you're done. God luck!

    • Linda Valentine Linda Valentine on Jan 11, 2018

      I posted a message but it didn't show up so I'm replying to each one of you. I've got three good suggestions on here and I'm going to get a large board and do all three and see what comes out nearest to the picture. I do so appreciate your time and effort to help me.

  • Ann Cherkas Halstead Ann Cherkas Halstead on Jan 08, 2018

    Go onto YouTube and watch videos of “Unicorn spit” tutorials. Hey how a is a water based gel stain. I am addicted to redoing furniture with it.

  • Liz Liz on Jan 08, 2018

    Linda, First clean your furniture thoroughly. This furniture color in your picture can be achieved by sanding and staining the top with whatever stain you like. You can use a polyurethane on the top to protect it since it gets the most wear. Then, paint the rest of the dresser and bed with either chalk paint or a good quality wood paint in 'flat' or 'egg shell' finish in the teal color that you like. Use 2 coats of this. When dry, go over the pieces with a clear wax, let dry and buff. Then, go over them with a dark wax, let dry and buff. Dark wax, applied correctly, can replace having to dry brush your base teal with a darker color. Some things to consider: some original stained wood will 'bleed' its color through paint. You can test for this on an inconspicuous spot. If the original stain on your furniture 'bleeds' through, you can seal the bottom part of the dresser and the bed with Kilz acrylic stain blocker, or any highly recommended product. When this dries, (may need 2 coats), you'll be ready to use your teal base coat and finish with the waxes. You can find this technique on YouTube. Good luck!

  • Cynthia H Cynthia H on Jan 09, 2018

    Here's a project I did with dry brushing. I like to dry brush a different shade of the same color, or a shade of lightened from the darker color, mixing white in it until I get the shade I want. I would guess that it is a lighter blue dry brushed on the picture you have. https://www.hometalk.com/diy/home-office/furniture/new-life-for-a-family-desk-33436037

  • Linda Valentine Linda Valentine on Jan 10, 2018

    Thank you all so much. i think what I'm going to do is get a large piece of wood and try all three suggestions and see which one turns out the most like the pictured dresser. I've been stalling this project for three months and now with your help, i'm going to get it started. Again, thank your for your time and effort to help me.

  • Lisa S. Lisa S. on Jan 10, 2018

    This looks like the "antiquing kits" from the 1970's.

  • Ateliergigi Ateliergigi on Jan 10, 2018

    I'm in the process of repainting a hutch this very color. After much research (and hours of YouTube tutorials) I decided to make my own Chalk Paint using calcium carbonate (powdered limestone). You can get a HUGE bag on Amazon for around $11. This way you can use whatever paint you like. Make sure you get a "dead flat" paint for best adhesion.


    The De-glossing/cleaning process is a must but very easy. I used the Krud Kutter cleaner as a first wipe down. Then a very light sanding in some of the more shiny areas. Followed by a final wipe down using the Gloss Off.

    The color board shows what this will look like finished with the final, black wax added. Using the DIY Chalk paint recipe of calcium carbonate mixed into the paint, I used Behr Premium Plus "dead flat" in Mammoth Mountain color and then homemade black wax (mix a tiny drop of black latex paint into an 1/8 cup Minwax paste wax) applied with a soft cloth. Let dry and buff.


    I'm nearly finished with the project and love the way it is turning out. Very easy and adds a whole new life to the furniture.

    Good luck to you!!