Blanket Chest Makeover

Madison McGahan
by Madison McGahan
6 Materials
$25
2 Days
Medium
A friend of mine has watched me re-imagine, re-style, reupholster, and upcycle furniture for years, always saying "when I find a piece to make over, you HAVE to do it for me"
One day she texted me to let me know she had found the piece, it was her Father in law's blanket chest and she didn't know if it was worth doing, but she was hoping it something could come of it. She thought it was "fake wood" (it was real wood) and that it was too scratched up to salvage. I thought otherwise!
I got to work sanding the top with 220 grit, because those "scratches beyond repair" we're actually just a very thin veneer. 220 was all I needed to bring it back to its original beauty.
The bottom however had a few to many nicks in it that needed repair so I wouldn't be using the wood finish. After doing the top piece with a dark walnut stain, I decided to use a basic white chalk paint (that I made). White shows every imperfection and I love white against the wood grain. However she's a "grey" kinda gal, and white makeovers in my opinion are overdone.
So I started adding grey. Normally when I start a piece of furniture, I have a plan. But sometimes, the piece has a different plan, and takes me in a different direction. And that's what this piece did.
From here, all the rest was details
These became to stark so I dry brush painted them with some white and lived the finished look
After it was all done, I was surprised at how much I liked it. I'm not a "grey gal" but I could manage with this grey. And my friend? She and her hubs got very emotional when they saw the finished piece. The Father in law had just passed and they were grateful to have something of his they could treasure and proudly display in they're house.
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 8 questions
  • Dee B Dee B on May 11, 2016
    How did you make chalk paint?
  • Cindy Cindy on Apr 22, 2019

    Do you have any advice on how to fix a water stain from a vase that leaked?

  • Becky Becky on Apr 23, 2019

    What was the base grey paint you used ?? Always searching for the perfect grey. Great job by the way. Love it 👍

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2 of 70 comments
  • Joy Sheffield Joy Sheffield on Apr 21, 2020

    ❤️

  • AndradeTea AndradeTea on Apr 23, 2020

    WOW! That turned out so beautifully. I can only imagine how much it meant to your friends. The end result was surprising yet unique and updated. Well done. Thank you for sharing.

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