Peacock Pretty Paint Job

5 Materials
$15
3 Days
Easy
icon Sometimes you just wanna do something different. When I acquired this dresser, I knew just where I wanted to use it and what color to paint it. Deep turquoise isn’t a color I would normally choose, but I loved the Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint special mix when we introduced the recipe and was looking for a project.

This makeover uses the following:
· Custom mixed color
· Gel stain
· Driftwood painting technique
· Inking with glaze

Before - Yeah, tape was a bad idea.
Someone had used tape to hold the drawers in, probably when moving it (Yikes! I know!). Unfortunately it left a huge unsightly section of exposed particleboard. I did some sanding to smooth it out and roughed up the entire surface to prep for paint.  CUSTOM COLORI chose a custom mix from Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint called “Peacock” – 2 parts Keep It Teal, 1 part Blue Ridge. I mixed it in a mixing cup with measurements on the side to get the proportions right. The cup also had a lid so I could keep it fresh in the container without having to remix when it was time for another coat. 
Recipe for Peacock
Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint custom mix
I gave the sides of the dresser and drawer fronts two coats of Peacock.
I added a gray stain over the peacock color
GEL STAIN - I wanted to add a little dimension and interest with the peacock color, so I did a stain over top with General Finishes Gray Gel Stain. To do this, I first distressed the edges of the doors, drawers and sides with a Preppin Weapon sanding block. 
Apply gray gel stain then wipe off with cloth
Using a 3ʺ foam brush, I applied gel stain to the surface, which I had dampened with a spray bottle. I did this because I wanted the gel to move quickly on the surface without too much soaking in. Another way to achieve this is to topcoat the piece with satin finish before putting on the gel stain. After brushing on the gray, I took a clean rag and wiped the gel off in the direction of the grain. This gave the peacock color a little more worn and vintage look. Note: Wear gloves when using stain – it is not water-soluble and doesn’t come off your skin easily. 
A little more worn look
Base coat applied on dresser top
DRIFTWOOD TOP - I painted the top of the dresser with 2 coats of Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint in Dog Bone as a base. 
GF Driftwood Milk Paint
To achieve the “driftwood” look I wanted, I did layers of dry brushing with a 2ʺ chip brush, first with Driftwood General Finishes Milk Paint then Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint in Clean Canvas and Dog Bone. I continued brushing and layering until I was happy with the final result. 
Driftwood-y
Half of the door "inked", half not done yet
INKING WITH GLAZE - To bring out the details on the two side doors, I used General Finishes Pitch Black Glaze. With a small angled brush, I striped the black glaze down into the grooves around the edges of the door. Then I took a clean damp cloth and wiped off the excess, which really made the lines stand out.   The door in the photo shows half of it glazed (top and left side) and the other half before. Quite a difference!
Peacock Pretty!
The final step was to protect the whole piece with 3 coats of General Finishes HP Topcoat in Flat finish and put the knobs back on. 
All of the products were purchased from Woodcraft, which I already had on hand. My $15 cost listed below is the cost of the dresser. (Score, right?!)It took 3 days mostly because of drying times between coats.
Suggested materials:
  • Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint - Keep it Teal, Blue Ridge, Dog Bone, Clean Canvas   (https://www.woodcraft.com/categories/black-dog-salvage)
  • General Finishes Gray Gel Stain   (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/general-finishes-gray-gel-stain-1-2-pint)
  • General Finishes Milk Paint - Driftwood   (https://www.woodcraft.com/products/general-finishes-driftwood-milk-paint-pint)
See all materials
Lori Haught Harper
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Susan Allaway Susan Allaway on Jul 03, 2018

    can you mix black dog salvage paint with general finishes milk paint

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  • Jeni Ann Jeni Ann on Oct 29, 2017

    Beautiful transformation! Love the peacock color, so on trend Right now. I have “driftwood” color reed Roman shades in my windows and you nailed the color! Bravo!

    • Lori Haught Harper Lori Haught Harper on Oct 30, 2017
      Thanks, Jeni Ann! I just realized my purse is this same peacock color. I guess I liked it more than I realized. I see more of this color in my future.
  • Vicky Corey Vicky Corey on Nov 05, 2017

    Lori, it's beautiful! I love the color.

    • Lori Haught Harper Lori Haught Harper on Nov 06, 2017
      Thank you, Vicky! I'm trying to think of other ways to use this color in my home now! :)
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