Hot Pink American of Martinsville Dresser / Buffet

10 Days
Medium
This vintage AoM dresser was boxy and bulky - but new feet and a hot new color make the perfect statement piece for bold and modern taste.
This dresser was a find a local thrift store. I tried to encourage some of my local followers on Instagram to buy this piece (and a matching tallboy) because I really didn't have room to take it home. Needless to say, the piece waited for me, and the message was clear - it was my job to make it pretty again. :)
Here is one the photos I shared on IG of the piece in original condition. {You can follow me at @christina_phoenixrestoration }. I bought it when I went back a week later for 50% off day and it was still there...much to my surprise.
The piece sat in my van for a couple of weeks while I finished up the makeover for my other pink AoM piece. When I was able to work on it, my first order of business was to remove that hideous skirt from the dresser that made it appear heavy and blocky.


BTW, I would LOVE it if all of you who like/commented on that piece would help me out by voting for it in a contest I entered through General Finishes . Voting is open through 3/25/15 and you can see my entry directly by clicking here.


https://generalfinishes.com/contest-entry/american-of-martinsville-campaign-credenza-in-bougainvillea#.VQn77EJGkfw


Scroll down - just ONE CLICK to vote, no email entries or registration. And you can vote for as many images as you like, so be sure to peruse the talent on display from all the lovely contestants.
I fully stripped the top and sides.
Lacquer on the drawers was worn thin, so I went straight to sanding. No stripper needed.
The dresser and drawers were primed. Thank goodness for mild weather in mid-February!
I (my husband, actually) chose this crazy pink color by Benjamin Moore called "Hot Lips"I sprayed the paint on with my new Husky HVLP sprayer, which I love! Seriously, if you are painting furniture - GET ONE! I'm used to working with General Finishes paint, but this Ben Moore paint from the "Aura" line went on easy and smooth. Highly recommend.


Looking good!
For the topcoat, I paired the paint with Ben Moore's "Stays Clear" acrylic topcoat. While the results were ultimately very nice, giving the furniture the glossy look that I love so much, it was a little bit tricky to work with. I dive into to full detail on this in my blog post (link below)
I found new feet for my piece at Lowe's! So much better than trying to find vintage feet on Etsy or eBay.
The hardware polished up beautifully. I used a combo of Klean Strip to remove the old lacquer from the brass and then I polished with barkeeper's friend. I have lots of resources on my blog for restoring brass - check it out if you need tips.
And here you go! The staged, full reveal!
I'm at my limit for photos - but you can view the full shoot and details on my blog. For high res photos, head over to my Flickr photostream for this and my growing portfolio.
Phoenix Restoration
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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2 of 8 comments
  • Elena Elena on Nov 29, 2021

    Absolutely beautiful!! I love your choice of color. I have 3 pieces I would love to redo, unfortunately I’m older now and time and my handicaps are not on my side. I think I would choose the very same color if I were able to redo my pieces.

  • Kelly J. Tinney Kelly J. Tinney on Jun 14, 2022

    OBSESSED over that pink!! I wish more people would use color. This piece makes me happy. It’s so vibrant, cheery, cool, trendy, kinda edgy in a good way, and just gorgeous!! 💓💓💓💓💓💓

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