Two-Tone Chest of Drawers

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I finished one of my projects! Yay!! It is such a great feeling to mark something completely off of your list.  This week started out a little rough because of a nasty cold we had going around our house.  But after a trip to the doctor, some antibiotics, and some Benadryl everyone is feeling better, and more importantly, napping better.

So, before we get going with pictures, I have to admit a blogging fail.  I forgot to take a before picture of this great antique chest of drawers.  I was planning to use  some pictures that were emailed to me by the seller, but in an effort to de-crazy my inbox I must have deleted them.  Ughh.  Sorry.

I will tell you a little about the piece though. It was a find on Craigslist, being sold by a lady who had received it as a gift from her ex-boyfriend (note–people selling things from their ex’s are often willing to make you a good deal just to get it gone).  It was quite creaky and really very primitive, but the finish was overall in good shape.  It did have a trim piece on the top I decided to remove because it just didn’t fit right, and it needed two new drawer bottoms.

I decided to give it a two-toned look by keeping the excellent finish on the drawers and painting the rest in MMS Artissimo (I am LOVING that color).

I gave it a light sanding all over, just to help the paint stick.  Milk paint can be a little unpredictable though, and this piece is a great example. It ended up going on more like a wash or stain.  After the first coat I really liked the imperfections in the coloring and decided it fit the primitive feel of the chest well. So one coat and done.

While the paint was curing up, I set to work on the drawer bottoms.  I measured the drawers and went to Home Depot to find some replacement wood (do I get extra points for having all 3 kids with me during this process?)  I was helped by a wonderful Home Depot employee who cut two pieces to size for me at the store.

The drawers have a curved front though, so they needed a slight trim.  I took out one of the old damaged drawer bottoms and used it as a guide to trace the curve of the front.

Any Lego Chima fans out there?

Then I used my hubby’s jigsaw to cut the curves.

Again, bonus points for doing it by myself!

I slid the new bottoms into place, nailed them into the back drawer piece, reinforced the joints with wood glue, and let them set overnight.

On this day my two youngest kids were in a Benadryl induced super-nap, so it was a productive afternoon.

Now that the drawers were done, it was just a matter of giving the chest’s body a coat of clear wax.  It did this awesome thing where it gave the milk paint some great depth and brought the wood tone through.

On went the awesome knobs I found at Hobby Lobby …

And here is the final product:

It’s quite elegant and grown-up.  Here is a closer look at the imperfect, wash-look:

I’m having a hard time letting it go . . . I really like the way it looks in my house.

I would like to introduce some darker blues into my living room, so I’m considering using it to replace my Henry Link chest that’s in my entry.

One will have to go, I’m gonna sit on it a few days and think it over.

Thanks for stopping by!

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