With summer vacations coming to an end and my boys starting school in two days I can finally go back to blogging more often. (At least that is my goal!) I know there is only a few of you following me, but I can’t help feeling a little guilty for my long silence. I hope you also follow me on Facebook and Instagram as it is much easier to squeeze a few minutes in my crazy busy mama days to post pictures of my projects on social media.
I’m here today to show you this beautiful highboy I finished for a client right after we got back home from our vacation trip to Brazil.
My client found this treasure in a local tag sale. A lady needed to get rid of her entire bedroom set on that same day so she was giving everything away! They snapped up this chest of drawers and were coming back for the dresser, but the lady couldn’t wait, so she took the dresser to the dump. Life is so unfair sometimes!
You can tell by the before picture that it was in very good shape, so at least I didn’t have to spend so much time prepping it for painting.
Here is how I did it:
- Sanded down the top and stained it with General Finishes Java Gel Stain.
- Sealed top with Minwax Polyuretane spray, satin.
- Cleaned the main piece and drawers with TSP diluted in water, repaired the scratches with wood filler and light sanded everything.
- Applied Rustoleum primer spray (gray) on the entire piece and drawers.
- Sprayed Benjamin Moore Graphite, satin with my Homeright paint sprayer.
- “Glazed” main body and drawers with Minwax Provincial stain. I applied it with a cheap brush and removed excess with a rag making linear movements.
- After 24 hours, sealed the painted areas with Minwax Polycrylic.
I love the final result! Let me know what you think.
Look how beautiful the original pulls are! They just needed a good cleaning.
It feels good to be back.
Thanks for reading!
Patricia.
The Wood Spa by Pat Rios 
Wow! It’s gorgeous. I am actually refinishing two pieces based off of your technique for your “french provincial beauty”. I found your page a few months back and with my husband’s patience I have begun to teach myself to paint and refinish furniture.
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Thanks Vida! Go for it! I recommend that you start with a small piece. Happy painting 🙂
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It is beautiful , was gorgeous to start with and the paint took it to the next level. Well done ! I would have been down at that tip for the dresser lol. x
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Thank you so much Catherine! I know, if only I knew that dresser was up for grabs, I would have dropped everything.
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Your pieces are stunning! Love that graphite color and thanks for the detailed info. I have yet to tackle my first painted furniture piece but, gathering the courage to just going ahead and DOING it.
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Thank you! Start small and easy. Get a little table, or a wood frame a practice there first. Before you know you’ve painted your first dresser and loves it.
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Phenomenal change! I liked the before chest, but the after? Speechless!!!!
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Thanks for your kind words, Lorri. When the “before” is already pretty I feel a lot of pressure. I’m glad it turned out nice too 🙂
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Very beautiful, to bad you missed the dresser😢 It just really called out for that color!
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Thanks Jan! I know, the dresser was meant to be with its sibling. Too bad indeed.
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This is really stunning! You did a fantastic job on transforming it into a real beauty!
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Thank you!
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That certainly is one stunning piece. I was following your instructions and saw that you have added so many layers to this piece. But looking at the close up photos I can see why. There is a nuance and depth here that really shows thru . A gorgeous piece of furniture and one that the owners will enjoy for many years. Did y ou have a chance to go to the Olympics while visiting Brazil?
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Thanks Mary! I never thought about the amount of layers I add to my pieces, but you are right. It’s a lot!
No, no Olympics for us! We usually steer away from crowds. We went there to you enjoy family and friends after 7 years without visiting our home country.
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This my dear is stunning!
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Thanks!!
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You have given a new life to a beautiful piece of furniture! I’m new to Instagram so I am still learning my way around but I am so glad I found you. I appreciate that you share the steps you use to achieve your results. It really helps! I have a similar chest I would love to paint. I’ve painted kitchen cabinets, a kitchen island, and a few small pieces of furniture but still consider myself very much a beginner to tackle such a large piece. Have you always used a sprayer? I’m wondering if you think it’s possible to get similar results by using just a brush. Do you typically paint the inside the drawers too? I’m concerned with them sticking.
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Hi Doreen, if you painted kitchen cabinets, consider yourself advanced! I never dared tackling such a huge project.
My experience with a paint sprayer is quite recent. I usually used foam rollers for a smooth finish.
I have this tutorial on youtube where you can see how I do it with rollers and paint brushes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n2_dvq4XTw
I don’t usually paint the inside of drawers. If i do, I make sure they slide well so the paint won’t chip.
I hope this helps. Have fun with your projects!
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Hi Pat… At first I couldn’t believe that you painted over such beautiful wood. But once looking at the finished product with those pictures, all I can is WOW! I really love the completed project, especially the contrast with the top. Just curious, how did you clean the pulls? They came out very clean, at first I thought you bought new ones that matched. Excellent work!
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Thanks Ed! I also felt the pressure of putting paint on that beautiful wood. I’m glad that the result was also nice and it covered all the imperfections of years of wear and tear. I let them soak in a bowl of Citristrip overnight then rinsed and rubbed each one with steel wool. It worked very well, right?
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