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Farmhouse Dresser

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This tall boy dresser was nominated by My Vintage Verve to receive a complete makeover. The plan was to take the plain Jane dresser and give it a bit more life, luster and interest. The best way not to do that was to paint it top to bottom in a latex yellow that made it look like it belonged in a nursery. I wanted a very soft creamy yellow and ended up with banana cream pie. So, I fired my stylist and started again.


Luckily for me, the electric sander revealed its inner beauty and I had no choice but to pull out all the stops to ensure she was going to look fabulous!

I primed the dresser before I put applied the latex paint. I did this because it had a lot of shinny laminate and I knew that primer was my best hope in getting the paint to stick. In fact the paint stuck so well that I had a very difficult time sanding it by hand when I knew the yellow had to go. So, I broke out the electric sander and started sanding away.

As I was sanding, I noticed how much depth the piece started to have with a bit of the wood grain, white primer and yellow paint left on. Originally I was going to sand it down until most of the paint was gone and it was nice and smooth. I changed my mind completely when I saw just how cool it was starting to look.

Instead of painting it again and covering what I had just uncovered, I decided to take a risk and use Annie Sloan’s dark wax on the piece. I did not use the clear wax first. I knew how much the wax would stain the wood but I thought it would look so cool over the layers of paint. I have never tried that before and I’m so glad I did.

In the end, I sprayed the handles a dark brown and left the top dark. It would be way too much if the top of the dresser was painted and waxed to match the front.  The reveal took place with a bunch of her closest friends and everyone agreed she looked fabulous. She continues to maintain her style and if you would like, you can catch a glimpse of her at Carter’s Cottage. Update: This item has been sold.

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