Hello! I have a fun piece to share with you today. I really love the detail and modern lines on this piece. I purchased it off of craigslist and got it for a pretty great price. Once I arrived to buy the piece and checked it out I saw that the top was laminate, but the drawers had some gorgeous walnut veneer. Here’s how it was looking when I first picked it up. The hardware on the bottom 3 drawers is original, but the lion head pulls on the top were added later. The is a Broyhill piece from the Tribute line.
I knew I wanted to paint the piece and had originally planned on going for a solid color all over thie piece like General Finishes Klein Blue. After looking the the wood on the top drawers and that awesome detail I thought it would be fun to strip and stain the top drawers, paint the bottom 3 a light grey and then paint the frame of the piece a true white. So I got to work!
I removed the hardware and began stripping the top drawers and then thought I might as well strip all the drawers and just see how they turn out (you can read my post and watch a video tutorial I made here). Once the drawers had been stripped and clean I let them dry overnight before sanding. I gave the drawers a light sanding with 150 grit sandpaper and then all the drawers were stained with 1 coat of Rustoleum’s Ultimate stain in Dark Walnut. They stained up beautifully and I decided to not paint the lower 3 drawers because I knew the wood loves would freak. They always do.
On the frame I sanded everything with 150 grit, but I also cleaned, sanded (with multiple grits) and then cleaned the laminate top again with TSP substitute to prepare it for primer and paint. I used spray cans of Zinsser cover stain primer to prime the piece. Once it dried I lightly sanded with a high grit sanding block to smooth out the finish.
I recently built a spray booth in the garage (out of PVC pipe and plastic paint sheeting) to start spraying piece with a compressor and HVLP spray gun to achieve better and smoother finishes. It’s definitely a game changer and greatly improves the quality of the finishes on these pieces. It took some time to figure out the spray gun and get the controls right but once I got the gun to work right I sprayed on about 3 coats of paint. Some parts of this dresser are oak and had deep wood grain. I did use a brush on those areas to make sure the paint covered all of the wood grain. I also made sure to sand in between coats (or every other coat) with a sanding block just to smooth out the finish. The piece was then sealed with GF high performance topcoat in satin (also sprayed on with my spray gun). I also stripped and polished the hardware using the process in this video tutorial.
So, here’s where I was at after I shined up the hardware (only the original pulls) and added back on this is where I was (ignore the goodwill frames and photos).
It’s not terrible, but it definitely looks better in photos than it did in person. Even my mom (a wood lover) agreed that the hardware didn’t look right with the wood. It was too contrasted. Even thought that wood is pretty, I went back to my original plan to paint the bottom 3 drawers in GF Seagull Grey. I tested it out by painting poster board and then cutting it to each size of the drawer and taping it on. That’s the point where I was convinced. It just looked better so I primed the drawers, sprayed on 3 coats of GF Seagull grey and then sealed them with GF HPTC in satin just like the rest of the piece.
I really love the way this piece came out. It was quite the process, but worth it! The finish is amazing since it was sprayed on, and while you might not believe me it looks much better in person than it does in photos.
i love this piece- so fun and interesting!
I love it! You have such a wonderful eye for choosing the right combo's in colours and wood finish. That gray is gorgeous!
Will you share pictures of your spray booth? That'd be very interesting to see. We're heading into our cooler months now, so it'd be handy having a space to spray in. Do you take long to clean the spray gun? I've only ever used them for walls, and found them pretty time consuming to clean.
Thank you! Liz
Wow – such creativity! It is such a juxtaposition between modern and vintage! I happen to love those lion pulls!
Love it! I think this is one of my favorites so far. I would totally keep it too if I found something like that. Nice job!!
Stephanie
Wow, I love your style. I'm totally creeping your past projects!! {ChicByTab}
can i buy this from you? looks great!