The antique chest of drawers that my husband has been using has been with us since the beginning of our marriage. It was very dark and many of the drawers weren't working so well. I didn't really want to paint it since the style just wasn't a favorite of mine anymore. So, I happened to find this one at the local Restore for 25.00.
It was a mess. It was missing one handle and it had marker all over it, even on the drawers where someone wrote "socks", etc. Beyond all of the ugly, however, was a pretty solid piece of furniture. I decided to go with it.
My process was simple. After removing the hardware, I sanded it down just a bit to make it a little smoother. I then used a flat cream colored paint also purchased at the Restore. I applied two coats, but not with perfect coverage. I then lightly sanded it once more, distressing a bit here and there. To finish it, I applied Johnson Clear Paste Wax. That's it!
I am very happy with the way it looks now. Is it perfect? Absolutely not! Does it have a lot of cottage charm and a well worn look? Absolutely! And that's what matters to me. Now if I could just find a matching piece of hardware it might actually be close to perfect....
