Happy Friday!
For this week's Furniture Friday I wanted to share something that I did for our own home.
I had been looking for a while for a piece that would be the right scale for our living room and provide much needed storage.
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Earlier in the summer I found this antique dresser on a Facebook for sale page and it was a great price (about $30) and it looked like it would fit our space just like I had envisioned.
It ended up being the perfect scale for the room and I sat with it as is for a couple of weeks. It was this mustard color, which is actually pretty perfect for the piece (and I paint a lot of furniture in a similar color to sell), but it was not right for the color scheme of our home.
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HMKb0COy7xE/WbMmjhO59yI/AAAAAAAAWCk/BAKLCmHucFs8Ad7Xj1Mn_Ln1y_NeWhRtgCLcBGAs/s640/21476296_1830001430375357_1621748247_n.jpg)
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I had contemplated painting it a modern (and currently super popular blush), but in the end, I felt the space need a more raw/rustic piece to balance out a lot of the modern touches that I've added.
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My goal was to strip as much off the paint of as possible, leaving little bits in the groves and woodgrain to show the age and history.
![](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bETkRGuqJ2o/WbMi4ukUkRI/AAAAAAAAWBs/1Zt_2Kg3Xukc01wM4pP6sjdV18MfYO8bwCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN9636.JPG)
I'm going to be honest. This project was a total pain. I'm thrilled with the results, but it was a lot of labor to get it to this spot. (Although, to be honest, it probably wouldn't have seemed so long and drawn out if I had been able to consistently work on it. But, I did it in conjunction with several custom orders and other pieces to sell.)
1. I used Ready Strip to remove as much of the paint as possible. I worked in sections and had to apply the product about three times to each area. Note: This dresser ended up having about five layers of paint. I simply followed the directions that came with the product and scraped off the paint with a putty knife.
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2. I then washed the entire piece down with mineral spirits and 00 fine steel wool.
3. Next, I used 60 grit sandpaper to remove whatever paint was remaining. (Obviously use the proper precautions if you think your project piece may contain lead.) I followed the coarse grit sandpaper with 150 grit to get a smooth finish.
4. I cleaned the entire piece again with mineral spirits and steel wool.
5. I went back and forth trying to decide how to finish the piece. I knew I wanted to leave it as raw as possible...no stain or poly...but I also wanted to feed the wood and enhance the grain. My final decision was to use Watco Danish Oil in Natural. It gave it the perfect rustic, not overdone feel I was looking for.
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNoHoWog5ws/WbMmgWvq1YI/AAAAAAAAWCc/aVTRfw_b1m4Au56fuiGXVvV4bkWn1X8yACLcBGAs/s640/21443119_1829999760375524_294047447_n.jpg)
![](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sE-ol1VB5Ek/WbMj04l4LuI/AAAAAAAAWCE/NVs2g2opldAwRkIBn6h17pO6HZ5ofFDFwCLcBGAs/s640/DSCN9654.JPG)
![](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uNoHoWog5ws/WbMmgWvq1YI/AAAAAAAAWCc/aVTRfw_b1m4Au56fuiGXVvV4bkWn1X8yACLcBGAs/s640/21443119_1829999760375524_294047447_n.jpg)
So what do you think? It's probably not following the trend of painted furniture (and this is coming from someone who actually gets paid to paint furniture for people), but, I truly believe you have to look at each piece individually and determine how you can make it look its best. And, I actually do have a combo of stained and painted pieces in my home, so this mix works for my own personal style.
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Thank you so much for stopping by Number Fifty-Three! I look forward to your comments.