Project : Primary Bedroom Furniture Refresh

Objective: Our primary bedroom was a hodge podge of unmatched pieces of furniture which was okay as the plan was to at some point purchase a matching set but it just seemed like it was never a priority and that was okay but I was ready for it to be a pretty space of matching pieces and guess what, I know how to make that happen so I did what we can all can do, look around in your spare bedrooms or basements and see what you already have.

I decided to use the chest of drawers that my husband had already been using that matched a bed and nightstand in a guest room and to use the dresser from another bedroom set that was no longer in use and just taking up space in a spare bedroom.

Plan: Since our antique headboard was a dark gray color that I loved and night stands that I had bought years ago were bright white and I still loved them and wanted to continue using them the easy plan was to paint the dresser and chest of drawers in bright white not distressed to just have a clean look in our room. I also rearranged the furniture layout making the bed the focal point (originally when you walked in our room the bed was just to the left but was facing the windows). Now when you walk in the bedroom the bed now faces you directly. I have always loved beautifully made bed and the way the bedroom was layed out before didn’t really allow for the focal point to be the beautiful bed.

Steps:

Put drop cloths under the two pieces to be worked on. It was feasible to move these very heavy pieces downstairs to work on so they would be staying in the bedroom but I want to protect the carpet. I also use square cut blocks of scrap wood or even square cut outs from cardboard to go under furniture legs that are going to be painted. You don’t want your painted legs to stick to your drop clothes.

Clean the furniture with simply green. This piece wasn’t in a garage or storage unit so I knew it wasn’t filthy but had years of furniture polish on it and just grease and grim from general use. I sprayed simple green liberally all over the furniture pieces and then work it over with a tshirt rag (I love to take my husbands old white tshirts and use them for rags). After I felt like the furniture was clean I used a wet rag and went over the pieces really well removing all cleaner residue.

Remove Hardware. Since the two pieces I am painting do not match but I am wanting to make them look more like they do I plan to install new matching hardware on both pieces. Removing hardware should be done even if you are going to use existing hardware just because it is impossible to tape it and takes so much time and frankly I hate taping so one less item to tape is a no brainer.

The hardware for the dresser had two screws, 2 inches apart and when I was looking for new hardware I discovered 2 inches is not a common screw width so my choices were very limited. The dressers hardware had just one screw one each side of the large drawers so I decided simple chrome pieces would create the clean look I was going for. I wasn’t necessarily wanted the eyes to be drawn to the hardware but yet I did want the unified hardware to tie the mismatched pieces of furniture together.

So I need to fill in the screw holes for the chest of drawers. I used Dixie Belles MUD for this. You simply use MUD like you would any wood filler. I have spackle and wood filler but wanted to try MUD so this was as good a time as ever. MUD is also great for embellishments so it’s a multi use product. Interesting things about is that they recommend you store it in the refrigerator. After allowing this to dry I just lightly sanded with 220 grit sand paper.

I did scuff sand the entire piece with 220 sand paper. This is always a good idea as with any manufactured piece of furniture there is some type of heavy topcoat and also years of furniture polish and when you scuff sand it you provide something for paint to grip onto. After sanding you want to vacuum up any dust especially in the corners of furniture and then I take a damp rag and go over the pieces for any trace of dust.

To prime or not to prime. Don’t get me wrong…..I love chalk and though they claim to not need any prep work or primer before painting, I have learned the hardway that just isn’t always the case especially with antiques and certain woods (Mahogany and Cherry). My advice is to always prime (or shellac) when it doubt and if you are going to be painting in the white range of colors it is just an insurance policy as nobody likes to spend time and paint only to find out you have bleed through. Not all primers are made alike. Make sure if your goal is to block bleed through that you get a primer that is for stain blocking but you have a many options so just shop around for what is best for you.

Since I was using the Dixie Belle paint I went with the Dixie Belle BOSS primer in white. Dixie Belle offers three choices of BOSS (white, grey and clear). This product goes on like a paint so I decided to use a 4” roller and for corners and edges I used a chip brush. I did two coats of BOSS on top of chest of drawers and dresser.

NOW finally its time to PAINT. I choose Dixie Belle paint in Cotton. I always pour my paint in a separate container. Probably just habit as prior to chalk paint I have decades of experience painting many interior walls of homes I’ve lived in and you wouldn’t dare piant directlt out of can of paint. Im not partial to any containers and have been known to use my fair share of used plastic soup bowls from the grocery store or even Chinese take out plastic containers. It really depends on the size of the project.

I have learned that I prefer to add WATER to Dixie Belle paint and to keep my brushes wet with a spray bottle of water as I paint.

I applied the paint the same way I did the BOSS. I first used my 4” roller and went in long straight lines and then after rolling went back with the chip brush and filled in along the edges and corners. I was careful not to have long brush strokes as the roller leaves a really smooth pattern and the brush would have messed that up so I just sort of touch the corners and edges with the chip brush rather than brushing it along.

I applied a second coat of paint the next morning so though you don’t have to wait that long it just happened to be late when I finally got around to applying the first coat. I did not sand between the two coats. I did add even more water to the second batch of paint as I did not want any brush or roller marks.

I did decide to lightly sand the top of the dresser and chest of drawers with 1000 grit paper. I could have used a larger grit but I really just wanted to smooth it out a little as it was already pretty smooth. As always wipe up any dust after sanding.

I have learned that when working on a piece for multiple days it is just a good idea to always dust the piece before you do anything as over night dust does collect especially if it is just sitting in a work shop or garage. Nobody wants to start painting only to find you’ve got dust or dirt in your paint lines.

Topcoat. I used the Dixie Belle Clear Coat in Satin. I applied this with a foam brush as it applies like most top coats and poly coating finishes. It is very thin so you just work fast and in long strokes without reapplying but just move from one section to another. It dries very quickly.

When your working on two or more matching pieces you find you can basically go from one to another without any down (wait) time as they first piece has dried by the time you have finished the second.

So after the second piece was clear coated I started applying the second coat. I knew I would be applying two coats with these two pieces being used gently but yet being used everyday. I did apply the second coat with the 4” roller as I loved the way it really leveled out especially on the surface and drawer face of both pieces. This just gave a flawless satin finish to the pieces.

I am always overly protective of painted pieces and just want to let them cure as long as possible before using them. I waited several days before installing the new hardware.

I bought the hardware on amazon and loved the simple yet classy look against the bright white pieces. I was able to use the same screw holes on the chest of drawers but needed to drill new ones for the dresser. I wanted them to be exactly in the middle of the dresser so we used a measuring tape, marked the spot, drilled the hole and just like that this dresser had a completely different look.

Supply List:

Drop clothes (don’t skimp on this especially if your painting in a bedroom like I did)

Blocks of wood or cardboard square pieces to go under legs of furniture

Simply Green (or some cleaner like TSP, mineral spirits, Dixie Belle White Lightning)

Tshirt rags, blue shop towels (like paper towels but stronger)

Screw Driver for hardware removal

Mud (wood filler of any type)

Blue painters tape (or any type of painter tape)

Roller and roller bin (4”)

Small container for paint

Spray bottle of water

Chip brush

Paint can opener or flat head screw driver

Dixie Belle BOSS (or any primer, stain blocker, shellac)

Chalk paint

Dixie Belle Clear Coat in Satin (ALWAYS seal your chalk painted pieces with topcoat)

Take away from this project. I have done small dressers and desk but not at the same time and not to this degree so I realized dressers and chest of drawers take a long time simply due to the drawers. You have to pull out drawers (if they come out) and if not you have to maneuver around them while painting edges so it just takes a while so be patient and allow yourself the adequate time.

So if your frustrated with a room of mismatched pieces and have extra unused pieces taking up space in your home repurpose them and make your own matching bedroom suite. You can also find amazing pieces at thrift stores, social media, or garage sales. It just takes some imagination, elbow grease, great products and time!!

Happy Painting!

Pam