Today’s contributor is Patricia from The Wood Spa and she is sharing this provincial dresser makeover. She is a member of the Home Decorating, Upcycling and DIY Facebook group. All posts submitted by Patricia for Grillo Designs can be found HERE.
PROVINCIAL DRESSER MAKEOVER WITH GLAZING
Materials used
- Rustoleum white primer spray
- Homemade chalk paint (See chalk paint recipe here)
- Black glaze (Valspar clear glaze + black latex paint)
- Minwax Polycrylic Spray – satin
- sponge roller
- purdy paintbrush
- chip brush (for glazing)
- baby wipes
How to
1 – I Lightly sanded the whole piece (120 grit).
2 – Cleaned entire piece with TSP solution and paper towel and then cleaned again.
3 – Taped and covered with paper the inside of the dresser and drawers to avoid primer overspray.
4 – Primed everything with Rustoleum white spray primer.
5 – Rolled first coat of paint over large areas with a sponge roller (I made my own chalk paint with 2 part of latex paint and 1 part of Calcium Carbonate).
6 – Brushed same paint on corners and details (I ALWAYS use my PURDY paintbrushes).
7 – After it dried, repeated steps 5 and 6 for the second coat.
8 – When paint was totally dry (4-6 hours) finished it with glaze.
Glazing:
6oz of clear glaze (I used Valspar); 1 table spoon of black latex paint (mixed them to make black glaze); a chip brush; baby wipes.
1 – Brushed glaze over a small area, i.e. a drawer. Immediately wiped glaze off with a baby wipe with steady linear movements (horizontal for drawers and top, vertical for sides).
2 – Repeated step 1 on other small areas. The largest area was the top.
3 – After piece was dry, applied some brush strokes on the edges of piece (see pictures) using a chip brush “dirty” with black glaze. The brush was almost dry, with just a tiny bit of glaze.
Would you like to see how I glazed this piece of furniture? Watch my video below!
To see more of Patricia’s work please visit her Facebook page The Wood Spa or her website here.
IF YOU LIKED THIS PROJECT YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE THIS MID CENTURY MODERN DRESSER MAKEOVER
OR THIS TUTORIAL ON HOW TO MAKE CHALK PAINT AT HOME
AND HOW TO APPLY CHALK PAINT THE RIGHT WAY!
Hi Patricia
Wow, beautiful work! Everyone keeps asking about the chalk paint base – Benjamin Moore Steel Wool – but what I want to know is what is the black paint you used for the glaze? Thank you so much for sharing this GORGEOUS dresser! I am hoping my little vanity table with a tiltable oval mirror comes out as nice as your project.
Wow I have a dresser that looks the same as yours. I loved what you did. If you don’t mind where are you located and do you do stuff for others? You do incredible work. Please let me know. Thank you
Did you sand after the primer and after chalk paint
Hello. I bought Benjamin Moore Aura interior paint and primer in a satin finish the Steel Wool color. Can I use it as is or does it need to be chalk paint?
Thank you
I will be trying this on a bedroom set that I’ve already painted but like your approach much better! How do you keep drawers from sticking? This set belonged to my great aunt and has an odor that I’ve tried to get rid of. Any suggestions?
I apologize, but please disregard the question in my last comment. I was scrolling through more of them and realized someone else had already asked the same question. Thank you for the inspiration!
I’ve been looking for a color and finish to use for a bedroom set makeover. I stumbled across this picture and was sold immediately. The article with all of the tips and tricks was an awesome bonus! I went and got all of the supplies and am starting this weekend. It sounds like I might be snowed in for the weekend, so I can’t wait to work on this project!
I do have a question though: why did you use a sponge roller? Can a foam roller be used?
I love the dresser and am going to try to replicate it on my daughter’s french provincial. In the picture it looks like the edge around the drawers and the bottom of the cabinet are darker than the rest of the piece. Is that just lighting or did you darken it with glaze or something ese?
Curious why you used white spray primer instead of gray?
At the time I had a lot of white primer cans in stock Sinai decided tonuse them. I would definitely recommended men’s using the gray primer.
Love the upcycle dresser. Have my mother in laws dresser and high boy, very similar. I thought the purpose of using chalk paint was that it dosent need a primer. Or did you use the white for effect and dimension? Mine has already been sanded down and painted matte black, but I want to redo. Any suggestions on what I would need to use to acheive this look in grey.
Thanks for your help.
Lisa,
The surface of this dresser was a little tricky. It was laminate, no tooth, hard for the paint to stick to, so I decided to use the primer. In your case, I think you can get away with just the chalk paint. I’d test it in a small area and wait 24 hour to check if it’s not preeling easily.
Good luck!
I have a dresser that looks exactly like yours! It’s also laminate. Just wondering how it held up?
What color of paint did you use for the base?
It’s Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore.
Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore.
Can you use Kilns primer (brushed on) instead of Rustoleum spray primer?
The finish almost looks “pearlized” in the n picture. Is that because of the Benjamin Moore steel wool color of the polyacrylic spray? Will the spray yellow?
Yes, you can use any other primer that you like to work with. I recommend oil-based primers for more durability.
The polycrylic gives it a satin finish, but it looks a little pearled in the picture. It won’t yellow. Sealers will cause yellowing over white and other light colors. I never had that problem with gray and other darker colors.
Hi Pat
we are refurbishing our 9 drawer french provincial dresser. Love how your dark grey one came out. But we may have used too light of a grey color- when we do the glaze with black black paint is there away to make the grey look darker so it will resemble yours?
Hi Paulene,
When you wipe the glaze, don’t remove much of it. It will keep your finish much darker. Good luck!
Thank you so much for sharing how to create this beautiful dresser.
I was wondering though, why use chalk paint, why not regular paint?
Hi Charyl,
You can use regular latex paint as well. I used chalk paint on this one because I wanted it a little more opaque.
What does it look like in a bedroom with the rest of the set?
Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of this piece in the client’s bedroom.
What color paint did you use on the dresser? I love it!
Thanks! It is Benjamin Moore Steel Wool.
I just finished my french provincial dresser but the top is i think a Formica. and the paint just peeled off ?…any tips?
Hi Adriana,
I’m sorry that happened to you.
My recommendation is to strip or sand the paint off from the top, then clean it and apply some deglosser. Next you remove the deglosser completely with soapy water, dry the surface then prime and paint again.
Give it more time to dry and cure, before handling it.
Good luck!
Hi, I love love love this Makeover idea. I have 4 pieces I want to attemp to redo and love this look. My question is since I have 4 pieces to do and they have so much details and not a lot of time. Do you recommend using a spray paint instead of paint? And can i do the black glaze over the spray Paint? Thank you
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for your kind words! Yes, if you are comfortable using a spray, I highly recommend it both to safe time and achieve a smoother finish.
The glaze looks beautiful on sprayed pieces.
Good luck!
Hi Patricia, thank you for your reply. I started sanding my pieces finally. I want to know what finish should I get the spray paint? They seem to have the grey I like in a satin Finish only. Would satin finish be ok? Can I use any paint for the black glaze? I have a can of black Berh paint in a satin finish. So was just wondering if that was good.
Yes, satin will looks beaitiful. I use satin in the great majority of my pieces. I avoid high gloss as they are harder to work with.
Any black paint will do with the glaze.
Have fun!
You have observed very interesting points ! ps decent web site .
Hi I may have missed it..lol but what color paint is the gray?? Thank you!!
It’s Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore.
Did you spray paint the drawer pulls? If so, what color & brand did you use? I’ve just finished a dark gray piece similar to yours & having the hardest time deciding on a color for the pulls!
Yes Kellye, I sprayed them with Rustoleum Britht Coat, silver. It looks very nice with the dark gray background.
Can you make the glaze with a slightly darker or lighter gray to make the dresser lighter. I feel like this may end up being too dark of colors for our bedroom but we’re doing charcoal gray and coral and fell in love with this dresser when I saw it but am worried about it being
Too dark in our small room
Hi Caitlin,
Yes, you can certainly do a lighter glaze, but you could also choose a lighter shade of gray as your base color and use black glaze over it.
I would try some color/glaze options on a piece of wood before painting the dresser. Benjamin Moore samples cost about $5 so you can try a few colors without spending a fortune.
Good luck!
How much paint does it typically take to cover this dresser?
I needed only one and 1/2 pint of gray paint to cover this dresser, Caitlin.
Hi there! I have a quick question. I have a French provincial I want to redo like this one and this is my first time ever redoing anything! What do you mean by sponge roller? Is it a roller that is actually textured like a sponge? That is what I assumed but thinking about it and looking at your pictures, it doesn’t look like there is a sponge texture to the top and sides! Thanks for your time!
Hi Jess,
Sorry it took me a while to answer. Foam or sponge rollers are sold in every hardware store. I like them because they give it a very smooth finish, with virtually no texture. Here is a link to an exemple of one of my favorite foam rollers. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0018AKVOQ/ref=asc_df_B0018AKVOQ4976734/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=394997&creativeASIN=B0018AKVOQ&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167138874211&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2584754318572509186&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9003429&hvtargid=pla-309606678132
I hope this helps!
Good Morning! I am redoing a dresser for a client and she requested dark gray. I started lookong up dark gray dressers to get some ideas and came across your post, LOVE IT, and so I decided to attempt it! I glazed the drawers (9 of them) and a 1/4 of the dresser which is when i realized i was too tired to lift another brush so i went to bed. The next day when i was ready to finish up i noticed that the drawers and the part of the dresser i glazed was covered in fibers from wiping. They were of course dried 9n from the glaze so i couldn’t just wipe them off and i even tried 800 grit sandpaper as light as possible. Also i used a clean t-shirt cut up and wet as wiping rags and then switched to wet wipes both of which left these fibers. I am supposed to be finished up with the project by monday. Is this normal when glazing furniture? Is there a quock fix u know of so i dont need to re-do the whole thing?? Please help lol thanks in advance,
Michelline
Oh Michelline so sorry to hear that! I had that problem only once on some stools I painted. I still don’t know if it was the quality of the baby wipes (some leave their fibers everywhere) or if the wood had some texture and was holding the fibers. Maybe both.
Unfortunately there was no quick fix. I sanded, repainted and used a damp cloth (t-shit) to wipe the glaze. The effect was not identical but pretty good too.
Good luck!
Patricia.
Thanks for the help! I didnt see this reply until just now, but i managed to remove most of the fibers using various techniques…. hand wiping, 800 grit sand paper, tweezers lol i still have the perfectionist in me that wants to start over but i have no time. It looks great but i just know up close is a different story but maybe no one else will notice! Ill post final pics of the piece soon! Thanks again!!
Is there a certain brand of baby wipes that is better?
I use pampers or the BJ’s generic brand. I avoid low quality ones.
What paint did you use to get that pretty charcoal grey? What brand and what color or what color to get that in your chalk paint
Hi Jennifer,
Color is Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore. The black glaze makes it darker.
I bought some flat paint; haven’t turned it into chalk paint yet. Was wondering what if I use flat paint instead of chalk paint…How would that affect?
Sorry to keep bothering you…
Hi Rana! Yes, you can use flat paint for sure. It will look just as nice.
Good luck!
Can I use antique dark wax instead of glaze?
Glaze and wax give two very different finishes. I love both, but just be aware they are not the same. I suggest that you test it on a piece of painted wood before applying it to your piece, so you can check if that is the finish you are looking for.
The top of my dresser looks super shiny and hard. I am assuming it’s wood veneer, if not laminate. Does that mean that I have to use an OIL BASED primer?
Hi Rana, I highly recommend that you prime the top after light sanding it. It’s one more item that will help your paint to bond.
I have 2 questions:
What is TSP to clean after sanding?
Also, is the Minwax polycrylic spray used at end of project? I assume it is but want to make sure since isn’t in the directions? Beautiful with the black glaze! Thank you!
Thanks Stephanie! TSP is a heavy duty cleaner. I buy it in powder and dilute it in water. You can also clean your pieces with water & vinegar mix, or windex. Yes, I used the Polycrylic after the glaze was dry.
Oh also, I didnt see the video of you glazing it like it says “watch my video below”. Is there a link you can send me? 🙂 THANK YOU
Hi, not sure why the video is not showing in this post. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yClu6ciddMg
Great idea to use Valspar chalky paint. I heard only good reviews about it. Good luck and share pictures with us!
I’m about to do this project with a very similar dresser, headboard/foot-board and night stand. I just went and got the supplies except I bought valspar chalky finish Paint instead of DIY chalk paint…. Wish me luck!! Ill definitely post how it goes.
Yay exciting! Please do share your project in our forum (link is here):https://grillo-designs.com/forum/
Your dresser is absolutely beautiful. Was wondering what color you painted the handles. Thank you for sharing your secrets.
Thanks for your kind words Cindy!
I spray painted the handles with Rustoleum spray paint, silver.
Good luck on your project!
This piece is beautiful. I was wondering what color you painted the handles. I’m painting my secretary and loved this color. Thank you for sharing all of your secrets.
What color did you use before black glaze – white or gray? Do you have to varnish chalk paint before glazing? Thx
I used gray (Benjamin Moore Steel Wool). I painted, glazed and last sealed it with Minwax polycrylic spray. No varnish.
I hope this answers your question 🙂
Hi, I love the gray piece! What color Kate’s paint did you use to make the chalk paint?
Thank you
Hi Nicole,
That Gray is Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore with black glaze on top.
How did you paint the top? I have a piece of furniture just like yours and the top is shiny and hard (I don’t think it’s wood). Yours turned out beautiful btw 🙂
Jamie, mine was not wood either. I sanded it well with a 120 grit sandpaper then applied two coats of rustoleum primer spray. I recently discovered that deglossers also work wonders. So I now sand then wipe on a deglosser before I prime. (Clean deglosser residues before priming). I hope this helps.
Thank you!
What color latex paint did you use to make you chalk paint. I fell in love with this color and I wanna paint my old french provincial dresser in this tone.
Carley, it’s Steel Wool by Benjamin Moore. The Novak glaze makes the original color a bit darker.
I agree, the color is amazing! This is an incredible piece, excellent work!
Thank you, Janice!
Thanks for your kind words and for sharing it!
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