Antique Dresser Painted in Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham

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Do you have an old dresser that needs an elegant refresh? Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham is a gorgeous new color from my favorite paint line, and I used it recently to give this antique dresser a new look.

This dresser was part of a set I found not too long ago at a furniture consignment store. I love the size of dressers like this, they are really pretty versatile! I have used dressers this size as entryway consoles, tv stands, even as an oversize nightstand.

 

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How to Prep for Painting with Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham

Old dressers like this are also excellent candidates for painting with Fusion! The prep on them is relatively simple and straightforward since you’re working with all wood (no laminate here!).

For this piece, I cleaned it well first by spraying it down with Fusion’s TSP Alternative, which is my favorite cleaner to use. 

This cleaner comes in a concentrated form, and you mix 1 capful into a spray bottle of water to dilute. 

I like to use these Dobie Sponges to scrub the TSP Alternative, they are just abrasive enough to help break up any particularly dirty or greasy spots, but not so rough that they scratch the wood.

After you spray down and scrub the whole piece of furniture, then be sure to wipe off all the cleaning residue.  Any soft rag will work for this–sometimes I use an old t-shirt cut up into pieces, or I also like these disposable shop towels. 

Once the dresser was clean, I roughed up the surface by lightly sanding the entire piece with 180 grit sandpaper. There were a few areas where the wood was nicked, so those spots I sanded a bit more to try and smooth them out so they would look better after painting.

 

Wanna read more about sanding prep for working with Fusion Mineral Paint? You can here!

 

Now that the dresser was all prepped, it was time to get painting!

Oakham is a really interesting color. It is a deep brownish gray but also has these hints of bronze tones to it. It’s more gray than Chocolate (Fusion’s true dark brown), but much more brown than Hazelwood (the closest, lighter color in the Fusion line).

I was really excited to try it on this dresser, I think you’re gonna love it too!

Do you Paint with a Brush or a Roller?

99% of my furniture is painted with a brush. I find that when I use a brush, I have much more control over how the paint is applied and it’s easier to get into the curves and details that furniture often has.

This is my favorite brush to use–the Staaalmeester Ultimate ONE Large Round #16. Whew, kind of a mouthful!

I realize it’s not a cheap brush . . .  but I think well worth the investment. I keep it nice and clean, using Fusion’s Brush Cleaner, and it has lasted me for almost 5 years now. 

It produces the smoothest, most amazing finish! And if you really wanna try it out but are a little put off by the price tag, you could try the same brush in the Medium #10 size. It’s a bit smaller, but still works well for furniture and costs about 40% less.

While I love working with my brush, I have started sometimes using a roller for dresser tops. Sometimes it can be tough to get one, long continuous brush stroke all the way across a top of a dresser, and so that’s where a roller comes in handy.

The one in the photo is my favorite to use with Fusion, it’s the Staalmeester Microfelt. If you decide to use a roller, be sure to not put too much paint on your roller, as that will result in the roller leaving more of an orange-peel texture on your surface.  

How Many Coats will Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham Take?

Every color of Fusion paints a tad bit differently.  Some of the bright colors are thinner in coverage, and can take 4-5 coats to get full coverage. Others are very highly pigmented and you could almost get away with 1 coat!

Oakham is right there in the middle of that spectrum. Here you can see what 1 coat looks like on the side of the dresser.

On these long, flat areas, I ended up painting on 3 thin coats of the Oakham– “thin” being the word to pay attention to!

Two thick coats could have covered it, but I find Fusion looks better if painted on in thin coats. 

For the smaller areas–like the trim in between the drawers and feet–two coats was perfect. 

Final Finishing Touches

It has been a while since I used a Redesign with Prima Transfer on a furniture makeover, and there was a new design that  I had just got my hands on, called Elegant Neutrals.

When I held it up next to the Oakham it was a winner! The colors of the transfer looked stunning with the bronzy Oakham, so I decided to add it to the front of the dresser.

I also applied a light coat of Fusion’s Beeswax Finish over the entire dresser once the transfer was applied.

This is my go-to topcoat over darker Fusion colors! It’s super easy to apply (just wipe on a bit with a lint-free rag and buff off the excess), and you can see in the back of the photo how it adds the perfect soft luster to the dark paint finish.

The Makeover is Finished!

Here is this gorgeous dresser reimagined in its new color, Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham!

Isn’t it stunning?

And these pretty turned legs!!

I was so pleased with how the transfer turned out. I think it added a real extra dose of elegance to this piece and helped make it truly unique and stunning!

 

Well, is Fusion Mineral Paint Oakham a color you think you need to try now? I hope it’s been added to your list!

You can shop for that color and all other Fusion colors over in my online shop, or with me locally at my NW Arkansas booth space inside the Somewhere in Time Antique Mall. 

Thank you for letting me share this painted dresser makeover with you today!

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