Meet Our Newest Paint! {Antique Dresser Makeover}

If you’ve been following along with me for a while, you probably know that it’s been a long time since I have used chalk paint for my painted furniture projects. I was using chalk paint a lot in the very early days of Lost & Found, but then I stumbled on Fusion Mineral Paint and enjoyed working with it more than any other chalk paint I had tried at the time. Between Fusion and Milk Paint, I felt like I had everything I needed to get any look I wanted. So chalk paint and I parted ways.

For over 5 years now, I’ve been using exclusively Fusion Mineral Paint and MMS Milk Paint for all of my furniture projects.

In those same 5 years, lots of new furniture paints have come and gone. Old paint lines have been reformulated, several new types of paint have emerged, and furniture painting styles have evolved and developed into true art. But through it all, I stuck with Fusion and Milk Paint–my favorites and the ones I was most comfortable with.

Fast forward to today . . . Lost & Found has also evolved and grown over this time period, and I now run a full brick and mortar paint Studio in Northwest Arkansas!

Going from running my business out of booth spaces to a brick and mortar was a huge change, and I’ve been constantly learning over the past 14 months I’ve been in business here.

One thing I knew for sure–to be successful here, I really needed to establish Lost & Found as THE place to go in the area when you wanted to paint your furniture.

But before long, I started seeing a problem with executing that plan.

One of the questions I kept getting from my local customers, over and over again, was if I carried a chalk paint. Whenever I was asked, I honestly had to tell them no–Fusion is not a chalk paint, and milk paint isn’t either.

Many customers were eager to try out the lines we had, but many also really wanted to stick with what they knew and were comfortable with.

I also had many customers who enjoy color blending and the current trendy boho look. Most tutorials online for those painting techniques use a chalk paint, and honestly I think that’s the best choice for that kind of painting. I didn’t like having to tell those customers that I couldn’t really meet their needs or help them as much as I would like.

I realize in business you can’t please everybody, but I also feel very strongly about serving my customers’ needs and wants. And if customers were asking for a chalk paint or needing a paint that would better fit their needs than what I had, then that meant I needed to find one to provide!

So back in January I started searching. I tried several new paint lines that have appeared in the past 5 years, and most of them I didn’t care for. It was discouraging at first!

But I kept at it and finally found a paint that I really enjoyed working with and that exceeded my expectations of a chalk paint. So that’s the one I picked.

Say Hello to Jolie Paint!

My newest addition to Lost & Found’s paint selection is Jolie Paint! Jolie is relatively new to the market, and made right here in the USA. It’s a true chalk paint, meaning that it’s minimal prep, quick-drying, and easily adheres to a whole bunch of different surfaces.

What sold me on Jolie was its smoothness . . . It did not have that thick, textured feel that I remember chalk paints having. It smooths out so well as you brush it onto the surface, and feels butter smooth to the touch once it’s dry.

There is a paste wax (in multiple colors) in the line that you can use to seal the paint, but there is also an acrylic Varnish if you want a more water-protected topcoat.

The colors are stunning, and the price is, ounce for ounce, right along with my other 2 lines.

All in all, I’m thrilled to now have it in our local Studio and online shop! I think it’s a great middle-ground between Milk Paint and Fusion–very easy for a beginner painter, and still provides a smooth, durable finish.

My First Big Jolie Project

I had tested Jolie out on a few small side tables, but wanted to use it on a bigger makeover to really give it a go. When I saw this antique dresser at a flea market, I knew this was the piece.

All of those carvings and details would look fantastic distressed, with a dark waxed finish, which is a look that is so easy to get with a chalk paint.

The color I picked is called Deep Lagoon. It’s a deep, darker blue that would make a bold, but elegant statement on this piece.

Prep for Painting

To prep the piece for painting, I cleaned it with my Fusion’s TSP. Jolie does recommend that you still clean your pieces first, being sure to use a mild, biodegradable cleaner that won’t leave any residue. Fusion’s TSP fits the bill perfectly.

I sprayed the piece down and scrubbed it with my Dobie sponge, then wiped it off with a rag.

What I noticed when I wiped back after cleaning with the TSP was that this piece is a bleeder!

See all of that on the paper towel? That’s not dirt, but the wood tannins seeping out of the paint. This dresser is made of mahogany, which is notorious about bleeding through paint. But since I was using a dark color, I didn’t have to worry too much.

However, if you ever see this as you are cleaning a piece you’re about to paint white . . . you MUST apply a stain-blocking primer before you paint, or your white paint will turn pink. You have now been warned 🙂

After I cleaned it well, I did sand smooth some of the drawer fronts because the finish was a bit flaky. I didn’t want that adding any texture to my final finish, so sanding them smooth was necessary. But the rest of the piece I did not scuff sand at all– Jolie instructions say that sanding your piece before you paint is not required. Time to give it a test!

2 coats of the Deep Lagoon gave me the coverage I wanted, and it was quick! The first coat was dry in about 30 minutes, so my whole painting time just took a little over an hour.

Once the final coat was dry, I went back and distressed the details, focusing on the carvings. Then I added a coat of dark wax (I used my MMS Antiquing Wax because it was what I had on hand already open, but the Jolie Brown Wax would give the same look), making sure to wipe off any excess.

That was it! The whole piece was easily finished in a day.

After Photos

Here it is with its new look!

Isn’t it stunning?! And that Deep Lagoon is just gorgeous!

The distressing on those details makes them stand out!

I lucked out–the dresser had all its original hardware and it’s beautiful as well.

So what do you think? This piece was unloved and forgotten, with stains and broken veneer, and now I think it will be well-loved again in someone’s home.

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Why use Jolie?

I know a bunch of you are probably wondering why you really need another paint option! So let me give you a bit of insight into when Jolie might be a good choice for your project, over the other 2 lines we carry:

You want to work quickly and finish your piece in a short amount of time
You need to fill a hole in your booth space and don’t want to wait for a longer cure time
You can’t or don’t want to scuff sand before you paint
You want to layer or blend colors for a funky look
You want to do a lot of distressing
You want to add an antiqued finish using a black or brown wax

Those are a few times when I think Jolie could be your friend. And I’m all about working smarter, not harder.

Pick the right paint for particular project and for your particular needs And try them all–Jolie, Fusion, Milk Paint–some of it just comes down to personal preference!

I think that now though I can confidently say Lost & Found’s Painted Furniture Studio is THE place to go when you need paint. We have all the bases covered and have a paint that will fit your need, whatever that need may be. And that makes me really glad to say 🙂

And honestly, I feel like I have gotten a little bit of my creativity revived! With a whole new color palette to play with, I’m excited to find more pieces and paint!

Thanks for joining me today!