A Chippy Chest of Drawers Makeover with MMS Milk Paint

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As promised, I have a furniture makeover to share with you today!

But before we get to that, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who commented on the post I wrote recently about my chat with Miss Mustard Seed.

You all had such kind and encouraging things to say, and I so appreciate that you took the time to leave a comment.

I am so grateful for this community and for all the ways God continues to use this blog in my life and in the lives of others 🙂

 

Now, onto the furniture!

 

This chest was in really rough shape when I got my hands on it!

 

 

There was lots of chipped or peeling veneer,

 

chippy chest of drawers

 

and a lot of what I call “alligatoring,” which is where the old finish bubbles up into hard specks on the surface.

 

 

But past all of those cosmetic issues, there was a stunningly designed chest of drawers, with all of its original hardware (well, almost all of it), that was solid as a rock. The outside of this piece may have suffered some wear, but the structure itself was one of the sturdiest I’ve ever seen.

So the lesson here is, don’t judge a book by its cover! Yes, the piece had some cosmetic issues, but it was still beautiful and could be useful for many, many more years to come.

All it needed was some TLC!

And rather than try to repair or disguise all of those cosmetic issues, I decided to work with them–let them tell the story and age of the piece.

And Milk Paint would be the perfect paint for this project.  Why?

Because a milk paint finish would fit perfectly with the aged look of this piece (wanna learn more about milk paint? Click here).

I think milk paint works the best when you let it do its thing–chip and flake and even streak a little.  It’s the best paint to use if you want to recreate an authentic, aged paint finish.

My goal was to use milk paint not to make this piece look new, but rather like a primitive piece that had its original paint still on it.

So other than gluing down a few pieces of veneer that were still attached but loose, I did no other prep to this piece whatsoever.

That’s another beauty of working with milk paint–when I want to let it chip and flake and do its thing, I typically do no prep to a piece of wood furniture other than wiping off any dirt or dust.  Just paint and then let the magic happen.

I mixed 2 colors together to get a whisper of a blue color–Bergere and Grain Sack. I believe it was 4 parts Bergere to 5 parts Grain Sack . . . or maybe the other way around?

Honestly, I can’t remember!

But you can play around with your own custom mix and decide which shades speak to you.

After 2 coats I had the coverage I was going for, so I went back with some sandpaper and a paint scraper and distressed the finish.

As you’ll see, I got lots of chipping! But I love it 🙂

Then I sealed the finish with a coat of Clear Furniture Wax and was done!

 

 

A Chippy, Primitive Painted Chest

 

 

 

chippy chest of drawers

 

This piece sold in my space in about a week. It got lots of oohs and ahhs . . . people kept asking me how I got the finish looking so rough and textured, I chuckled and said that’s just how the wood was underneath!

 

 

chippy chest of drawers

 

I know this extremely primitive finish isn’t for everyone, but I hope you can appreciate how the milk paint finish worked with the cosmetic flaws on this piece.

It brought out the richness of the carvings and details, and helped blend all of those chips and dings together into one color to make them less noticeable.

And check out the chipping . . .

 

 

 

Again, that’s not me doing anything to make the paint do that . . . It’s just milk paint working its magic!

 

 

I hope this piece inspires you that even the most damaged pieces can be made beautiful again!

I’m so glad I stumbled across this chest and got the chance to help it be a showstopper again.

Thanks for joining me today!

As always, you can shop my 2 local retail locations for all of these Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint products or online, at LostandFoundDecor.shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thursday 16th of August 2018

[…] A Chippy Chest of Drawers Makeover with MMS Milk Paint […]

French Provincial Buffet Makeover with Aviary Milk Paint | Lost & Found

Thursday 16th of August 2018

[…] A Chippy Chest of Drawers Makeover with MMS Milk Paint […]

Renee Williams

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

I have a piece very similar to this. I’ll be trying the milk paint and forget the bondo??

Melanie

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

Yes! Save yourself the time and trouble of dealing with the Bondo. I bet it will look great!

Renee Williams

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

I have a piece very similar to this. I’ll be trying the milk paint and forget the bondo??

Melanie

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

Yes! Save yourself the time and trouble of dealing with the Bondo. I bet it will look great!

RJane

Tuesday 31st of July 2018

Beautiful! How did you clean that lovely old hardware?

Melanie

Wednesday 1st of August 2018

Thank you! I soaked it in a bit of vinegar and water and then scrubbed them with an old toothbrush. They shined up nicely!