Annie Sloan Dresser Project

Well, I did it!  I cracked open the can of "Old White" Annie Sloan paint and went to work.  My first project: Delaney's big girl dresser.  Before opening the paint, though, my partners in crime (Owen and Delaney) and I ventured to Ace Hardware (at 8:30 am) to pick up some final purchases (Murphy's Oil Soap, shellac, mineral spirits, sand paper, wood glue (a small piece of one of the corners chipped off - minor repair) and buffing cloths).  The guy there was very helpful, but asked what I was going to be doing with these items.  I whipped out my phone and showed him the Annie Sloan project that I wanted to imitate.  He told me to come back with a picture of my final product.

When we got home, Owen and Delaney helped me wash the dresser and all 10 of the drawers with a mixture of Murphy's Oil Soap and water.  We played outside while we waited for them to finish drying.  After they were finished drying, I shook my can of Old White and began applying the paint to the dresser.  My review:  I thought that the paint was very thick and dried very quickly.  I applied my paint in every which direction and wanted to go back and give it a linear finish, but before I could get back to the first part of the shoulder width area, the paint was already drying and I streaked the first part.  From then on, I tried my best to apply the paint in linear brush strokes.

Also, after much contemplation, I decided to abandon the idea of turquoise drawers.  Because I am going to use this dresser for clothes, I felt I needed drawer protectors so that the paint would not affect the clothes and vice versa, which defeats the purpose of painted drawers.  Maybe for another project!

For the second coat, I watered my paint down in a separate cup, with somewhere between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of water. The second time around, I felt like I got more coverage with the diluted paint.  After everything was covered for a second time, I took Owen to baseball practice, we came home and had a picnic, and then we checked on the dresser.  Everything was pretty much dry.  So, I started waxing with the Soft Clear Wax.  I was dreading this step because I have waxed my car before and I am not cut out to be a Karate Kid (wax on - wax off).  However, I was pleasantly surprised.  The wax went on nicely and I was able to wax it off with minimal to moderate effort.  I continued waxing the dresser and all of the drawer fronts.

After everything was waxed, I distressed the edges of the dresser and drawer fronts with 220 grit sand paper.  I distressed the corners, edges, and around the handles.  After distressing, I rewaxed the distressed areas just for protective purposes.  If I hadn't distressed and waxed these areas, I'm sure the dresser would eventually look distressed after being in this house only a few days (we are bulls!).

Lastly, I put the handles back on.  However, I purchased this dresser from the CHKD Thrift Store and not all of the handles were included, so I might have to buy new handles, but for now, I am pleased with how this project turned out.

As I was painting my project, Krysten was down at her house painting her dresser that she picked up at the First Baptist Church Yard Sale.  She used "Duck Egg."  Krysten agreed that her paint dried entirely too fast, but then again, she was painting hers outside where the wind and sunshine aided in the drying process.  Krysten attempted the smooth modern finish, but abandoned that idea when the bumps and bruises of the piece were quite evident after being painted.  She says that she will distress it today.

When I use the Annie Sloan paint again, I will water it down when applying my first coat and I will apply in linear brush strokes from the start.  What can I paint next?