{DIY} :: Dresser Makeover

I had been wanting to re-do my childhood dresser for awhile now, but just haven't had the time to commit to such a big project. It's a great dresser that has withstood multiple moves. I just felt like I wanted something different, and didn't want to part with a good dresser. After months of debating back and forth, I finally just decided to undertake the project to paint it...in the middle of packing/moving...because that's the best time to do something like that, right??  :)

I have heard people rave about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for a long time now. "It's so easy!" "You don't have to sand anything, just start painting!" "You only need 1 or 2 coats!" "You can use 1 can of paint for multiple pieces of furniture!" "You can't see the brush strokes at all!" Let me just say: lies. all lies. In the words of my brother-in-law who later stated that he DESPISES chalk paint: "If I could go back in time and change anything in human history it would be my decision to use chalk paint on my table." Haha...I may not go that far, but I definitely understand his sentiment after finishing my dresser!

I cleaned the dresser, like all the tutorials said to do. I made sure it was a compatible medium, like all the tutorials said to do. I didn't sand or prime, like the paint claims you don't need to do. And I got this:

And not only did the paint chip, but it continued to chip after I sanded and repainted it twice. So I definitely used almost the entire can of paint on this 1 dresser. Even if I didn't have the chipping problem, it still would have taken 3 or 4 coats to fully cover the old color. And you most definitely can see the brush strokes. Needless to say, it was A LOT of work, and {in my opinion} I spent WAY too much time and money on this project for all the promises that ASCP makes. And I still didn't fully get the chipping to go away...I'm just going to have to hide the one "special" side.

Perhaps I am not as great of a DIYer as I thought, but this project ended up being much more of an undertaking than I bargained for. I am sure it was user error, but I would caution other ASCP newbies that it may not really save you time {and it certainly won't save you money}, so just know that in advance. Do lots of research before you start your project. I did that, but still wasn't happy with the result. Had I known then what I know now, I honestly would have skipped the ASCP and just spent the effort/money on refinishing the dresser the old-fashioned way: sanding, priming, painting, sealing. 

While I would have done this project differently, it wasn't an altogether failure {we will see how it holds up over time though...}. I will say that the soft wax is probably worth the money; a little goes a long way! And waxing the dresser definitely improved the look. And now I have a refinished dresser, which is ultimately what I wanted. It's not perfect, but that's part of the charm, right? 

I forgot to take a before photo {oops}, but I found a photo of my dresser in its "before" state:

Awww...memories of my first apartment!

And here is the after:

It actually doesn't look so bad in the photo; it looks worse in person, trust me. The one thing I liked about this project? The hardware re-do! I looked for replacement hardware, but had a hard time finding the right size. So I decided to just spray paint the hardware to give it a little refresh, and I was so happy with the result!

Before. Tarnished brass pulls and knobs. {Sorry for the shadows}

After. {Spray painted} oil rubbed bronze pulls and knobs.

I give Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint and Primer 5 stars. I followed the directions on the back of the can, and it turned out exactly how they claim it would. All my research stated I would get my desired results by following the directions; no extra caveats or asterisks. Sand, clean, spray, done. I like that ;)

Materials: old dresser from my childhood, 1 quart Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Old White, Annie Sloan Clear Soft Wax, sandpaper, Rust-Oleum Universal Metallic Paint and Primer in Oil Rubbed Bronze

Tools: Paint brush, wax brush, hand sander, screwdriver

Total Project Cost: $50 {it would have been more if my sweet sister-in-law had not let me use her soft wax}