General Finishes

These French Provincial bed side dressers has seen better days when I found them - but they were solid wood, sturdy and in sound condition.  First step was removing the drawer pulls which went right into my tumbler for a 48hr polishing.  Then stripping the tops and bottoms (legs and skirt) - I use a non-toxic product, CitriStrip.  Next step was a thorough sanding of the entire pieces - the stripped surfaces are sanded to remove residual chemicals and smooth.  The drawers and shell are sanded to assure a clean smooth surface for the paint to adhere to.  When doing a combination of staining and painting I always start with the stain - I used MinWax Dark Oak, sealed with a coat of WaterLox, sanded with 600 grit paper and when dried, a second coat of WaterLox.  When the stained/sealed surfaces were fully dried they were tapped off and the drawers and body got a coat of Rustoleum primer (grey) followed by a light sanding.  Ready for paint!! General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint!! Two coats with light sanding between coats.  The drawer fronts and majority of the shell got two coats of General Finishes Flat out Flat sealer and the trim around the drawers and accents on the shell got two coats of General Finishes High Performance Gloss creating a stunning flat/gloss contrast.  Brightly polished pulls were reattached and   Whalla!!  Sexy Little Black Dressers - every gal should have one!