Navy Meets Natural Dresser

By Ryan Findley, Owner and Operator at Way Back When Once Again in Sterling, VA.

This beautiful dresser made by Kindel was the top of the line in the early to mid twentieth century.  We have given it an update by painting the case in a custom union blue mix, then topcoated it and created a custom glaze with mineral spirits and black wax to give the body depth and a richer darkness.  The drawers were left in their natural state and cleaned and then polished with ground pumice, rottenstone and parafin oil to really show off the original beautiful finish.  The handles were brought back to their original brilliance by cleaning and polishing them and finishing with a coat of lacquer.

Project Category

Upcycling Merit CategoriesCombination

Color Recipe

  • 10 Parts Annie Sloan Napoleanic Blue
  • 3. Parts Annie Sloan Aubusson Blue
  • 1 Part Annie Sloan Graphite
  • 1 splash Annie Sloan Emperor Silk
  • Note: this is an approximation, truthfully I played with these colors until I got what I wanted.

Products Used

  • Annie Sloan “Napoleanic Blue”
  • Annie Sloan “Aubusson Blue”
  • Annie Sloan “Graphite”
  • Annie Sloan “Emperor Silk”
  • GF “HPTC Flat”
  • Mineral Spirits
  • Annie Sloan Black Wax
  • 2 Grit Ground Pumice
  • 4 Grit Ground Pumice
  • Rotten Stone
  • Parafin Oil
  • Bar Keepers Friend
  • Maas Metal Polish
  • Lacquer

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