This piece that I have called Blackie is my first attempt at mastering the technique of "ceruse".
I rescued Blackie from the side of the road. He was a down trodden awful looking piece of furniture that I just knew had to be oak. After removing 2 layers of paint I could see that this was an antique oak wash stand. It was sturdy and screaming for a redo. I wanted to do something besides the usual staining and or painting.
After Hours and hours of sanding to remove the paint,and open the pores of the grain it was ready for cerusing. I applied aniline black dye, two or three coats to get the most intense black that I could. I then mixed some white paint into Johnsons Paste wax. Using a cheese cloth, with trembling fingers I applied my home made lime wash into my piece of oak. Lo and Behold, it worked.
I wanted to give it a little bit of color. I mixed a few left over paints to make a pop of blue green and painted the back and inside drawers
Blackie was topcoated with 2 layers of hand rubbed paste wax. He lives happily in my living room, and will never be invaded by insects.
