Navy Blue Dresser with Rustic, Stained Top

Earlier this week, a client stopped by to see the long, black dresser with lion head pulls I finished up a few weeks ago. She brought her interior designer along with her, which was great because I love making new connections; but the designer couldn’t understand why I paint pieces that may have more value in their original state.

I can assure you, if I came across a solid wood dresser that I thought was of more value as is, it would not be painted. You see, I save alot of pieces from the thrift store and from the trash truck. Rarely do they come to me in perfect condition. A piece may have chipped veneer, broken legs, or a gaping hole where an antique lock was once placed.

Every inch of this particular dresser was covered in veneer. The drawer fronts had just a few chipped corners (easily repairable with a little wood filler), but the top was peeling quite a bit. A little at a time, over several days, I was able to chip away what ended up being two layers of glued-on veneer on the top.

The result was a rustic, solid wood top that I didn’t dare cover up with paint. Instead, I just gave it a quick wash of Minwax’s English Chestnut stain to match the natural color already on the drawer fronts. To protect the stained finish, I applied Miss Mustard Seed’s Hemp Oil.

Hemp oil has the texture of olive oil, but dries completely so the wood just feels smooth and moisturized.

The veneer on the two top drawers was in perfect condition so they received the same stain and hemp oil treatment.

A few of the corners on the other, larger drawers were chipped. I repaired them with a little wood filler which wouldn’t have stained to the same color – so these drawers were painted in a deep navy blue.

All drawers have solid, dove-tailed construction.

I love the little brass accents on the feet and the wooden casters.

After three coats of the navy blue and a coat of clear, satin polycrylic, I decided the finish still looked a little flat, so I applied a light wash of General Finishes black glaze – wiping off most of the glaze. The photo actually shows more of the glaze than in person. In person, the black glaze just looks like a few shadows.