Antiquing a Dresser

My first attempt at doing a glaze/antique finish was the casing around the window. I didn’t know what I was doing. I still don’t. I’ve been reading posts on the various popular painting/furniture refinishing blogs and I swear I’m following their advice, but it seems that my work looks streaky. Don’t get me wrong. I love the final result. It’s just never what I have in my head…but then again, maybe this is what I’m supposed to get as an end result?

This dresser came to me via an antique store in November of 2009. It was a dresser that was already painted a cottage white color and “roughened” up a bit with some sanding. The mismatched drawer knobs and pulls and little wheels on the legs were there. It’s been at my studio where my tv for projection sits. I decided to bring it home as part of the home office remodel project. But, I didn’t want it stark white.

So, I antiqued it. All I had to do was brush on the glaze, wipe it, and then seal it. That makes for an easy job when you only have to wait two days for glaze and Polycrylic to dry vs. another day of painting it white. This is a cell phone pic of it in my studio after I got the tv hung on the wall.

The stark white feel of it went great in the studio with the bright colored walls. But, I wanted that more flea market/worn feel in the home office. So, it looks like this now:

Here’s the glaze I used. I am thinking of next time having something custom-mixed with probably a brown vs. a black. The white paint on this piece really soaked up the black and left me with a greyish tint. I’m fine with that, but it didn’t really “stick” to the grooves the way I wanted. Hopefully another brand or something different will work better.

These are cheap – I kept a tub of water on hand – in case the glaze got too heavy and was drying too quick to wipe off after application. I went through a bag of these rags for this piece. I also went through a bag for the window casing. They are less than $2.00 and glad to have on hand, along with some gloves so I didn’t stain my hands.

In the end, I do love the worn feel it leaves. It’s definitely more “antique” looking to me. I plan on antiquing my little desk and chair next. I can’t decide if I’ll do the new work table or leave it more stark white. It’s an old barn table, so we’ll see.

P.S. My 50 mm f/1.2 lens sure is focusing soft. BOO!