If you missed parts 1 and 2 of the DIY distressed dresser series, check them out (you don’t want to miss the freebie in part 2!).

Anne at  milk paint suggested that we consider waxing the furniture after we painted it, which is something that had never crossed my mind. She said that it would make the finish look a little less chalky, and it would protect the piece from looking dirty quickly. When I thought of just how fast this piece would probably get stains from coffee cups and crayons, I decided to go for it.

We used Daddy Van’s Furniture Polish, which is a chemical free, nontoxic polish for furniture made with Unrefined Beeswax, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Carnauba Wax and it comes in unscented or in 2 scents, beexwax & lavender or sweet orange oil. It was super easy to apply, because as you are applying the wax, it is very obvious where you have been and where you haven’t. The wax gives the paint a slightly darker look. Most of that color differentiation dries overnight, but I would say that the piece still looks ever so slightly darker now. And I love it! It really does have a smoother look, and those little places where I missed a spot and the color is slightly lighter simply add to the charm of the piece, and make the distressed look appear more authentic, as if the wax has simply worn away in places.

Next I want to talk about what we did with the hardware, which you see on the piece in this picture. I hated the hardware. It was old and ugly. We went to Lowe’s to pick up some new pieces. We needed 10 different knobs. News-flash: dresser knobs seem cheap until you need 10 of them. It was going to cost us $40 plus tax to get some drawer pulls that were better than what we had, but really just ok. The super cute stuff was $7 and up per piece.

So, right there in the store we decided that what we already owned wasn’t so ugly anymore, especially with a little help from a $4 can of spray paint. If I had to do it again, I would have selected a darker silver (nickel), but I’m satisfied with the end result. We put the old pulls on before we spray painted them, just in case they looked ok, and they were just so offensive. These look much better!

There’s one other thing I want to highlight about this paint. It is virtually idiot-proof, and we know this from firsthand experience. It turns out that we mixed the paint incorrectly. Oops! I think we had the ratio of water to powder off and we were supposed to use a mixer to really get the paint blended. Do you see how forgiving this paint is?!?! I think the piece turned out just great. I just wanted to point that out, though, because if you are doing a bigger job, you’ll want to make sure you read the instructions first, and don’t rely on our directions! 🙂

So, there it is. Two DIY-challenged individuals successfully turned junk into something pretty (at least we think so). I hope we have inspired you to look at some items in your home in a new way, and think about what you can do with some really good paint.

Where to Buy Milk Paint

It’s so easy, friends! Just head over to Amazon to pick out your favorite color of Milk Paint!

 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.