Before & After: A Cute Chest Gets a Major Dose of Class

Written by

Jennifer Hunter
Jennifer Hunter
Jennifer spends her days writing and thinking about decor, food and fashion in NYC. Not too shabby.
published May 20, 2014
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Post Image
(Image credit: Reeves)

Reeves snagged this Drexel campaign chest from a thrift store store last year. Its laminate top and damaged drawers needed some work, but after avoiding the project for a year, she finally got around to addressing this little chest.

(Image credit: Reeves)

We give it an A+ color choice. That deep, bold black really makes the original hardware shine. Great job.

From Reeves:

I removed the hardware, sanded the piece (and the drawers so they fit), and then primed the top with an oil based primer meant for laminate. I used two thin coats of primer on the top, sanded with high grit sandpaper, cleaned the piece and then began painting. I used 4 coats of General Finishes Milk Paint in “Lamp Black” on the whole piece. Their paint is an acrylic-latex paint, not real milk paint and gives a great finish with minimal brush marks. Once the paint had cured, it got sealed with 3 coats of General Finishes high performance poly in gloss and I sanded in between coats for a smooth finish. The next day I was able to add the hardware back on and see this little dresser with its new glam look!

See more at the Weathered Door.

Thank you Reeves!