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A couple of weeks ago, I took advantage of a nice day and sanded down the pieces I found at a local consignment shop.

You can find a tutorial on prepping a piece to paint HERE.

Once sanded and prepped, I brought this oak dresser with a mirror into the studio to paint it…

This piece was in nice condition, but the glossy and yellowed polyurethane made the oak look very orange and was giving it a bit of a 1980’s vibe.  The dresser has such pretty lines and I think painting it will accentuate the cottage style.

I decided to go with a very soft color from the MMS Milk Paint lineLayla’s Mint.  To give that color a bit more dimension, I’m going to layer it over the brighter, more saturated Lucketts Green.

The effect will be very subtle but will give the finish more character and even help a bit with coverage.

Here is a video showing how I applied the first coat…

And I already love it in the Lucketts Green!  The Layla’s Mint will give it a much softer look, though, which is what I imagined for this piece.

I was tempted to ditch the mirror since dressers without mirrors tend to sell better than those with (oddly enough), but this one is so pretty and I decided it was worth the effort.  The buyer can always remove it if they want to.

The second coat will go on tomorrow and I’ll use that chance to show how to use the Wax Puck for two-tone distressing…

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    27 Comments

    1. Amy

      Love this piece! I was thinking the mirror would look cool in your foyer with a few hooks added to hang stuff. I just stumbled upon your zinc wax on your site. Will you be doing a tutorial about how to achieve the zinc effect in the future?

      • Rita

        I was thinking the mirror would look stunning all by itself as well. It’s gorgeous.

      • sandi

        I agree about the mirror. Would definitely sell it separately as it could be placed in multiple places in someone’s home. It would look awesome in typewriter.
        This allows the dresser more placement options for a buyer. Love the greens.

        • Marian Parsons

          I was considering keeping the mirror for myself, but I decided to keep them together.

    2. Emily

      It is so beautiful! While I was little girl I`ve been at my granny`s house lot. She had the same chest of drawers. I dreamed that when I will grow up I will get the same one.=))
      What type of paint did you use for this job?

    3. Becca

      I’ve looked for a zinc wax tutorial to see just how that would turn out and haven’t found one. I’d be interested in knowing more about it, too.

      Looking forward to seeing this dresser with Layla’s mint over the top of Lucketts. From the sample, it looks like a great choice.

    4. ~Amber T

      I love it in the green; such a nostalgic feel to it now. I’m really surprised to hear you say that your dressers usually sell better without the mirrors! I love them with mirrors and that one is beautiful.

    5. Sheila

      I have a dresser with a similar finish that I was unsure as to what color to paint it. Love the layered “greens”. Thanks for the help ;)!

    6. Jenn Baker

      I agree! Pieces without a mirror usually sell better for me too, especially when they’re these oak Eastlake style pieces. The mirrors are usually so much bigger than the base, and folks like the bases as nightstands or hall tables. Love the look you’re creating!

    7. Ginene

      I find that mirrors attached to dressers make a piece less desirable now, also. I take the mirrors off and sell them separately. Then they sell like crazy! When I have pieces like this one, I sometimes take the inside framed mirror out and include it with the dresser so the mirror can be hung separately above the piece and people always like that.

    8. Linda Dolack

      I love the dresser and the way it’s turning out but have one question. You use an orbital sander with 60 grit but I’ve always been afraid I’d leave ‘circles’ from that. Does it matter under paint or is this just a concern when the piece is going to be stained? Also, this pretty dresser looks like it has some lines carved across. Do you sand into those or is just the overall sanding enough? Thanks so much! Your website is great and I love your products and finishing products!

      • Marian Parsons

        That’s not as much of an issue with paint unless the wood is softer. If I’m refinishing a top, I’ll either strip it or sand it with smoother grits and then by hand in order to remove any marks.

        No, I don’t sand into every groove. I just hit the large, flat areas to make sure the paint adheres well.

        • Linda Dolack

          thanks so much! loving how the dresser is turning out….can’t wait to see the final view with handles, etc.!

    9. Susan

      I think I have a very similar piece in my garage waiting for me…Ill have to look and take a picture now

    10. Sako

      I love mint color of Milk Paint. This paint can be whitewashed paint also? I love to keep wood grain but whitewashed is much better on my chest.

      • Marian Parsons

        Yes, it can definitely be mixed with more water to make it thin and applied as a wash.

    11. Kathy McDonagh

      It’s such a beautiful piece of furniture and I’m loving the Lucketts Green. I can’t wait to see how it looks with the Layla’s Mint. I have a pretty antique buffet that is currently painted black. I want to paint it green, so your timing is perfect for me! Very inspiring and helpful.

    12. Karen K from Buffalo

      So glad you are doing the gorgeous mirror also. Who would toss that aside, anyway? Can’t wait for the rest of the tutorial!!

    13. Julie | Home On The Hill

      That mirror is definitely the stand out piece for me as well.

      It may be a case of selling the unit as – ‘Mirror for sale – with bonus dresser’ 🙂

    14. beverlee lyons

      So much green. I am a blue fan, Just not a green fan.

      • Marian Parsons

        I’m actually a blue fan, too! I used this particular color because I haven’t used it in a while. I’m itching to paint a piece blue, though. Flow Blue has been neglected by me for far too long!

    15. Jessica

      I went ahead and painted a similar piece I have in Schloss, which I think looks great, but part of me is wishing I had done the two-tone thing. Looking forward to the end result!

    16. Lora Bloomquist

      Wait…you’re selling again?? Did I miss something?

    17. BARB

      I know why dressers without mirrors sell faster! It’s because “back-in-the-day” folks were shorter, on average than today. So someone like me (5’10) along with my entire family of 6′ plus folks – we rarely purchase anything with attached mirrors -Haahaaa! 🙂

    18. Cyndi

      Girl you do amazing work, but you really need to get your projects up off the floor. Your back will thank you!

    19. Susan Byers

      I’ve watched all three and love the result, but had to come back for one question. Did you use bonding agent in the paint, since it didn’t chip (and you mentioned you didn’t want it chippy)?

      • Marian Parsons

        No, I did not. I just sanded the piece well to remove the gloss.

    Hello!

    Marian Parsons - Miss Mustard Seed

    I’m Marian, aka Miss Mustard Seed, a wife, mother, paint enthusiast, lover of all things home and an entrepreneur, author, artist, designer, freelance writer & photographer.  READ MORE to learn more about me, my blog and my business…

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