HOW TO CREATE A GORGEOUS COFFEE BEAN WOOD WASH THE QUICK AND DIRTY WAY | THRIFTED VINTAGE DRESSER MAKEOVER | YOUTUBE VIDEO

Hi creative friends! I’ve done my fair share of paint wash finishes over the years, and traditionally, a paint wash is made of a 50/50 mix of water and paint, then applied to your furniture and wiped back. Today, I’m sharing the quick and dirty way of getting a gorgeous wash over an existing finish in half the time!

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It’s also the second Tuesday of the month, and this means it’s Trashy Treasures Tuesday! I’m looking forward to seeing what our TTT crew has created, and I hope you join me on today’s tour as well! I’ve included their before-and-after links down below.

Here’s the beautiful vintage dresser I found under a keyboard. I SOOOO wanted to play the keyboard, but it wasn’t plugged in.

Did anyone else jump on the home organ trend that was so popular in the 70s and 80s? When I was a girl, I begged my Mum to buy me an organ and was thrilled one Christmas when my wish came true.  I loved it and played it daily. And it was all fun until my Mum wanted me to play AveMaria every time our friends and family came to the house. That wasn’t so fun. I didn’t have what it takes to be a rock star. 😆

Photo Credit – Planet Botch

Anyway, when I brought the dresser home I gave it a good once-over. There were some veneer chips and a little scratching but nothing that a little TLC couldn’t fix.

I love working on these vintage pieces. They’re built to last.

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE.  YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Vintage Dresser  – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Bosch Sander
Astro EUROHVLP Spray Gun 1.7mm (33% Off as of writing!)
Coffee Bean Chalk Mineral Paint
Paint Brushes
Water Mister Spray Bottle
WoodUbend Appliqué
Antique Gold Gilding Wax
Golden Ash Gel Stain
Gator Hide Topcoat

VINTAGE DRESSER MAKEOVER

Here’s how it all came together…

CLEAN & PREP

To prepare this dresser, I removed the hardware and gave the inside and out a cleaning with a heavy-duty furniture cleaner.

SCUFF SAND

To prepare the wood top for gel stain, I used my Bosch 5′ Sander with a 320 grit sand paper to very gently scuff sand the top of this dresser.

The little imperfections and nail holes from the hardware were filled with wood filler and then hand-sanded with a 220 grit sanding sponge. I used both methods because I want to share that even if you’re starting out, fancy tools aren’t required.

That said, Prime Day is this week, so if you have any tools on your wish list, this will be a great week to grab some great deals!

WOODUBEND

To add a focal point to this already pretty dresser, I used some WoodUbend. I hope you’re not tired of me saying this — but I LOVE this product! You can bend it. Cut it. Paint it. Gild it. Gold leaf it. Redesign it by piecing them together. You can even stain it to match your pieces, which is exactly what I did here.

I also trimmed the two ends and added them to either side under the lip of this dresser for a little added elegance. I’ll added the full step-by-step of this dresser makeover Youtube video below. And if you’d like to see how easy these appliques are to glue on, I have a full Woodubend tutorial here. I also have 14 Gorgeous WoodUbend Makeovers you can check out here!

GEL STAIN TOP

The first time I used Golden Ash Gel Stain was on my Dad’s garden bench makeover. As I mentioned in that post, it doesn’t look great right out of the can, but it gives awesome results — a beautiful warm medium-toned stain. To stain an existing wood finish with a gel stain is very simple.

1. Open the stain and mix well
2. Dip your lint-free cloth into the stain and apply onto the wood
3. Wipe back the excess with a lint-free cloth or shop towel
4. Wait for the stain to dry and apply a second coat if you want a darker/richer finish

I was happy with one coat of the Golden Ash Gel Stain. This is my new favorite stain color right now!

BLACK WASH PAINT

I’ve shared a good few paint‑wash makeovers here on Salvaged Inspiration over the years. Like this blended purple chest with a bold black color‑wash and the cozy, textured Coffee Bean Paint Washed Dresser. The ‘traditional’ way of applying a paint wash is by mixing paint with water (typically 50/50 or slightly stronger), brushing it onto a prepped surface, and wiping it off before it dries. This technique lets the wood’s character and any decorative trim or appliques peek through, giving each furniture piece a gorgeous, layered finish that feels both vintage and fresh.

There is also the quick and dirty way of applying a paint wash. It’s so easy to do and saves a ton of time with gorgeous results. It’s applying a paint wash to an existing finish and skipping the paint/water mix. All you need is a water mister and your paint brush.

1. Spray a light mist of water on the drawer and apply paint onto the dresser in manageable sections
2. Mist the brush with water and spread the paint
3. While still wet, dab some of the excess paint off with a paper towel
4. Smooth out the paint with the paint brush, but do not add more paint onto it
5. Take a fluffy dry brush and feather the paint
6. Spray the next section with a water mister and repeat the process

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 TOPCOATING & PROTECTING

To protect the stained top and paint-washed body, I applied three coats of this Gator Hide, which is water-resistant and water-repellent! I sprayed on three coats using my spray gun and gave the first and second coat a super light sanding with a 220 sanding sponge before spraying with the third and final coat.

REPURPOSED HARDWARE

I rummaged through my hardware stash and found a few gorgeous vintage knobs that almost worked — but unfortunately, I didn’t have a full set. Since I was using the existing hardware holes, I needed eight, and I was short by one or two.

In hindsight, that was probably a blessing in disguise! It inspired me to get creative and pair up some mismatched backplates and knobs that I might not have considered otherwise. A little Antique Gold Gilding Wax brought everything together—and just like that, they looked like a one-of-a-kind curated set!

THE BIG REVEAL

Here’s the finished look…

The Coffee Bean wash allows all the original warm wood grain to peek through, and I love it!

The Golden Ash gel stain did a wonderful job of ‘updating’ the top as well. It was the perfect color/tone to keep all this dresser’s years gone by character. And to think that before Andrea and I restored my Dad’s garden bench, I wasn’t even into Golden Ash!

And here are a few close-ups of the repurposed knobs, Woodubend, and gorgeous gel-stained top!

I think this dresser came together beautifully, and it was such a pleasure working on it.

I can’t wait to hear what you think of the ‘new’ look!

And just for fun, here’s how AI staged and styled this table! It looks beautiful!

YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

Here’s the full step-by-step YouTube tutorial for you. Our #siyoutubefamily has almost reached 53.4K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU! 🙂

And now for some Trashy Treasures FUN!

Below are the TTT ladies’ BEFORE photos. Visit the links below to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well! x

1. ARTSY CHICKS RULE

2. SI (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

3. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER

Here’s another look at this thrift store vintage dresser before and after. I hope it inspires you and sparks ideas for your painted and stained furniture projects.

Thanks so much for joining me today. I hope you enjoyed this Coffee Bean Paint Wash dresser project. Feel free to comment below or ask any questions you may have. I always love hearing from you. It makes my day!! 🙂

Happy painting, my friends!

Denise x

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HOW TO BLACKWASH OVER AN EXISTING FINISH

HOW TO REFINISH WOOD FURNITURE

BLACK WASHED NIGHTSTAND SET

STAINED AND PAINTED BUFFET

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