THE **EASIEST** BLACK PAINT WASH TO TRANSFORM YOUR EXISTING FURNITURE FINISH | YOUTUBE VIDEO
Hello beautiful friends and welcome back! Last week I found a curbshopped dresser frozen in the snow. I was working on it to refinish for today’s Furniture Fixer Uppers tour but unfortunately, it didn’t work out. While sanding and stripping the frozen little dresser, I believe I may have stumbled upon lead paint on the back. I’ve ordered some lead testing strips but they haven’t been delivered yet so this one is on hold.
Buuut, this little bump in the road provided me with an awesome opportunity. It’s Furniture Fixer Upper tour today so yesterday I hustled to a few thrift stores to find a piece of furniture that needed fixing… AND could be restyled into something fabulous F*A*S*T!! I can’t wait to share this EASY black-wash paint finish with you. This might be exactly what you need to update the look of your furniture’s current finish!
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This two-drawer chest was selling at the Mission Thrift Store for $55 but was on sale for 25% off. I’ve seen these accent chest of drawers selling on Wayfair and other sites for $600+ so I think it was a steal of a deal.
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It has a really cute shape. It has some heat damage on the factory finish top. It has some sort of sticky residue with cat hair sticking in it. 😸
The top drawer works well but the bottom drawer needs repair. The rails had fallen off. Thankfully the person who donated this piece the rail back in the drawer so it can be repaired. Let’s get started!
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WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Thrift 2 Drawer Chest – SALVAGED
White Lightning Cleaner
Heat Gun
Sanding Sponge
Woodubend Appliques
Caviar Chalk Mineral Paint
Water Mister Bottle
Shop Towels
Oval Paint Brush
Big Daddy Blending Brush
Astro Euro Paint Gun Sprayer
Gator Hide Topcoat
Bronze Gilding Wax
BOMBAY CHEST MAKEOVER
Here’s how I changed the look of this chest and how it all came together…
CLEAN
I removed the drawers and gave the drawers and the body of this piece a good vacuuming. I flipped it over to get all the cobwebs underneath as well. Then I took my favorite heavy-duty furniture cleaner and cleaned it from top to bottom. I made sure to give the sticky top extra attention as well.
REPAIR DRAWER GUIDES
Luckily these drawer guides were an easy repair. I lined them up using the existing holes to guide me. Then using screws that were slightly larger than the original ones, I screwed the guides back in place.
SCUFF SAND
For this black paint wash to stick to this existing factory finish, a scuff sanding is needed. I used a medium grit flexible sanding sponge to hand sand the entire piece. Sanding by hand isn’t difficult. This entire piece took me all of five (5) minutes to scuff sand. And I really like the sanding pad because it contours all the curves nicely. Once the chest was scuff sanded, I used a tack cloth to pick up all the dust.
ADDING WOODUBEND
I thought this piece could use a little something extra. I pulled out my Woodubend stash and started going through what I had. I found an applique that fits beautifully on the bottom of this piece. It had been used on a prior makeover but that’s perfectly okay because Woodubend is reusable!
I removed the old glue on the back. I heated it up with my heat gun and then reglued it onto the bottom of this Bombay Chest. Clamps held it down while it dried and I have to admit, even this small detail really brought this piece up a notch!
PAINTING BLACK WASH FINISH
Now for the fun part! When we think of a paint wash, it’s typically paint mixed with water to create a wash – and you can totally do this. However, because I had limited time for this makeover, I’m sharing the quick and dirty way aka the EASIER and cleaner way to get a black wash on an existing furniture finish.
Here’s what you’ll need –
- Black Paint
- Water Mister Bottle
- 2 Paint Brushes (1 soft brush for blending)
- Shop Towel or Rag
- Working in sections, spray the existing furniture finish with a fine mist of water using this water bottle mister.
- Spray your paintbrush with water and dip into the black paint.
- Apply a light layer of black paint over the sprayed area. (The paint should glide nicely and feel wet)
- Using your ‘fluffy blending brush‘ start brushing the paint thinner in some areas and thicker in others.
- Once you’re happy with the results, move onto the next section and repeat the steps again.
The paint wash is easily manipulated by using the above steps. You can add more paint to make the finish more opaque. You can spray more water to give the original finish to peek through. Once the first coat is dry, you can go back in and add a second coat. I’ll share these exact steps in this weekends video for those of you who like a visual.
TOPCOAT PROTECTION
I like to spray my topcoat for a flawless finish but brushing or sponging it on works really well! I sprayed three coats of Gator Hide and lightly sanded smooth between the first and second coat. Because I was on a time crunch, I also used a heat gun to dry the topcoat faster in between coats. I don’t recommend this. I think it’s nice to let the topcoat dry naturally, but in a pinch, adding a little heat works. One of the questions I get asked most (especially on Youtube) is what spray gun do I use. Here’s the sprayer I’m using now with a 1.7mm nozzle and it works amazing. A compressor is required.
FINAL TOUCH
For the final finesse, I used a Copper Gilding Wax to highlight the Woodubend and the handles. I wanted it to be fairly subtle and I think the copper did the trick. It’s super easy to apply with my fingers OR an artists brush. And its buildable. I like using less and then adding a little more if I want it any darker.
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Great idea to doo a black wash! This is a beautiful elegant piece now with the gold highlights.
Thanks Tracy! I’m liking it much better with the black wash and extra highlights as well! Have a super week my friend. XOXO
The bombe chest is beautiful, Denise! It’s one of my favorite shapes and this one had a good look going for it to start. But adding the black paint wash makes it even better, along with the applique and gilding. I never thought about using anything but white or grey for a washed finish – this opens up a whole world of possibilities 😁
hey Marcie!🤗 I love white and grey wash as well. I’ve done a few of these black wash finishes over this type of factory finish and it always looks so elegant in black. So happy it’s sparked some ideas for you! xo
I love this! Did you do the blackwashing and sealing with the hardware and applique on? If yes, how did you make sure the areas underneath the handles were smooth and even? I’m sure I’ll find out in this weekend’s video, but curious and impatient
Thanks Cyndel! Yes and yes. I lifted the handles while spraying topcoat. This means I get my hand sprayed but thats perfectly okay with me for a nice finish. 😉
This is so RICH! I’m loving this finish. I never thought about a wash over original finish. It works. Thanks again for sharing your work with us. Have a beautiful weekend, friend. xo 😘
It works and it’s EASY-PEASY😆… my kind of makeover! Thanks Do and wishing you a fabulous weekend as well! XOXO
p.s. …….
The copper highlighting is a stunning touch !!
yaaay, thanks P!🤗💙🤗
I Love the color depth this has added ! Very rich looking.
The woodubend really added some special detail. I can’t get over how incredible the color is now.
The pulls stand out more now. I think it was a wise choice to leave off the scrolly wings on this piece.
Much more updated. Love it !!
Thanks so much… and so easy, right?! I think it really updates the piece as well! 🙂
Beautiful Denise. You make it sound and look so easy . Really gonna try it on something soon. And looking forward to this weekend video show and tell. Paint wash technique might be what my dresser-in-waiting needs. Just unsure of the paint color to use
Thanks as always
Thanks Susan!🤗 This one is easy, I knocked it out in a couple of hours and then topcoated the next day. If you try it on your dresser I’d love to hear how it turns out.
That’s gorgeous. It looks like a high-end piece. Beautiful work!
Thanks Lizzy! Sometimes simple and classic is the best!🤗
Very nice (and fast) makeover Denise. I love the blackwash over the original finish, and the applique is the cherry on top!
I can’t wait to see the snow dresser makeover someday soon.
Pinned!
gail
Thanks so much Gail and thanks for the PIN! My lead testing strips came today so I’m curious to see what’s going on under there…lol. I think I may wait until the weather is a little warmer to tackle that little frozen dresser tho. 🙂
I have a project in the wings that I was going to paint wash and this method is perfect. It’s a small cabinet that is stained burgundy from when color-tinted stains were popular. I want it to be navy. I’m good if a little burgundy shows through. Excited to give this a go. Thanks!
Burgundy peeking through navy sounds beautiful Carol, have fun! 🙂
This looks amazing, Denise! It’s crazy how much that applique adds to the bottom! XOXO
Right??!!😃 It really brings it up a notch! Thanks my friend. XOXO
Denise, this is stunning and you make it look so easy. I look forward to watching the video because I have a nightstand with the same finish to try this on!
Thanks Nicki, and ya, this has got to be one of the easiest paint finishes and you can do it so quickly! If you give it a try, I’d LOVE to hear how the nightstand turns out for you. 🙂
Beautiful piece! One of my.favorites!
Ohhh I’m so glad! Thanks Deborah!🤗
Hi Denise. Beautifully done. Love the update.
Thanks Monique! So glad you love it! XOXO
I LOVE it! I really like the Bombay style anyway but you definitely brought it to life. I need to try the woodubend. Great job (as usual). I’m a fan.
Thank you Jeanne, so glad you love it and I agree, Bombay style furniture is lovely with all the curves. And YES, if you ever get a chance – try Woodubend – it’s awesome!