How to Dry Brush a Dresser

Old ugly furniture can be fairly easy to come across.  But don’t let it’s look scare you off.  This dry brush dresser makeover will inspire you to give new life to old furniture.

THE BEFORE

Have you ever gotten giddy over what feels like the “find of the century”?  I certainly have.  A few times.  And today, I want to show you one of those.  With less than $20 in my pocket, I was on the hunt for a treasure at our local rummage barn.  I felt it in my bones.  I knew that “the one” was there!  And boy, was I right!  The moment I spotted this hot mess, I knew right away where it would go in my home and exactly how this dresser makeover would turn out.  I even knew what purpose it would serve.

After paying $11.50 for this {ugly} dresser, I threw it into my minivan as quickly as I could.  I was afraid they would change their mind about the price.  My son went along with the whole thing and we sped off…and never looked back!

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Meanwhile, back at home…the family had no idea what treasure they were about to cross paths with.  And guess what?  When they looked at this dresser and I told them the sale price, I think I may have heard, “You over paid” muttered under someone’s breath.  My mind knew they would be singing a different tune once I got my paint clothing on and put a little elbow grease into this dresser makeover.  I knew this this ugly dresser could be transformed into the handsomeness that was just beneath all that veneer.  And a dry brush technique was going to be my solution.

The first step was to remove the veneer from the top of the dresser.  I was so happy when it all pulled up with very minimal effort.  Yes, yes, James had to step in to finish the job at the end.  You know, I want to keep him in the loop.  {It had nothing to do with me getting a little wimpy at the end…}

A little bit of sanding took the last of the veneer glue remnants off; and my Amy Howard at Home Clean Slate got the entire piece ready for: dry brush painting!

DRY BRUSH PROCESS

Now, this is where things became interesting.  You see, I just couldn’t settle on one exact color, so…I created my own shade of blue!  And I even named it: Handsome Blue.  I was feeling adventurous and really, though, I knew that I couldn’t go wrong with the Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint.  This paint has been amazing and I’ve used it on such things like a stone fireplace, chairs, and a table.  I knew that it would do a fantastic job on this tossed aside dresser.

The three colors that I chose for mixing in order to create my handsome blue were: Black, American Dream, and Graphite.  To be honest, I did not measure as I mixed.  I did use the blue as a base and added almost an equal amount of black and a smidge here and there of the graphite.

Now, my goal for this dresser was different than all my other makeovers.  I was going for a look that did not include full coverage of all the wood.  {I was already planning to leave the top a natural wood and just add polyurethane.}  Let me show you how I achieved this rustic and aged look.

I used the Amy Howard 2 Inch Round Hog Hair Brush and ever so gently, dipped it into the paint.  I then slid off most of the paint from the brush on the edge of the container.  Using very light up and down strokes, I lightly painted over one section at at a time.  I actually brushed until the paint appeared dry on the dresser.

I moved on to a section right next to it and painted it the same way.  And then, I went back to the previous section and wiped some of the paint off with a damp paper towel.  I used this technique over the entire dresser and it only took an hour.  And it was a lot of fun!

I let the dresser dry overnight and the next day, I worked over some of the areas that were too sheer.  This time, I used a dry brush to fill in spots.  Basically, the brush had practically no paint on the bristles and I also dabbed it on a dry paper towel to remove most of the paint.  Very lightly, I whisked over areas that I felt needed a little more paint.

Once the paint had fully dried, I reattached the knobs (which I spray painted black) and used my most favorite furniture wax.  This Amy Howard at Home Beeswax is so incredibly easy to apply.  In a circular motion, apply it over the entire piece of furniture.  Allow it to dry for a minimum of 15 minutes and then go back over the piece with a clean rag to wipe up any excess and to rub the wax in a bit more.  Waxing really took this dry brush dresser makeover to the next level and brought out the richness of the paint.

THE AFTER

And now for the full reveal!  I love it.  And guess what?  Each person in my family has said to me that they really like it.  That’s a win!

I have it sitting in our family room, right next to the exterior of the living room fireplace, that is now enclosed in our family room.  I love the blue next to the stone and that it pops against the white walls.

Oh, and I mentioned that it has a purpose.  Nothing grand about it, but we are storing blankets and sheets in here for when we have overnight guests.  And…those blankets double as a quick way for us to warm up in here on cold winter days.

And get a load of the top on that dresser!  She’s a beauty alright.  I simply applied three sheer coats of polyurethane and achieved the natural wood tone vibe that I was seeking.

Well, friend that’s it!  My blue dry brush dresser makeover.  I am quite smitten and just may have another dresser makeover up my sleeve…and I may {or may not} be planning a similar painting style!

Until next time…have a beautiful day!

xo,

Leigh

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