{diy project: armoire makeover, part II}

{Part I}

So when I went to find the photos for this post, I couldn't find any! They either disappeared or were deleted by accident. So, unfortunately, I don't have many pictures of the next few steps. Ugh.

After I cleaned, sanded, & vacuumed the entire armoire, it was ready for paint!

To make milk paint, you have to mix equal parts hot water & powder. Easy peasy.

{It actually wasn't for me, though, because I was doing this entire project in my stepdad's company's warehouse...where there is no sink. So I had to lug a couple gallons of water, a few buckets, & my electric teapot to mix the paint. I advise people not to do it this way. Obviously! Ha.}

I wanted to paint it light gray, so I mixed both Snow White & Slate. Once I got the exact shade I wanted, I started painting. Hooray!

Here are the exact steps:

1. Paint one coat.
2. Let it dry.
3. Sand with a sanding sponge {not orbital sander}.
4. Wipe it down with a clean cloth.
5. Vacuum.
6. Repeat.

It took about 2 hours for it to dry between coats. But I painted the exterior & interior first, & THEN all of the drawers, so by the time I was done all five drawers, the actual dresser itself was dry. This was a huge time saver.

After painting two coats, I stepped back & looked at the piece. My reaction?

I hated it.

It looked like it was primed & waiting to be painted another color. It didn't look grey enough & I totally panicked. I'd just spent all this money & time & I despised it before I was even finished!

As I was studying it, I kept picturing Tim Gunn by my side à la Project Runway.

^^me too, Tim.

As he says, I needed to "make it work." So I went back to my paint bucket, added more "Slate" & painted a third coat. That did the trick: it finally looked more grey!

When I say "sand" I mean SAND. Since I was going for an aged look, I really scrubbed down to let the original wood color come through. {That's a lie. My mom actually took over at this point, since I was deemed a bad sander. I think she added about five pounds of muscle to her arms just from sanding this thing. Three coats of paint is hard to take off, which is why you should just do the suggested two. Unlike me. Ha!}

The next step was painting everything with polyurethane. I used a clear satin finish & a china brush to get the thinnest coat possible. Same steps as painting:

1. Paint one coat.
2. Let it dry.
3. Sand.
4. Wipe it down with a clean cloth.
5. Vacuum.
6. Repeat.

I'll be honest--this product wasn't my favorite. If I were to do this again, I'd try a different finish. The satin came out a little too yellow for me; I really expected it to be more clear.

^^ignore the mess.

Next & final step...knobs!

PART III