It’s very late Monday and there is a forecast for even more snow this week! Exactly when did we move to Canada?
OK, I’ll stop complaining and will move on to this week’s favorite find. A gorgeous, classic, solidly built, and fantastic french dresser. This piece is Drexel Heritage – total quality. The drawers glide in and out and the interior cabinet has smaller drawers inside. A perfect piece for either a bedroom or as a sideboard in a dining room. Now I just need a (somewhat) nice day outside so I can sand down the top prior to moving it inside for the paint. I may need to wait awhile for that to happen!
Now on to these fantastic side tables with detailing and leather tops. The shape is so retro fun and the size is perfect for beside a sofa or even a bed. Very useful little guys.
I decided to start off with a coat of General Finishes Milk Paint in the color Seagull Gray. I happen to love love love this paint. I even love the smell of it (weird, I know). It goes on so smoothly and dries quickly. General Finishes was kind enough to send me some free samples, including a few new colors. I was like a kid opening a Christmas present when my box of goodies arrived!
Seagull is a gorgeous, light grey and unlike Annie Sloan’s Paris Grey (another one of my all time faves) it does not have much blue in it. It’s a pale grey that lends itself to the true shabby chic look. I then added a very light coat of chalk paint on top of the milk paint. Annie Sloan’s Old White worked as a great complement to the grey underneath.
Here they are after distressing and wax.
A quick “before” of the leather top…
and the “after”…My favorite thing about leather tops is that it’s almost like stenciling when the design pops through.
The details also popped with paint and I hope you can see the grey under the white…
I always enjoy using more than one medium. You can apply both milk paint and chalk paint and even add latex into the mix. There is no end to the fun – except taking pictures in the freezing cold 😉
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The tables turned out gorgeous! I didn’t know General Finishes made milk paint, I have used their java gel stain. I’ve been using CeCe Caldwells Chalk paint for a couple of years and love it. What is the difference between milk paint and chalk paint?
Hi Jeanine – Yes, General Finishes has an amazing line of milk paint, glazes and stains/finishes. Chalk paint is thicker (unless watered down) and distresses very easily with its chalky consistency. However, you typically need to wax after to seal it. Milk paint doesn’t need the wax to seal it. Milk paint over an old stained piece can chip off randomly – giving the “chippy” appearance. I have yet to have that happen with the General Finishes milk paint. It just is a different look and feel. I love both! Oh, layering paint colors is easier with chalk paint but I love the look of milk paint with a glaze on top 🙂 Cheers, Suzanne
It goes without saying, I love the Drexel/Heritage piece! What a find! Can’t wait to see what TPD magic you sprinkle over it! 🙂
I finally tried GF…Lamp Black…and you are sooo right, it goes on so silky smooth! Those tables are beautiful!
those tables are SOOOOO pretty! i love that paint so much, too!
My fav combo is to mix equal parts GF with ASCP for custom colors. The combined finish is amazing! Not as much texture as ASCP by itself, but a smoother flow during application. ASCP French Linen with GF Antique White produces a beautiful, creamy gray!
You probably won’t see GF milk paint chipping like happens with powdered milk paints. GF is an acrylic paint and the adherence is very strong. If it were a casene protein based paint (true milk paint), it would spoil unless in powder form.
Glad you got to try GF! I absolutely love their products and their customer service is very helpful and knowledgeable.
I love these side tables. I love the size as well! Great job as usual. 😉
The tables are beautiful!!! Are there other finishes you can use over GF milk paint besides wax?
Actually, GF doesn’t need wax. Only chalk paint does. They have many glazes and topcoats to look at: http://generalfinishes.com/blog/category/diy-furniture-blog I love their products!
This is very inspiring! I haven’t tried any of what was mentioned but I would like to try the technique and color in one of my side tables. Thank you for sharing!
These tables are just gorgeous! You do such good work! Thanks so much for linking up to The Makers. 🙂
Those are charming little tables! I’m a fan of the GF paint too!
Love how these pieces turned out, I am featuring your post tomorrow on Tuesdays with a Twist Link party, please stop over and take a look. Thanks again and have a great day.
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to see!
Great post, thanks for sharing on Tuesdays With a Twist. Would love to sand down, and redo are antique coffee table, but I have other projects to do first.