Here is a little more on the dresser project I am going to do. I have painted this dresser a couple times and this is the current state, which it has been for probably 10 years now? It goes with our current bedroom decor.
The top was done in a textured fleckstone, which maybe shows up better here.
It’s getting a bit dinged up. Anyway, I am wanting a different bedroom color scheme for our new house and that means repainting the dresser. I am loving chalk paint right now, but you know frugal me just cannot stomach shelling out $30 for a quart of paint! (It makes me faint just typing that). So, I researched and found that the component is chalk paint is Calcium Carbonate. The same stuff you take in pill form (food grade) or what you sprinkle in your garden. I found this on Amazon for $5 for 5 pounds and free shipping!
The recipe is 1 part of calcium carbonate to 2 parts of paint. Plus a tablespoon or 2 of water. You just mix the calcium carbonate with water to make it smooth, then add the paint and stir really, really well. It doesn’t matter what finish the latex paint is as all of them turn out the matte finish with the chalk look. The texture of the chalk paint is what is cool. It’s easily sandable, so if you want to distress something it is much easier. It also allows you to do transfers like I did to my great grandmother’s table.
My dresser will have blue drawer fronts (clear blue sky by Valspar) and creamy top and sides (white linen by Valspar). I have my 2 sample pots in the photo above. This is more than enough to do the dresser. Well, I might have to get another White Linen pot since I already used some to paint my table. However, the cost for the 2 paints and calcium carbonate was $11 – which makes this cheap lady pretty happy.
I will be putting new hardware on, which will be birdcage style.
Then the cool part. The top is going to have a transfer on it with one of these 2 designs.
or
I just haven’t decided yet. You can find all kinds of free graphics like these from the The Graphics Fairy.
I brought that old mirror in to see how it fits with the dresser:
Please ignore Ms. Nosey. The mirror is a little bigger than I thought and I don’t think it will work as a topper, but it might work as a headboard. I was going to paint it the same blue as the drawers and I might do that anyway and figure out what to do with it later.
So, that’s my next project. I have to strip off the fleckstone before painting for a smooth surface, but otherwise, I can just go right over the old paint. That’s the cool part about chalk paint.
You could turn the mirror lengthwise & hang it in the foyer of your new house. A check yourself before going out mirror. Or you could hang it either way & put a few hat hooks down the sides! very turn of the last century.
I can’t wait till you get the new house–I am all about seeing how other people reno old houses!
I like the idea of putting some hooks on the bottom for coats. I need to get back in the house and see if there is wall space by the front entry to hang it.
I love the colors you chose for the dresser.and as you know,I am fascinated by your ability to transform furniture with paint.I think if I would just start,it wouldn’t be such a difficult thing for me. And very cool how you figured out how to make your own chalk paint.
Time to start Debby! It’s not bad and paint is easily fixable if you don’t like it. I would rather buy some paint and refresh and old piece rather than spend the money on a new one. It makes it very personal and unique, too!
Im with debby but for some reason it still feels so so so very daunting to start.
Sometimes you just have to be like Nike and just do it 😀
First I love miss Nosey 🙂
Smart to do some projects before you are moving, saves you time once you have to move.
Look forward to the final result.
I didn’t really want to paint these before we move because they could get dinged up during the move, but I am tired of waiting…so, so tired of waiting.
I will await the final results with bated breath – you always makes things look and sound easy but I can’t even imagine taking that on!
I think of these projects as a hobby. It’s really enjoyable for me to transform rooms and things and gives me a good release for my creative side. I do make mistakes, but it helps me figure out what works and what doesn’t.
You always amaze me with your talents!! I am so so so not good at that stuff!!! Oh Pixie – actually on the move in this pic! 🙂
She does move around sometimes 😀
I’m intrigued. I don’t know a thing about chalk paint – but it’s amazing how much you can learn online and in books to do things cheaper. $30 for a QUART? Not unless it’s got genuine gold flecks in it! 🙂
I know – the cost of that paint is absolutely ridiculous. It’s because chalk paint is marketed towards women and they think they can jack up the price.
Ooh, I like this project! Are we voting on the images? 🙂 I like the ‘fabrique’ one for this dresser. It translates to something about watches (I think), whereas the other one is something about chocolate. I don’t know about you, but the fewer reminders about chocolate, the better. 🙂 But really, both of them are interesting graphics, so you really can’t go wrong.
I like the chocolate one, but I was thinking about putting that on a trunk (if I ever find one) for a coffee table. Since I probably will have to hand paint in the design after transferring, the watchmaker one would be easier 😀
I was going to suggest the same as the first poster did, about turning it vertical, then place it with a 9″ or so space between the top of dresser and mirror. Tjose certainly are beautiful. I have to say so many people just go buy new furniture, and I luv luv luv the fact that you make old become new. I am taking lessons here.
A lot of new furniture is made of MDF and cheap and stuff that isn’t is way out of our price range. So, I don’t mind having older furniture – as long as it doesn’t look dated. Paint is great for that!
I am loving all the chalk-painted things lately and loving even more your frugal way of doing it! The dresser is going to be so nice – will you change the hardware, too?
Oh, and I’m voting first for the mirror/hook thingie, but if you don’t have wall space, making it into a headboard would be pretty sweet, too.
Yes, changing the hardware to an antique pewter.
Wow – not only are you amazingly crafty and talented but you are good at figuring out how to do all of these things. I had no idea you could make your own chalkboard paint or that it could be a color besides black!!!
Chalkboard paint and chalk paint are not quite the same thing, but the finish is similar. It’s a very cool product and actually pretty trendy right now (hence the expense of it).
Is it my imagination, or is Pixie about to jump into the trash? Think those colors will look lovely and fresh!
Not the trash, but onto the chest next to it. She normally is not allowed in the bedroom, but I had the door open to get a cross breeze and she was all excited to explore.
Ah, ha, ha….PIXIE!!!!!!! Love the project Lori! (and I love Pixie too!)
I’m never going to ignore Pixie! 🙂
Your paint hack reminds of me own forays into frugality. I decided do make my own foot ointment by combining petroleum jelly and ascorbic acid and a few drops of almond oil. It’s still under development. 🙂