How Not to Remove Veneer

When I started working on this dresser it had a mess of veneer peeling on the drawer fronts. Almost like the previous owners left just the drawer fronts out in the rain for months on end. The rest of the dresser was in excellent condition but the veneer was a serious mess.


There was a raised panel of veneer applied to each of the drawer fronts. First, I tried to repair it with wood glue and clamps. No go. Then I thought I might just remove the big chunks and then use wood filler to fill in the gaps. Ummm, yeah, no. Then I had the bright idea to just remove the first layer of veneer and sand down the second layer and paint that. Again, a bad idea. The second layer was too damaged and was peeling beyond repair. Yikes!

Finally, I noticed that the actual drawer was a  pretty maple and I thought that removing all of the veneer should be simple. Right? Of course, wrong. What was I thinking? Somewhere, I remember reading that if you warm the wood with an iron, it warms and loosens the glue on the veneer making the removal easier. Not at my house. It actually adhered it to the wood better than ever. Lovely. Nothing but old fashioned hard work helped. And a chisel. And a hammer.


A huge pile of veneer later...

Ta daaaa! All of the veneer was gone.

After a good sanding, I stripped the top with Citristrip and stained it with General Finishes Gel Stain in Java, then 3 coats of poly. Next, I painted the body of the dresser with ASCP in Country Gray and the drawer fronts with only a very light coat of Old White because I wanted them super distressed. 

Lots and lots of hard work later, here it is. I love it. Would I do it again? Absolutely not. I think I might pass on this dresser given the chance. I am glad I had the opportunity to learn what not to do and that the result was good. But, man was it a lot of work!!

Linking to these fabulous parties:

Furniture Feature Friday

Funky Junk SNS

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Happy to be pooped.

Chalk outline? Homicide Victim 101? Or just a really tired girl, passed out on the bed who can't believe that it's only 7:58pm. That would be me, sleeping on top of the covers, unable to move. Exhausted.


I made my final (maybe) delivery last night to Restoration Emporium for the BIG Grand Opening THIS weekend. The surprise, soft opening last month was great, but this is better. The excitement there is off the charts and we are all so happy to play a tiny part in the goodness that is to come. 

What a treat to be around others who do the same thing. They get it. The mess that comes before the pretty. The garages that look like an episode of Hoarders. The Craigslist app on my iPhone alerting me to the latest postings, which could cause me at any minute to say "I have to go right now". The paint in my hair, stain on my hands, clothes forever splattered with 87 colors of paint, exhausted but happy girl that I have become. 


All of the work has come to this. This is what I have, I hope its enough and that someone else likes it too. I really don't want to bring it all home. I am really tired.

And this one is kind of my favorite. Mostly because it is HOT PINK and has glitter sparkles :) I am a girl, after all!

Did you see the glittery stuff? 

Sparkly happiness.

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Rustic-ish Table and Some Homemade Chalk Paint

I am pretty excited to finally paint a piece of furniture that I can carry upstairs to the good light! It seems like lately everything I have worked on goes straight out the back door for a yard picture. Unfortunately, the dog also finds her way to the yard, so...ummm...you know. We just have to be careful is all I am saying!

I found this cute little table tucked away in the time out corner at Goodwill. Behind the things hanging on the wall. Strange.

Once it came home with me, I looked through my Hobby Lobby knob collection (say that three times fast!).  I found some knobs and liked the color combination of one and decided the table should be painted with ASCP in Provence and Primer Red to match the knob colors. Wouldn't you know it? I was out of Primer Red, or at least I couldn't find the can. Its probably here, but goodness only knows where it might be in this mess!

I decided to try and make some chalk paint of my own using latex paint from my stash mixed with calcium carbonate powder and a little hot water to help with the mixing. I used the recipe from Sherry at No Minimalist Here. 2/3 latex to 1/3 Calcium Carbonate Powder. My opinion? It's not Annie Sloan, but I didn't hate it like I thought I might. It was a little lumpy before I added the hot water but once added, that seemed to do the trick. It was very smooth. It applied evenly with good coverage and distressed nicely. 

Then I dry brushed a bit of ASCP Provence on the top and sanded it back quite a bit to show the wood underneath. Clear and dark wax were then applied and I buffed it to a light shine. Not bad. 

And at least it's not in the time out corner anymore! It will be headed to Restoration Emporium for the February sale ~ Feb 3, 4 and 5. I have linked to their Facebook Page, you should go and take a look around and "like" their page. Ridiculousness I tell you. Sheer Ridiculousness.

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Fancy Pants Paint

I cheated on Annie Sloan.

There, I said it. I cheated. And I love chalk paint. I love that there are a million and one things that can be done with it. It's a paint, it's a wash, it's a glaze, it dries in 4 minutes, distresses like a dream. It can be used inside or out. I think you can frost cakes with it. ***Please don't actually try that, I'm just kiddin!


But I cheated. I went to a fancy pants cabinetry painting class at a local faux finishing school, they use Faux Effects products. I love painting furniture and thought I might like to learn more from someone who actually knows what they are doing. Besides, I have painted five sets of kitchen cabinets without a clue! But, Yikes! The class was taught in  another language. I only understood about every third word. Thank goodness that the girl beside me spoke faux and was able to translate for me. But I came away with so many samples and great ideas, I can hardly wait to try them out!


This was my first effort with these products. I definitely liked using them but it took sooooo much longer than the magical ASCP. It's always a good thing to have some options, right?

This buffet was a hot mess when I brought it home and definitely needed the extra lovin that it got. Lots of wood glue and clamps and TSP substitute cleaner were used here, it took some time but she's pretty again!

Isn't it sad that my cleaning products have to be labeled with consequences for my children? Wow, my handwriting was messy that day!

And the after....

Sometimes, cheating is ok. Don't tell my kids.




Hanging out here this week


Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday

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