Peacock Pretty Paint Job

Sometimes you just wanna do something different. When I acquired this dresser, I knew just where I wanted to use it and what color to paint it. Deep turquoise isn’t a color I would normally choose, but I loved the Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint special mix when we introduced the recipe and was looking for a project.

This makeover uses the following:

• Custom mixed color
• Gel stain
• Driftwood painting technique
• Inking with glaze

PHOTO: Before - Yeah, tape was a bad idea

Someone had used tape to hold the drawers in, probably when moving it (Yikes! I know!). Unfortunately it left a huge unsightly section of exposed particleboard. I did some sanding to smooth it out and roughed up the entire surface to prep for paint.

CUSTOM COLOR

I chose a custom mix from Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint called “Peacock” – 2 parts Keep It Teal, 1 part Blue Ridge. I mixed it in a mixing cup with measurements on the side to get the proportions right. The cup also had a lid so I could keep it fresh in the container without having to remix when it was time for another coat. 

I gave the sides of the dresser and drawer fronts two coats of Peacock (one coat shown in picture). 

GEL STAIN

I wanted to add a little dimension and interest with the peacock color, so I did a stain over top with General Finishes Gray Gel Stain. To do this, I first distressed the edges of the doors, drawers and sides with a Preppin Weapon sanding block.

Using a 3ʺ foam brush, I applied gel stain to the surface, which I had dampened with a spray bottle. I did this because I wanted the gel to move quickly on the surface without too much soaking in. Another way to achieve this is to topcoat the piece with satin finish before putting on the gel stain. After brushing on the gray, I took a clean rag and wiped the gel off in the direction of the grain. This gave the peacock color a little more worn and vintage look. Note: Wear gloves when using stain – it is not water-soluble and doesn’t come off your skin easily. 

DRIFTWOOD TOP

I painted the top of the dresser with 2 coats of Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint in Dog Bone as a base.

To achieve the “driftwood” look I wanted, I did layers of dry brushing with a 2ʺ chip brush, first with Driftwood General Finishes Milk Paint then Black Dog Salvage Furniture Paint in Clean Canvas and Dog Bone. I continued brushing and layering until I was happy with the final result. 

INKING WITH GLAZE

To bring out the details on the two side doors, I used General Finishes Pitch Black Glaze Effects. With a small angled brush, I striped the black glaze down into the grooves around the edges of the door. Then I took a clean damp cloth and wiped off the excess, which really made the lines stand out.  

The door in the photo shows half of it glazed (top and left side) and the other half before. Quite a difference!

The final step was to protect the whole piece with 3 coats of General Finishes HP Topcoat in Flat finish and put the knobs back on.