Have you seen the new fall colors from Dixie Belle? Five brand new fall colors have been released! Check them out here. As soon as I opened the package with the new paint I absolutely wanted to start with Juniper. This soft green sage color has all the cottage core vibes. Let's paint something pretty!
Products Used
Juniper (sold out online!)
To start with this dresser was in amazing shape and heavy! I cleaned it up and got it ready for color. Let's cover all the steps to painting your furniture with Dixie Belle paint products.
Step one is always clean and inspect your piece. I paint in my home so I need to make sure that these pieces are clean as a whistle. I remove all drawers, clean inside and out, even the back of the furniture. To clean this piece I used Pristine Clean. White Lightning or Pristine Clean is a powder based product you can disperse into water to clean any project.
Next up? BOSS! What is boss? If you need a break down of this product click here. BOSS is amazing for blocking stains and bleed through of tannins. I used my foam roller and applied two even coats of Clear Boss. I used clear because I knew I would sand back the edges a bit after paint and didn't want the white BOSS peeking though my distressing.
After the BOSS has dried I filled in the holes with Dixie Belle MUD. This is a easy to use product that I push into the existing hardware holes to make them disappear! I also use this product to correct any veneer damages. I use a spatula and apply enough to cover the holes. When this product dries I sand back to flat and paint right over. Handy tip of the day? Use BOSS to seal you Mud before painting. Mud is water based and can be reactivated if damp. While I'm waiting for my Mud to dry I use Big Mamas Butta (The NEW scent!) Flannel to lubricate the drawer slides and interior to smell fabulous! This new Butta scent is my favorite, just like a fall evening, with hints of masculine undertones. Yummy!
Let's paint! Juniper is a chalk mineral paint, and I always use a smooth synthetic brush to apply to furniture. Keep a damp brush on the second coat to help eliminate brush strokes and get that silky smooth finish. You can also sand lightly between coats with a fine grit sanding sponge. I applied two even coats of Juniper to the wood. This color is so on trend!
While waiting for the base to dry, let's have a look at the top. This is a solid wood piece, I could sand the top down to bare wood and stain, or we could do this the easy way! Let's cover it with Gel Stain! I cleaned to the top and sanded in a slight manner to remove any loose varnish. I chose Walnut Gel Stain to update the top.
When applying Gel Stain I use a disposable Applicator Pad. This helps me achieve a smooth finish and discard the old pad when I'm done. Wear gloves! This can stain your nails. Using a applicator pad I applied the Walnut stain in long even strokes. This covers old marks and stains on the wood. I applied two even coats waiting for the stain to dry in between. Depending on humidity this could take up to 24 hours or more. I paint inside so the first coat dried in less than a day. Keep your strokes long and even, with the wood grain. You decide how thick, you can hide all the wood or have some peeking through.
When your final coat of Gel Stain has dried you can seal the stain with Gator Hide or Clear Coat. I choose Gator Hide due to the fact its the toughest top coat and will work well on the dresser top. Apply your top coat with the Blue Sponge. Use smooth even strokes that overlap a bit to get a flawless finish.
So now we have painted the base and stained the top. What's next? Have you seen a ghost stencil? Boo! It's not really scary, just a application of a shiny topcoat through a stencil to create a ghost like vibe. Want to see?
Here's how I did it. Using a foam roller I applied a clear coat in Gloss to the top drawer only. Right over top of the Buffalo Check Stencil. One coat of Gloss was all it took to give that ghost effect!
Roll onto any matte surface to give that sneak peek stencil look. So fun!
Almost done! I sanded the edges to let some of the wood peek through as well. This gives it a rustic look. I used my Rad Pads, and gently removed the edges of the paint.
After the Gloss has dried I wanted to seal my paint. I used Howdy Do Hemp Oil to finish the base. Apply with a Applicator pad, wipe on. Using a micro fiber cloth I wipe back the excess after 2-4 hours or so. This leaves a beautiful shine.
After drilling new holes for hardware I installed leather pulls for a masculine vibe. This project is complete! Buffalo Check faded stencil, rich Juniper and a deep walnut stained top. I absolutely love this piece. If it didn't weigh eleven billion pounds it would be upstairs in my room this second!
What a stunning fall makeover! Don't forget to check out the new Suzanne's Fall Color line, it's a limited edition series that won't be restocked! Happy painting! FYI- this color is sold out online, please find your local retailer here to shop Juniper.
Melissa
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