Cityscape Dresser Flip – Fab Furniture Flippin Contest

I am super excited about today’s post.  I got to be part of The Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest for July and today I am revealing my furniture flip.  It is a cityscape dresser!

 

 

 

Fab Furniture Flippin’ Contest

I came across a post in June and she was a part of The Fab Furniture Flippin Contest.  She stated in her post how others could join in if they wanted to so I signed up for July.  I am not sure how long this contest has been going on but every month there is a theme and this month was “Come On, Let Your Colors Burst!”

 

The sponsor for July is a company called Unicorn SPiT.  No I am not kidding.  I love the name and it was really fun to tell people that I couldn’t wait to get my Unicorn SPiT in the mail.  So funny to see the confused look on their faces.

 

 

 

 

You can check them out by clicking the the link below and while you are there check out the AMAZING videos.  So pretty!

Unicorn SPiT

I really had a hard time choosing between the Zia Teal and the Phoenix Fire but for this project I wanted the orange.

This is not your everyday wood stain.  It comes in so many beautiful colors and can be used as a wood stain or over other painted surfaces.  I was so excited when my Phoenix Fire arrived in the mail!

 

 

 

Cityscape Dresser

Here is the story behind my furniture flip and why I chose Phoenix Fire.

Our house was built in 1891 so storage is nowhere to be found.  I have to create storage and dressers are a great way to do that.

A friend gave this dresser to me a while ago.  I knew that I wanted it in Brian’s old room which is now our guest room.  We needed storage in there and this was the perfect solution for extra bedding and blankets.

The walls in the room are gray with different shades of gray rectangles.  We did this when it was Ian’s room and have just left it.  Brian liked it and since they are the “guests” we have most often I decided it should stay for now.

I wanted to add an accent color so I chose orange.  Pillows and other orange accents in the room are part of the plan.

 

 

 

This was the dresser before I started to clean it up.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started

First I cleaned all of the drawers and wiped down the dresser with soap and water.

The dresser had a couple of coats of a thick poly finish.  It would have taken forever to sand it all down plus I wanted to paint it anyway.  So I went with chalk paint.

I used the Americana Decor and the color is Yesteryear (who thinks of these things?)

 

 

 

Before I painted the fronts of the drawers I masked them and spray painted the inside and out side of the drawer in a gray that is darker than the chalk paint.  I love the look of two different colors.

 

 

 

 

I gave the inside and outside of the drawers a good three coats of the spray paint.

Then I painted the gray chalk paint on the dresser and the fronts of the drawers.

 

 

 

 

It needed two coats and I was surprised that I still have paint left over.  It really does go a long way.

 

The Plan

I had decided on the cityscape design but needed a plan.  I drew this quick sketch drawing on Photoshop Elements.

 

 

 

 

This helped a lot when I was ready to start taping for the cityscape design.

 

Mapping Out The Design

I used some washi tape and started with the first drawer that would need masking.

 

 

 

Once the first drawer was masked I set the next drawer on top of it so I could get the tape in the right spots and it would line up with the drawer under it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are an artist you could probably just paint it on and forget about the masking but that is not me.

 

Adding The Design

Once the taping was done I was ready for my Phoenix Fire Unicorn SPiT wood stain.  It smells so good…like Jasmine!  It really does!

I used a rag to apply the stain inside the taping.  The color is so pretty but it is a stain so it is much lighter than a paint would be.  I gave it two coats.

This it what it looked like after ripping the tape off.  

 

 

I cut a piece of a sponge to use as a stamp for the windows and some tan colored paint.  I wanted the tan instead of a yellow to match the room better.

 

 

 

 

Then I stared at it.  I knew it needed something but I wasn’t sure what.  

 

 

 

So I went crazy and added a darker gray “wash” over the top of everything.  I mixed some black paint with some white…and more white…and more white until I liked the color.  Then I added water to thin it way down.

I used a brush to apply some of the wash (see the photo below) then used a damp cloth to blend it into softer lines.

 

 

 

I needed to be careful over the Unicorn SPiT because it will wash off with water if you want it to.

This is what it looked like after the wash.  I liked that it didn’t seem so stark.

 

 

 

Finishing Touches

Then I sprayed the fronts of the drawers with a polyurathane semi – gloss finish varnish (you cannot use polyacrylic with the Unicorn SPiT.  It will bubble.  It needs to be a non water-based sealer.  Then I used the wax over the rest of the chalky paint on the dresser. .

I buffed the wax with a soft cloth then Jeff added some drawer pulls to finish it off.  The drawer pulls weren’t really necessary because the drawers have a built in  pull at the top but am I glad i did.  I think they added a lot.

We moved it upstairs to it’s place in the guest room and added a little decor.

I think it turned out nice and am so happy with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So what do you think?  I am really happy with it and the more I see it the more I like it.

If you would like to see more of my projects check out the following galleries:

Furniture Makeovers

Home Decor

Outdoor Projects

 

Have a great day,

Michelle