Frustrated and stuck. Ready to just give up. Done. Have you ever felt like that? That’s what I was feeling while refinishing a dresser that was not turning out the way I had envisioned. You see, I decided to apply a wax finish, and as I soon discovered, I am no fan of waxing furniture. I had finished painting it, moved it inside and applied the wax. It looked awful. Total dumpster fire of a waxed finish. After several hours doing Google searches on how to fix a jacked up, blotchy wax finish, making a trip to the hardware store for supplies, and spending way too much time trying to repair the horrible finish, I stopped. Stopped working on that piece of furniture, and escaped back out to my shop.
What I really needed at that moment was to get out of my head, and just paint. The kind of painting that soothes and feels therapeutic, and not like work. Relaxing, paint brush in hand kind of painting. I needed to stop overthinking the process. To paint a piece of furniture that would be uncomplicated. To work with products that I know and love. This sweet vintage piece was perfect for what I had in mind. And General Finishes was the perfect paint for the job.
Before
***Affiliate links provided for your convenience. For my complete policy, please see my disclosure page.***
Materials Used
General Finishes Milk Paint in Lamp Black
General Finishes Queenstown Gray Milk Paint
General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Flat
Bar Keepers Friend NEW trigger Spray + Foam Cleaner.
Steps
I sanded and cleaned it as I usually do. The original finish was mostly worn off, so I quickly evened and smoothed it out with my sander. I gave it a good vacuum inside and out. Other than the worn finish, this piece was in great structural shape, so no repairs were needed. Fast and easy prep, and it was time to paint. I mixed up a soft black using 2 parts General Finishes Lamp Black and 1 part Queenstown Gray. I added a bit of water to thin the paint, brushed on the first coat, and it absorbed into the wood much like a stain. So good. Calm and restored, with the stress from the wax debacle lifted, I called it a day and left the desk to dry.
The following day, I gave the desk a light sanding with my sanding sponge, and a second coat of paint. Once dry, I sanded and lightly distressed the edges. I wanted the pretty wood tones to show and highlight the lovely detail. I sealed it up with a couple of coats of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in flat. The finish is so pretty, and feels meant to be on this piece.
After
I polished up the tarnished original pulls. I have started using the new foam spray version of BarKeeper’s Friend, and I love it. I think it’s easier to use on hardware than the powdered version. The foam really gets in all the small spots and covers well, especially with intricate hardware like the pulls on this desk. I placed the pulls in a small plastic tray (I save and reuse frozen meal plastic trays for this purpose), sprayed on a coat of the foam spray, and let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes. I then lightly scrubbed and polished the pulls to a pretty shine with 0000 steel wool and a soft toothbrush.
Refinishing furniture can be frustrating at times, for sure. Working with new products or techniques doesn’t always go as smoothly as we would like. There is constant learning, which is what I love, and sometimes hate, about it. But I remind myself, it’s just furniture. I’ve always been able to find a way to fix a problem, even if it means completely starting over. Sometimes stepping away, taking a break and gaining perspective can help. I’m not done with that lousy wax finish I created. I’ll keep trying to make it right. I’ll learn what works. But for now, I’m thankful that this pretty little desk, and General Finishes products, were there when I needed them.
Susan
Sharing with Up to Date Interiors
Hi Susan, I totally feel your pain! I’m refinishing (in white) a French Provincial set of furniture for my grandaughter and ran into something from the wood bleeding through the paint. I stripped the old finish, which was not paint but only 2-3 coats of polyurethane and sanded it so I thought I’d be ok. After a couple of coats of paint, I still had bleeding through so a quick sand job, a coat of primer with shellac (which now I know to do first no matter what), another coat of paint and problem solved. Learning is painful…
I do have a question for you, do you brush or roll the paint on? If you roll, what type of roller do you use? I’ve tried bristle brushes, foam brushes and rollers but I always end up with either brush marks or roller indentations. I’m using General Finishes paint. Please let me know, this is frustrating. Thank you.
Hi Beatriz! Oh, that dreaded bleed through! That can be a tough problem. Sometimes removing the varnish or topcoat can make the bleed through worse (the topcoat actually seals in the tannins that are bleeding through). I have had great success with either shellac or shellac based primer in sealing to prevent bleed through. As for your question about paint application, I brush, roll and spray – it just depends on the piece and the look I am going for. I have experimented with just about every type of roller there is and I have had the best success with a plain ole’ foam roller. As for brush marks, I use a Purdy angled brush and that seems to work the best for me. Using several thin coats and lightly sanding between coats helps, too. A big part of getting a smooth finish really comes down to technique and practice. Hang in there! Susan
Very pretty! I also hate wax!
Thank you, Kelly! Wax looks so pretty when done correctly, but I don’t think I’ll be attempting to use wax again any time soon! Susan
I do like the handles on this – and who knew about Barkeepers Friend as a spray!!!
Life is sometimes ftrustrating, – my spring bulb and plant orders have arrived with instructions that say “do not plant until after last frost”. As it is the beginning of March, and the last frost may be as late as May, they are all going to have to move it when they do get planted – As frustrating as the wax finish, though for a different reason!
Hi Susan! I just stumbled upon the Barkeeper’s spray and thought I’d give it a try. I definitely recommend it. I always had trouble with the powder getting into little nooks and crannies on hardware. The foam worked great for me. Sorry about your spring bulbs. Mother Nature can be difficult sometimes! Susan
The end result of this is beautiful! I’m newer to furniture restoration, but I find waxing to be very difficult, especially with a dark piece (I love ASCP in Graphite). I paid good money for a bag of rags that are ‘lintfree’, but I still end up with very tiny little white pieces of lint on my piece as I wipe off the wax.
So my question would be why use wax when you have an option like GF Flat Top Coat?
That is a good question, Jeannie! I’ve seen others achieve a beautiful matte finish with wax. A lot of people swear by it. I had painted the piece using a medium gray chalk paint and wanted to try out a new antiquing wax. I was going for a vintage look, and thought I’d experiment with something new. I’m sure it’s just a matter of practice getting a good wax finish. GF topcoat is my “go to” and I will likely just redo the dresser with that topcoat instead.
Oh my, I have been there so many times. As a matter of fact I have 3 of them sitting in my shop now, Such incredible painting wisdom; just step away.
Hello Susan – I find wax harder to use on the gray, or darker colors. It is hard work to apply and buff out perfectly. I have a Mid-century dresser in graphite that I am contemplating which finish I want to use. Cannot decide. : )
Love the desk!! Such a great color and finishing. Thanks for sharing.
That desk is sharp! What kind of brush do you use for the top coat?
Thanks, Sally! For this piece, I used a Wooster foam brush to apply the topcoat. This is my favorite foam brush to use – I really like the plastic handle. Susan
That turned out beautifully. Adding to my Pinterest queue.
Thank you so much, Stephanie!
Your desk looks amazing! I think you really did a great job.
Thank you, Angela!
Beautiful desk, Susan! I’m glad it provided a distraction from the wax project! I tell you, I went down the wax road for a few early projects and I feel I can get the same look with glazes with a whole lot less fuss. I still have a dresser I antiqued with dark wax in my bedroom and I really don’t like the way it has worn over time either…lots of little scratches around the knobs. I now use my expensive tub of dark wax to wax wooden drawer glides! At least its getting some use!