Better After...

Anyone read/scan/stalk this blog... well I do and love it. It's one of those places that you go and say to yourself, "I could totally do that". And you are probably correct - a lot of projects are pretty simple - the question is just "WILL I do that?". 

The answer today is yes!! 

Years ago one of my besties (Charis of the RaRas) kidnapped my parents' house while they were out of town for a weekend and gave it an upgrade. Painted the wood paneling in their living room, the hallway, the entry, rearranged furniture, etc... This led my mom to wanting more so Charis and I upgraded some of her older furniture for one of her guest rooms. 

I knew I wanted to do the same for Emersyn with Ryan's grandmother's chest. 

I was a complete negligent blogger and forgot to snap a pic of the entire chest pre-makeover but here is glimpse of the drawers. 

Even if we were not going to paint the piece, it still needed some major work. We (well I) wanted it painted and distressed, so here is what we did...

1. Remove all hardware (including key holes)

2. Sand piece to the wood

3. Apply a decent coat of Kilz 

 (this can be done with a roller because brush strokes don't matter as much and it saves time)

4. Select paint color and begin painting 

(we used some creamish/white that we had on hand)

5. Rough up areas that you want to look distressed 

(use a grittier sand paper for more exaggerated effects)

6. Apply stain of choice with damp cotton cloth and then quickly remove

7. Let dry

8. ENJOY!

Here is another shot of the finished product... 

I mean...I am obsessed! 

Now go garage sale-ing, buy some cheap stuff and paint away!!