This piece was pretty damaged when I got him…but he had great bones!!! I started off by cleaning him with Dixie Belle White Lightening (I premix mine cleaner and keep in a spray bottle so its ready to go when I need it). I spray the piece down and then wipe with a paper towels. I then spray down with lean water and wipe it down again to remove any of the cleanser that is left behind. Then it was time to do the repairs!!!
The feet on this piece was missing strips of the veneer, so I took my trusty Dixie Belle Mud to filling the areas that were missing (just like frosting a cake) and let it sit for 24 hours. I then went back and sanded it smooth with 400 grit sand paper. I use this stuff to fill in hardware holes, missing veneer, scratches…you name it, I use it to fix it. I love how easy this spreads and how easy it is to sand it smooth. It comes in different colors, but I only had white left on hands to use for this project.
I then brushed on I coat of the Dixie Belle BOSS in clear to prevent any bleed thru since this was a darker wood piece… better to take that extra step at the beginning then to have issues later on down the road. After the BOSS had dried, I painted 2 coats of Dixie Belle Sand Bar on the body of the piece (not the drawers) and scaled him with Dixie Belle Top Coat in a Satin Finish.
As for the drawers….those beautiful drawers… I scuffled up the surface with 220 grit sand paper first then applied the No Pain Gel Stain (also from Dixie Belle) in the color Walnut. I did 2 coats because I wanted a solid deep coverage. I sealed them with 2 coats of Gator Hide (I waited 24 hours between each coat). How did I get such a smooth, shiney finish you ask?…or even if you didn’t ask…I’m going to give you my secret tool anyway. I used…”0000” steel wool!! Not sand paper!! I rubbed the steel wool in the direction of the grain back and forth with a gentle touch, then wiped it clean with a damp cloth to remove any little steel dust left behind. Wow…I was in love with this finish at first site.
I almost kept this piece for myself…he’s a Drexel Chest of Drawers so he was a “lucky” find from the beginning. Sadly I decided to sell him and move onto my next piece. He sold in less than an hour online, so he went to his new family over the weekend. I hope you enjoyed this project. If you are interested in checking out Dixie Belle’s products, her is my: affiliate link
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