Chalk Paint Makeover: Dresser into TV Stand

I mentioned in my Move Loot post that I was looking for a dresser to use as a TV stand instead of a traditional media center. After purchasing the dresser from Move Loot, I set to work making it over with Valspar chalk paint in Kid Gloves. Except, funny story, the piece in pictures looks a lot like it did to begin with but I promise the change is in the details.

Before:

The piece was in decent shape, but had some nicks and scratches and was dirty. It was also a little creamier than I wanted in color. Also, the top was white and shiny, not like the rest of the piece. I knew I wanted to keep the piece on the lighter side because our living room can be pretty dark and I need something light on that wall to balance the darker club chairs (which is why I re-did our old TV stand in the first place). I decided to keep the hardware, which was brass, but gave it a spray paint update with my favorite Rust-Oleum brown hammered spray paint.

Materials:

• Paint: While I’ve used Annie Sloan in the past, for this one, I decided to use Valspar chalk paint in Kid Gloves. Really, the reason here was laziness – the only places that sell Annie Sloan are farther than I wanted to drive and Lowe’s is around the corner. So, Lowe’s won.
• Antique Was: I also decided to use antique wax for the first time – I was nervous about it, but I really didn’t need to be. I’m also not a perfectionist and I feel like this wax has a lot of give and take in it so you can’t mess it up too bad. It’s the consistency of pudding and since you apply it with a regular brush, it made me a lot less scared to give it a go.
• Paint brush and wax brush
• White rags to wipe the wax down with
• Spray paint in your color choice

Process:
I removed all the hardware and took out the drawers to give everything a light sanding. I know, I know – the whole point of chalk point is the no prep. But, I just can’t paint without doing some sanding. And, since the top was smooth and glossy, I was afraid the paint might not stick if I didn’t give it at least a light sanding.  From the online reviews of the paint, I decided to go with Kid Gloves, which is a milky white, as there were a few reviews that noted the paint colors weren’t exactly as they appeared on the paint card.  The paint had a slightly different consistency than Annie Sloan and it looked more chalky (not saying this is bad or good, just a difference I noticed). The paint did show brush strokes though, but that could’ve also been the brush I was using. Personally, I don’t mind brush strokes on furniture; if I’m going to hand paint something, then I kinda want it to look hand painted 😉 Now, if we’re talking my front door, that’s a different story!

After two coats of white, I did one coat of Valspar satin wax. This process was super easy and nothing to be afraid of! The only issue I had was the color of the grooves in the drawers and on the feet. My original plan was to paint these white and then sand to leave it a little more rustic. However, whatever material was in the grooves reacted to the paint and showed through as blue – after two coats, it was clear that it wasn’t going to be covered by paint. After the first coat of wax dried, I did a coat of the dark antique wax, brushing it on and then wiping the excess with a lint free rag. I ended up using a small paint brush with the dark wax to get it in the grooves. I think this makes it look most similar to the original piece, but I promise it looks different up close! After letting the dark wax dry, I did another coat of clear wax and then put it back together.

After:

My husband helped me move the TV and old TV stand and we got everything set-up. The good news is that the cable box and DVD player worked perfectly under the cabinet. The bad news was that you could see all the cables, a huge pet peeve of mine. I’m playing with some ways to hide the cables and hope to share a post soon (Update: You can see how I hid the cords for a Dollar Tree fix here)! The TV looks great and the dresser is the perfect width and height for the TV. Love that our living room is finally coming together!  I do have to apologize for the dark photo in the image below – the weather has been dreadful in Georgia so I’m having a really hard time getting decent photos without my normal amount of natural light!