Dorsey Designs

DIY and Interiors by Sarah + David

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Coral Dresser for the Guest Bedroom

Yesterday I finished painting the dresser for the guest room – I used a custom mix of Annie Sloan chalk paint – Barcelona Orange and Emperor’s Silk to make a coral. I used about 3/4 of a quart of Barcelona Orange to a tester size of Emperor’s Silk. I’d recommend starting with less orange, since you can always mix more in 🙂

This little dresser has come a LONG way …

I started with this $25 craigslist find – good construction with solid wood dove tailed drawers but a formica top ?? No clue why that was decided … but I thought this would be a good test for the Annie Sloan chalk paint which says that it can be painted on anything without priming.

Back to loading it in the car … once it was in the car I realized that it had some water damage on the bottom (I really need to look more carefully from now on…) I wouldn’t of bought it if I had seen that, but figured that I could come up with a creative solution …

After realizing that I couldn’t sand it down I took the hammer to the front and cut off the sides with the jigsaw

With both sides off – we built a frame out of 1 x 3s to attach the new legs to

Drilled holes for the threaded anchor

Inserted the threaded anchor in the hole

and attached the legs (purchased from Lowes)

The whole piece was sanded minimally and took three coats of the chalk paint …

I decided to keep the original hardware since the top drawer had so much hardware, which = lots of $$ – and I wanted to try refinishing them anyways

I gave them a coat of Rustoleum oil rubbed bronze 

 and re attached once dry

What a difference! So far I have been incredibly happy with the chalk paint – it was easy to apply, adhered well, dries quickly, has low VOCs and seems to be very durable. Also, clean up a breeze – a brush can rinse clean with just water!

I love the fun pop of color that this adds to the space!

and one last before and after

I love how it is now lifted off of the ground – it makes is look less heavy!

I was ambivalent about using coral, but now that I see it with the lamp shade and next to the other fabrics in the room I am loving the direction that it is taking!

The lampshade was covered in this fabric – look for a tutorial soon!

We are buying the wood for the headboard tomorrow … wish me luck that I can finish it by the weekend (when our vip guests arrive!)

— 
Make sure to enter for a chance to win a copy of Flea Market Finds with Matthew Mead. It is a must read for any DIYer!

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Comments

    • Thanks Katie!! When custom mixing paint I get a piece of white paper, and after I mix – I make a thin paint swatch (not too thick or it takes too long to dry!) and use a hairdryer to speed it up … and I also look at it in the lighting that it will be in. I purchased at a local antique store, Annie Sloan's USA website has a store locator (at bottom of this page http://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/products/chalk-paint)

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  4. Love, Love, Love the coral color. Don't know how you figure out how to mix the colors, but it always works!!!
    Have fun with your VIP guests. I know they are looking forward to the visit.

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  5. This is a beautiful piece of furniture love the color and I agree the new legs make this dresser look so expensive. The lamp and lampshade are the perfect finishing touch. I look forward to the tutorial for the lampshade too. You are ver talented, I just found you blog and look forward to following your projects.

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  8. This is great – I love the dresser's new look! Even though I really hate red, I'm becoming obsessed with coral =) BTW, I'm your newest follower.

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  9. Love the coral color, and the hardware looks so perfect with it…great contrast! I'm thinking that I will need to try out the chalk paint…it looks really cool!

    -Taylor

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    • Thanks Taylor! I actually resisted going darker with the hardware (I had it lighter first but the contrast was off!) The chalk paint was very cool, will definitely be using again!

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    • Hi Niamh! Thanks for your kind comment! I would say my ratio was about 70 barcelona orange to 30 emperor's silk (didn't take much red!)

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  15. Love the color you created…I must show this to my daughter! I have used ASCP a few times but have never had the nerve to truly test it out on a formica/laminate piece. Do you feel confident it will hold up well? Kudos to you for giving it a try!

    Reply

    • Hi Terri! The paint adhered very well to the formica (same as it did to the real wood). Since we have painted it had been used as a nightstand (table lamp, books, papers, etc.) so nothing heavy duty but it still looks perfect. Time will tell, but I've been impressed so far!

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  16. Hi Sarah, I found your dresser on Pinterest (surprise, surprise) and am obsessed with it. I am doing my baby's nursery in teal/coral and even went as far as purchasing a similar looking dresser on craigslist in hopes of refinishing it like yours. I have never refinished a piece of furniture before, nor do I paint much (ok, never lol). I was just wondering how many cans of each paint you needed to finish the dresser? Also, do you think the chalk paint would go over polyurethane without priming, or would I at least need to sand it?? Any advice you can give would be amazing! I really want it to turn out like yours! 🙂 Thank you! Brittany

    Reply

    • Hi Brittany! Thank you! So glad that you found a great dresser to redo! I purchased a quart of the barcelona orange and a tester size of the emperors silk and still have some left over (I ended up doing 3 coats for the best coverage) I would recommend lightly sanding the whole piece just to rough up the surface a bit (this goes by fast!) I didn't prime and was very impressed with how well the chalk paint adhered! Hope this helps, let me know how it turns out! Sarah

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  18. Holy Coral Batman! This is amazing. What a great transformation. I'm so glad you had luck with the chalk paint on that laminate top. I just ordered some of Annie Sloan's paint for a train table redo that I have been dragging my feet on because of it being laminate. After all the great things said about chalk paint I'm going to give it a try.

    http://www.itsybitsypaperblog.com

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  19. Hi. When you mixed both colors how much did you use of each to make sure you would have enough to complete the project? Could i mix one of each of the small sample jars to achieve this color? Thank you!

    Reply

    • Hi Melody! I used part of a quart of barcelona orange and most of the emperors silk tester size. I don't have the exact ratio, but there is more orange than red.

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  21. Hi Sarah, I love how great this looks and the fact that there was no prepping work. I am hoping to do this on my currently dreadful looking white pottery barn file cabinets. So I have a few questions I hope you don't mind, how many coats of the Sloan chalk paint did you use to have a even coverage? also how much paint did you need? Is the paint once dry have a flat finishing and smooth? And final question what kind of brush did you to paint with.

    Reply

    • Hi Rosemarie! This dresser took 3 coats. I purchased a quart of barcelona orange and a tester size of emeperor's silk (probably used about 2/3s of the paint mixed). The paint does have a flat finish when dry, I found it to be a little thick so I watered it down some. and I used a Purdy clearcut 1.5" inch and 3". Hope this helps! 🙂

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    • Thank you so much for the info. I am a new follower of your blog and I am so inspired with ALL your DIY. Thanks again.

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  23. This is absolutely gorgeous!! I have yet to use chalk paint, but I know I will love it when I do. I love the new feet on the piece and the color. Beautiful inspiration!!

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  24. I'm a little bit confused on how the chalk paint works. Do you apply the chalk paint and then the color paint? Or do you combine the chalk paint with the colors?

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    • Hi Bobbie! The chalk paint comes in different colors and you don't add anything to it. There is a link to Annie Sloan's website at the top of the post if you would like to learn more 🙂

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  25. Hi Sarah! I just discovered your blog on pinterest and I feel so inspired looking through all your project! I love all your work! I especially LOVE this coral dresser DIY! 🙂

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  26. I love this dresser! I am so afraid of mixing paint. Did you pour the whole tester (Emperor's Silk) into the quart of Barcelona Orange? Also, at $40.00 a quart do you find the quality of the paint and low prep of the furniture piece worth the price (hope that makes sense)? Just curious. I am slowly furnishing my bedroom and building/refinishing furniture pieces and am so nervous about paint choices and finishes. Any advice? Thanks so much. Oh yea, what kind of brush did you use?

    Reply

    • Hi Angel!

      I poured part (about 3/4) of the barcelona orange (quart) and most of the emperors silk (tester) in. It is pricey, but I think worth it because it has less prep work 🙂 Ours still looks the same as when we painted it, I would also recommend giving it a coat of clear wax for extra protection, especially if it will be getting a lot of use. I use a purdy clearcut brush. I prefer 1.5-2". Hope this help! 🙂 Sarah

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  31. I just moved to Seattle from Dallas and have had this page bookmarked for MONTHS, knowing that I'd buy and paint a dresser this color eventually and the day is finally here! I'm taking a break between coats and right now there are DEFINITELY brush strokes visible. Will that go away with more coats (I've never painted anything before!) or am I doing something wrong? Thanks for your help 🙂

    Reply

    • I'd recommend sanding it down to reduce the existing brushstrokes. Then water your paint down so that it is easier to get thin coats, this will help with the brush strokes. Make sure not to overbrush, if it has light brush stokes, they will self level. Then apply as many coats as needed. I think my dresser took 3. Also, I've never tried rolling with chalk paint (the can recommends bristle brush), but you may want to try rolling it on with a smooth foam roller. Hope this helps!

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    • Thanks, Sarah! I finished it yesterday and it looks AMAZING. I'm just waiting for the hardware to come in the mail and then I'll have a gorgeous "new" dresser! 🙂

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  33. I love this dresser – I googled "mix coral color using Annie Sloan" and found your blog – woohoo – even more exciting is that I have Emperors Silk and Barcelona in my stash – cant wait to try this mix

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  34. THANK YOU FOR POSTING. i adore coral and cant wait to try out this mix for spring/summer! patio and deck decorations!

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  35. I love how you mixed two Anne Sloan Chalk Paint colors and came up with coral. Very pretty color. I am on my forth piece of furniture using ASCP and just loving the finish. Did you sand in between coats of paint for a smoother finish, and did you use Anne Sloan Clear Wax to coat the chalk paint?

    Thank you

    Kim

    Reply

  36. thanks kim 🙂 I would recommend lightly sanding between coats and I didn't seal it with clear wax, but that would make the finish more durable

    Reply

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