A Painted Welsh Dresser

And now for something completely different! With my daughter Holly back home from her two year teaching contract in Thailand most of this week (and last week) has been spent decorating her flat, painting cleaning and repairing furniture.

While on a day out in Cheltenham, Holly saw a Welsh Dresser in the Sue Ryder charity store. Sue and I then drove back to Cheltenham to pick it up (Holly's new car being to small).

Within hours we had stripped it down and started to clean it. I used sugarsoap and some old T shirts.

As you can see the back or shelving unit is removable.

The metal bits were then left to soak in white spirits, I did not want to either sand or paint these fittings.

After cleaning, the unit was sanded with sanding pads - the cheap four for a pound versions, remembering to sand with the grain.

Then undercoating.

On the day we undercoated, the weather was so hot that we had to water down the undercoat - it was drying too fast and leaving brush strokes. It took two coats.

Water based quick drying undercoat and primer.

I sanded the undercoat with fine sandpaper (actually a decorators sanding sponge) before applying two coats of paint, as you can see the inside was painted as well as the outside.

Using a 2 inch brush I started on the inside or back of the units and worked forward to the front.

Matt Silver Mist, it looks grey in some light and then pale blue in others.

Within a week the cleaning and painting was done.

Then the time consuming job of waxing. I used this Annie Sloan Soft Wax, which I applied with more old T shirts.  This is a messy and smelly job that took all day, wax on, wax off, wax on, wax off!

The unit finished and ready to be transported over to the newly painted flat. With the exception of the small glazed window on the left, the unit went together well and the cleaned up metal work was not to stark.

The Dresser at home in Holly's flat. The dresser has not been distressed in any way, Holly wanted a clean, pristine look.

And decorated with jugs and plates. (I am aware that a Welsh Dresser is usually built of pine).

Not one of my usual painting project, but a very satisfying one. the whole project took just over one week from start to finish.

Most of the techniques are available on-line, see You Tube - How to Shabby Chic by Simon Powell for details.

Tony