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My friend, Kelsey, found a steal on a bedroom set at a local re-sell shop in our town. While she was in the store, she sent me a message saying something like, “Hey, there’s a cool, old bedroom set here that is all curvy and neat looking. I think it could work in my daughter’s room. I’m going to buy it and bring it to you to paint.”
So, of course I said bring it on over! Her husband brought it to me that afternoon, and when I saw the trailer pull up I knew instantly that it was a Dixie set. I sent Kelsey a congratulatory message on her score! She isn’t furniture obsessed like I am. She had no idea that what she had was an awesome find!! 
So yeah, she found a Dixie French Provincial bedroom set! Kelsey knew she wanted me to paint it in mint for her daughter’s room. We chose Still Tidewater from Olympic. I had Sherwin Williams color match it and mix it in their Industrial Enamel high gloss. Before any of the fun stuff though, all of these curves needed cleaning, sanding and priming.
First up, I mixed a strong solution of TSP and hot water and gave her a good scrubbing. There’s decades of nasty in those grooves.
After she got a good scrubbing, I filled her dents and dings with my favorite, Bondo Glazing Putty.
After filling came sanding. I used my electric orbital sander with 220 grit sanding disc for the surfaces the sander would easily maneuver on and did all of the drawers and curves by hand with this awesome sanding sponge.
Once all of the sanding was complete and vacuumed up, I hauled everything outside to prime because the weather was gorgeous! I ONLY primed the furniture outside. You cannot spray high gloss fine finishes outside….super bad idea, don’t try it. Since I sand my primer after it’s dry anyway, spraying outside is no big deal! 
I let the pieces sit outside for a couple of hours to dry, then I used a fine sanding sponge to sand all of the surfaces down super smooth. Before bringing it back inside, I used my air hose to spray off all of the dust. High gloss paint requires so much careful prep!
I made an extra large spray booth to accommodate all of the pieces. For my spray booth, I simply clip thin plastic drops from my basement’s drop ceiling. I cover the floor with canvas drop cloths then wet them down in efforts to keep the dust settled down.
This is the first time I had ever sprayed furniture with the drawers in place. Normally I have the drawers out and spray them individually while they’re horizontal but there were so many in this set I simply didn’t have the room! I taped off the sides so I would still have a crisp, clean line ( this tool is the absolute best for taping drawers!) and then I just pulled each drawer out just enough so the sides could be painted. It wasn’t my favorite way to do it, but in this situation, it worked just fine! I sprayed two coats on it waiting 24 hours in between for dry time.
I cleaned all of the ornate hardware with a toothbrush, Barkeepers Friend and water. After it was dry, I sprayed a quick coat of Rust-Oleum Gold Metallic Spray Paint. I love re-assembling the furniture after it’s all complete! Such gratification. My mom came over to help me photograph it, but due to space limitations we just took staged photos of the dresser. Here it is!
I really love how soft and feminine it turned out. I think this color will be able to transition with her daughter from nursery to teen years!
Thanks for coming by:)
xo Kayla
Your dresser is just stunning! Love how the color looks with the gold hardware. Thanks so much for sharing on Friday’s Furniture Fix!
Wow Kayla – total perfection! Featuring this evening on The Painted Drawer Link Party and thanks so much for linking up!
Thank you! xo
Kayla, do you sell your work? If so please give me the link to the website. Your talent is amazing and I love your style. Did you also paint the canvas bird picture? Thank you in advance for your answers Alison B.
Absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!
What type of spray gun are you using?
I have a DeVilbiss Finish Line 3 HVLP with a big compressor.
What do you think about using something like a finish line sprayer? How did you learn how to spray with a compressor….
I have a DeVillbiss Finish Line 4 HVLP gun. I’m not sure if that’s exactly why you’re referencing or not though? I read and researched a lot about painting with an HVLP gun and compressed air. Lots of trial and error too. I learned a ton by watching YouTube videos as well.
Do you wear a respirator when you paint? You didn’t mention one.
Yes ma’am I do! I’m not sure of the brand, but I will mention it in the future or reply to this comment again when I’m able to look at it. Thanks!
Fabulous job! What is TSP (…a strong solution of TSP and hot water…)? As a novice who has to work at my own pace, I am thinking of projects for when the fall & winter come back. I am gathering up my inventory even as we speak š
Thanks for sharing
TriSodium Phosphate. Available at Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin Williams etc
Beautiful results! I’m just learning about all the creative things that can be done with furniture. I don’t know though, if I would have the patience to do something as meticulous as you did though with ALL these pieces. Certainly beautiful though, and I’m sure the client was very pleased.
Wow, absolutely stunning. Did you spray the primer on as well? I have a set very, very similar to this and am contemplating doing this, but it seems like a ton of work.
Yes I sprayed the primer as well. It is a ton of work:-/ but the end result is always worth it!! Good luck to you!! Thanks for your comment:) xo
Do you ever do a clear top coat for protection?
Hi Elizabeth! When using oil base paints, no clear coat is needed for protection! Thanks for your question! xo
Hi Kayla!
Mi question is how did you match it and mix it the Still Tidewater from Olympic with Sherwin Williams in their Industrial Enamel high gloss ?
How much of each ?
I told my Sherwin Williams store to mix the paint in that color. They have many competitors formulas in their system. He just looked up Still Tidewater in his computer and was able to mix it accordingly. Hope this helps. The industiral Enamel is only sold in gallons, so I bought 1 gallon but only used half of it for this project (there were 5 pieces in this set but I only blogged about and photographed the dresser) Hope this helps.
Hi I am in absolute love with this color and I am wanting to paint one for my baby girls nursery would you PLEASE tell me the exact colors and paint you used for this ??? Would you call this a minty aqua or what exaclty ?? IT IS BEAUTIFUL and i want to use !! Please let me know asap!!!!!
The color is āStill Tidewaterā from Olympic
Hi Kayla,
When you sprayed on the enamel, did you have to sand it between coats? Just wondering how you were able to get it to spray on with a finished look thatās so smooth and glossy. I assume the enamel itself and a good sprayer is key… but also maybe some sanding? I have a cheap electric sprayer from Home Depot but Iām thinking it might not produce the results Iām looking for. Thanks – Iām new at this š
Hi Marnie, on these particular pieces I did not sand between my coats of color. I will only sand between enamel coats if there is a problem in the finish i.e. dust, a bug, a blemish I didn’t catch the first time around etc. Hope this helps!! Thanks for your question! xo
Hi Kayla, is it possible to use a brush with the SW industrial paint? I cannot really afford the investment of a big spray rig. Also, I can’t tell how you treat the inside drawers and drawer sides. I am planning to paint a stained dresser glossy white. Please tell me any advice you have.
Many thanks,
Leslie Rainer
Hi Leslie, yes the paint can be brushed. Oil is notoriously difficult to brush out, but it is possible! Make sure you add thinners and penetrol as well to help with brush marks. I tape off the drawers as to not get paint on the insides or sides! hope this helps you!! let me know:) xo
Kayla…It looks as if rustoleum has changed the packaging and maybe even the formulation of the gold paint for hardware. do you have a next best choice?
Becky
Hello did you have to thin the paint before spraying? If so what did you use, Iām assuming not water. Thanks!!!
Yes we thinned with mineral spirits!
I was thrilled to see your makeover of this Dixie French Provincial dresser. I actually own one of these bedroom suites with a 6-drawer dresser and mirror, a tallboy, nightstand, and headboard that my parents purchased in the late ā70s. I have been wanting to refinish it for a couple years and seeing this post has inspired me. Thank you Kayla!