Bespoke Maple Washstand
A few weeks ago, Marc and I went out antiquing for a few pieces that required minimal effort to flip. I was on the hunt for wooden pieces that I could place in my retail spaces that didn't require any painting - ones I could clean up and spruce quickly.
We went to a few shops without any luck. Most pieces that I found were too expensive to resell. They were $300 or more, placing them out of my price range.
So we ventured on to one of my favorite antique shops and I found some ironstone pieces along with this maple washstand.
It broke all of the rules that I had in place for my shopping trip. It was in need of a paint makeover and had outdated hardware. Sometimes, I just can't turn away from a reasonably priced piece of furniture...even when I'm not looking for one! (I did wind up finding a gorgeous jelly cupboard at our next stop along with a unique chest of drawers, so I didn't break all of my rules.)
This maple washstand was on sale and at a price that I could multiply many times over. It had chippendale style pulls, which I promptly removed and discarded. That style of hardware is my least favorite and I *almost* always get rid of them. They remind me of the late 80's early 90's cherry wood furniture that was in the formal living room of the house I grew up in. I replaced them with these carved oak pulls from D.Lawless Hardware.
The surface of the washstand had drips all over it. I'm not exactly sure what they were from, but they didn't come off when I cleaned the surface with a 50/50 mix of denatured alcohol and water. They seemed to be in the stain itself. And they were everywhere.
Despite the unfortunate hardware situation and the drips, the washstand had beautiful spoon carvings on the top drawer and the panels on each door.
They gave the washstand a cottage vibe, so I opted for a color that would compliment the shape and style of the piece.
I mixed up a custom color using Driftwood, Coastal Blue, Queenstown Gray and Persian Blue by General Finishes. I couldn't tell you the ratios because this color was mixed by combining all of my leftover paints. If you've never done that before, I highly encourage you to try it! Especially if you're a furniture painter like me. Having your own unique colors that no one can replicate helps your pieces stand out from the others that may be around.
I loved it from the minute I began brushing it on.
My brush of choice for this project was my F40 by ClingOn!
I sell these brushes in various shapes and sizes at Homestead Studios and Morgantown Market. They are my absolute favorite brushes to use, especially when I'm painting with General Finishes Milk Paint. The bristles are synthetic so they don't become swollen when exposed to water based paint. They don't shed and break, are easy to clean and smooth out paint like a champ. I don't carry paint products that I wouldn't use myself, and these paint brushes are no different.
My custom blend of GF's Milk Paint covered up all of the drips in the stain beautifully.
And the once mis-matched oak handles begun to blend in with the rest of the piece.
At this point in time, the washstand is in my workshop with one coat of paint on it.
I absolutely love the color and I plan on either glazing this piece in white or hand-painting those spoon carvings white to draw the eye to them.
For now, it's quietly sitting in anticipation of the next phase of its makeover until I have a chance to take it further.
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