Refinishing and hand painting chest of drawers

Adam Bermingham, Traditional Painter in Roscommon, Ireland fills us in on the process of refinishing & hand painting a chest of drawers…

Hand painted Chest of drawers – Before After

I bought this piece at an outdoor market in Longford town last year from a man in the house clearance business – a goldmine for high quality retro furniture like this.

It’s taken such a long time to complete this project, because I had to find the right handles to replace the broken ones. I wanted a modern twist & the ones I found, I think work well.

Process

First job was to take all the drawers out & remove all the handles (these holes were filled ready to fit new handles). Next, the piece got a good clean & a light sanding. The top & the drawers got more attention at this stage because of the stain, oil & wax finish I was planning for them.

Prime & fill en route to an eggshell finish

The body of the piece was a simple process.

First, 2 coats of the oil based primer sealer, Zinsser Coverstain.

Then, I completed any filling that was required.

When this dried & I sanded it

The piece was ready for 2 coats of white Dulux Eggshell using my new (at the time) Wooster FTP.

Natural Finish

For the top & the drawers of the piece, I wanted a natural timber finish. The sanding & filling was already done so it was onto wood-stain, I used Sadolin Walnut. I then gave it 2 coats of boiled linseed oil, it gives timber that little something extra, take a look at the difference…

Just a coat or 2 of wax, & the new handles to fit & I am super pleased with the results. What do you think?

Happy Painting.

Specialist painter and decorator, Adam Bermingham, is a member of the Traditional Painter UK network. He is the first port of call for hand painted furniture and kitchens Ireland.

Joseph & Son is Adam & Tom Bermingham, a father & son team with diverse backgrounds covering specialist painting and decorating, antiques and interior design.

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