The Seven Layer Silver Dresser

Hello! Here is the long awaited makeover of my I removed the veneer from it, supposed to be industrial looking, came out like a tiger, silver dresser. I absolutely love it! It's not like any other piece I have ever done and even though I had some hiccups with this baby, it's my new favorite.

This dresser has seven layers of paint on it and ended up being a kind of distressed, yet metallic just like I wanted it to. The layers are:

1. Primer 2. Primer 3. Martha Stewart's Precious Metals in Tin 4. Another coat of Tin 5. Black glaze 6. White glaze 7. Tin mixed with glaze. Eight layers if you count the semi gloss spray.

Let's not forget where we started with this piece. It had great shape but the drawers needed fixing and of course it needed some paint love. This was a piece I saw and immediately knew what I wanted to do with. That was make it metallic.



The top was also beat up so I ended up removing all of the veneer from the top. Here is the how to.



Once it was patched and sanded, I gave it two coats of Zinsser oil based primer. Then I painted it with Martha Stewart's Precious Metals in Tin. This was a light almost translucent streaky kind of paint but it was the look I wanted for the dresser.



To try out a metallic look I glazed it with both black and white paint mixed with glaze per Jami's instructions at Freckled Laundry. She has amazing video tutorials and her side table looks fantastic.
I think it might have been the metal paint {and my novice glazing skills}, but it didn't come out like I wanted. In fact I called it a tiger. I had a tiger for a dresser. No thanks :-(



My solution? Sand it. It ended up being just the look I wanted. After that I added a layer of the metallic paint mixed half with glaze and viola, a perfectly unique dresser.

In this side shot you can see the black and white glaze still. I love the combination of that mixed with the silver and white which is the primer.



Some of the drawers had chips of veneer missing but I was OK with that, it added to the distressed look. The pulls are form Target.

And here is the top that I removed the veneer from.



A quick before and after.



I love the little keyholes!

I was expecting to put this in the foyer by the fireplace but I've found a home for it in the living room by the windows. I think it will hold our tools. And I'm trying out a new lamp in that space too, which needs a non-crooked shade.

Next up in that corner - curtains!

Those are some wedding pictures I finally have hung up a year and a half later! I'll show you how I do the picture thing in our plaster walls soon.

Oh and tomorrow come back to see my quick tips for insulating your home in the BlogHer Winter Projects Series.

What do you think of the silver, was it worth removing veneer, and living with a tiger? :-)

Linking up with:

Tuesdays Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Piece of Work Wednesdays Furniture Link Party at Primitive & Proper
DIY Project Parade at the DIY Show Off
Show and Tell at Blue Cricket Design
Power of Paint Party at Domestically Speaking
Restored it Wednesday at Restore Interiors
Furniture Feature Friday at Miss Mustard Seed
Tip Me Tuesday at Tip Junkie 
Before and After Party at Thrifty Decor Chick

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