Refinishing the Vintage Blanket Chest

When hubby inherited a blanket chest from his Aunt Marion, he put his foot down and told me I couldn’t touch it with a paint brush. Well, after several pieces of furniture got a makeover in our home, he relented to my constant begging to re-do the vintage chest. Here she is wearing her new colors …

Aunt Marion’s blanket chest now wears Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White
and a special mixture of Louis Blue and Paris Grey.
This is what the chest looked like before hubby gave in to my girlish charms.
I knew the detailing on the front would pop with some paint.
Puddy loves to watch me paint. Not sure why, but he always sits and watches.
I primed the chest with Duck Egg Blue. My original thought was to leave the top in Duck Egg Blue,
and put a coat of Pure White on the bottom, so that the Duck Egg would show through after distressing.
But then a trip to Carter’s Cottage for more vintage mirrors changed my mind.
Sitting in the store was a beautiful bench in Louis Blue and I just had to have that shade.
So I bought the Louis Blue, but didn’t want it too blue (for this particular room),
 so toned it down with a bit of Paris Grey. About 3 parts Louis Blue, 1 part Paris Grey.
Distressing reveals a little bit of wood, and a teeny bit of Duck Egg Blue.
There’s a surprising pinkish hue that came through from the wood.
You can see the Duck Egg Blue peeking through the top coat of Pure White.
The blanket chest sits atop a script-patterned bamboo floor mat.
I’m totally lovin’ these mats. I think they deserve a blog post of their very own.
I love the crisp, snowy whiteness of Pure White.
I used Old White in my dining room and I kinda wish I’d chosen Pure White instead.
After painting and sanding to distress the chest, I used clear wax over the Pure White.
I used both clear and dark on the Louis Blue, starting with a layer of clear wax.
I then used a different rag to very lightly apply the dark wax (dark goes a looong way!),
 and then used the clear wax rag to blend the dark and even it out.
Here’s an important tip I found out: If you apply too much dark wax,
dip a separate rag in the clear wax. Rubbing the clear over the dark will remove some of the dark.
(If anyone has other tips about using dark wax, please feel free to post it in the comments.)
I asked hubby to rate the “new” blanket chest on a scale of 1 to 10.
He gave it a 9.5, which is more than good enough for me!

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53 Comments

  1. Cute Mom! Looks so much better! I love the paint, it’s making me want to get some and redo my dresser..love the distressed part! Gotta love distressed wood 😉 Wouldn’t be a post w/ out Puddy!

    Reply

  3. I agree it needed to be painted and you did it beautifully.Love the St. Louis blue with the white.And Puddy is so cute too!
    Anne

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  4. Great job! The blanket chest turned out so cute. Glad your hubby gave in and let you paint it.I like the bamboo floor mat, too.
    Happy Sunday,
    Babs

    Reply

  18. You’ve sure got a knack for chalk paint, Jennifer. I recently painted a desk with Classic White, but I am feeling a bit ambivalent about the way it turned out. I do like the way you combined the colors. The blanket chest looks much happier now!

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  30. Hi Jennifer,
    Beautiful transformation. Its new coat of paint has certainly giving it a new life…Why is it with men and painted furniture? Hee, hee, hee…I have a grandfather clock that I have been wanting to paint but hubby says no…I guess I should turn up my girlish charms too 🙂 Anyway, also wanted to comment on that bamboo script mat, it’s gorgeous. I’ll be checking back for a post about them 🙂 Wishing you a wonderful day.

    Your newest follower,
    ♥Ana

    Reply

  34. This is making me realize that I HAVE TO get some new Annie colors!! The chest looks great! Maybe you can talk to MY husband about some of our wooden furniture!

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  37. I like it both ways. With it’s original stain or it’s new paint job, it looks marvelous! The trimwork and feet really make it unique. I’ve heard so many good things about annie’s paint.

    Reply

  45. I am loving this chest – it looks amazing! I am picking up a blanket chest tomorrow and now that I am seeing yours, I am getting excited!!
    Thanks for linking up!
    Stacey of Embracing Change

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  46. The paint really updated this beautiful piece and even brought out its highest qualities even better. Glad hubby relented.

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  47. When the hubby says to paint it you have to do it. So many times my hubby and i have argued about different pieces, but then he always comes around. Love how it came out! Beautiful!

    Reply

  49. You have given me some wonderful ideas! I am getting ready to paint an armoire that I bought at a yard sale. I found you through Where Bloggers Create and have enjoyed looking at all of your projects!

    Reply