Although when I came across this vintage vanity, ‘she’ was looking pretty drab… I knew ‘her’ beauty was simply hiding beneath ‘her’ surface, waiting to be found so that ‘she’ could continue ‘her’ story!
“Sometimes beauty is hidden under the surface.
In order to find it, we must travel within.”
— Davene Taylor
‘She’ had such pretty details all over and held such strong form! I knew with a little TLC, creativity and fine choice of products and colours, ‘her’ beauty was sure to come out of hiding! In order to find it, here are the steps I took to travel within:
- Removed hardware, disassembled mirror and top storage
- Lightly sanded down entire piece, and gave it a thorough clean
- Stained and varnished top and storage lid with Varathane’s ‘Premium Wood Stain’ in the colour ‘Espresso’, and ‘Fast Drying Professional Premium Clear Finish 1200 Matte Oil Based’
- Applied 3 coats of Country Chic Paint’s ‘All-In-One Decor Paint’ in the colour ‘Cheesecake’ to the body
- Lightly distressed areas of the body with sanding block ~ to obtain the charming shabby chic look I was after
- Applied 1 coat of Country Chic Paint’s ‘Natural Wax’ to the body
- Applied Country Chic Paint’s ‘Antiquing Dust’ in the colour ‘Willow’ to the body ~ to obtain the authentic-looking aged effect I desired for ‘her’
Amidst ‘her’ beauty, ‘she’ holds some slight damage to the bottom right corner of ‘her’ mirror… however sweet imperfections tell you the story of who ‘she’ is! <3
“All of these lines across my face
Tell you the story of who I am
So many stories of where I’ve been
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don’t mean anything
When you’ve got no one to tell them to
It’s true… I was made for you”
This charming vintage vanity has reclaimed her beauty, and ‘she’ was made for you!
I hope you visit again! My #farmlifebestlife awaits more simple living, generous loving and constant learning — graced with an abundance of country chic character and sweet imperfections, both for me and for YOU! ❤
Beautiful vanity! I was surprised to see that you stained the top in Espresso and used the Varathane oil based Matte to finish. I am currently refinishing my dining table with the same combination. I chose the matte finish as I didn’t want a shiny surface. I can’t find much info on the product so was pleased to read your post. As I am very new to refinishing I have done a test piece with the Varathane Matte. It has been on the wood for 4 hours but doesn’t feel like it has a hard finish yet. Directions say I could apply a second coat but would I not wait until it feels dry to touch? If you have any advice regarding the application of this product you would like to share it would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Hello Patti, and thank you for stopping by! I wait to apply additional Varathane coats when it’s not only dry to the touch… but completely dry. Dry-time varies… typically I’ll wait till the next day to apply additional coats (24 hours)… by doing-so, the coat is sure to be good and dry. The last thing you want to do is rush coats… you’ll end up creating more work for yourself. I also find that a light sand between coats provides the ultimate finish! I personally apply a minimum of 2 coats, sometimes as many as 4 — piece dependent. 🙂