Annie Sloan Chalk Paint to the rescue!
The Ikea three-drawer dresser we had, the Aneboda, was discontinued about a year ago. But oh, did we get lots of use from two dressers and one tall five drawer dresser. Years and years. We still had one which lives in our guest room and is in beautiful shape. Not a thing wrong with it and still very solid. But the time had come (was overdue?) for a paint job. And new hardware.
The finished product:
This from an old catalog image:
And this, in situ, almost ready for the transformation to begin:

Oh, those wooden “handles”…why, oh why, didn’t I change them out years ago?
I used “Napoleonic Blue.”
The first coat of this paint is always kind of “iffy” as it looks just awful. AWFUL. Streaky. Thin. No coverage. If you’ve never used this kind of paint…well, just be patient. Wait a few hours; let this first coat dry thoroughly, and wait until you see the second coat!
Here, the lighting is terrible as I took this at night but you can see the difference between coat #1 and coat #2.
I considered keeping the top surface the original wood; but no, I wanted a total redo. I thought of staining it a dark mahogany, but this “wood” doesn’t take a stain well at all. So paint it had to be. I tried going with this dark “Graphite” color:
To backtrack just a bit: once you have painted your piece, you then apply wax. You can either use a clear wax or a dark wax. I chose the dark as I wanted this to be a deep indigo color. My only problem was that the Graphite top was then not much different in color or depth from the rest of the piece.
Here you can see the Soft Wax with the brush sold with Annie Sloan products. Yes, it DOES cost but I now know, from experience, that it makes a HUGE difference. So I would advise you to buy it! I also invested ($2.00?) in a pack of soft rags from Lowe’s. Again, I would advise buying these.
Look at this gorgeous hardware! What a huge difference. These pulls are from
Going Knobs
Here, you can just see the top surface. Not much difference in color.
I am also going to have a piece of glass cut for the top. It’s sort of an old-fashioned way of finishing off a painted piece and I like it. I remember my Mother’s dresser, and her dressing table, with glass tops and lots of family pictures underneath. So, it’s a bit of a throwback…but one that is coming back into fashion!
To finish it off, for now, I put down the round rug we had been storing for my daughter. Pretty perfect!
We will be redoing the carpet with a low pile Berber type carpet; and probably painting the walls white. And here is the mirror to go over the dresser:
There’s more. But I’ll save that for another time.
If you have questions about Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and it’s use, please do email me. I’ve used it several times and am a huge fan. If you are local, you can see the entire line, take a workshop, and buy at
Two Old Birds in Apex or Raleigh.
Great transformation! You’ll be loving this dresser for another 15 years! What colour did you paint the body? I didn’t catch it.
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Love projects like this! Looks great, what fun. I also have used Annie Sloan on all kinds of things, big and small. I love the glass top idea. Have done this with several of our tables and desks.
Hello Libby, Very timely post. I’m currently painting a washstand and not sure I’m happy with the results so far! Finding the paint very thick & unable to tell if I’ve missed a spot or the paint in that spot has already dried. Should I have thinned? A very dull chalky look (too much so?) which I hope improves after waxing. Do I need the special waxing brush or can I use a cloth? I had to use filler for a couple of big cracks. Expect that just sanding & paint is needed. Your piece is a terrific make over so I’m encouraged. Any other tips?
Hi Suji: I’m so sorry for the delay in responding here: we were away all week. Well, yes, the paint is thick but then again I found it to be thin on the first coat. Definitely takes two coats to get a good finish. It will look chalky:yes. But apply the wax when it is thoroughly dry (I wait a day or two). Yes, you must have a brush for the wax! And her brush is the very best. I tried cheap sponge brushes and they were awful. As you apply the wax, in sections, go over with a cloth. In circles, around, every which way. You can use either the dark or the clear wax, but not both. Then you can also put on her laquer. I’ve never done this but will definitely be trying on my next piece. It’s a different look than traditional latex paint. Also, it’s so effective if you also sand, very lightly, the edges and corners of a piece. That wasn’t appropriate here, but I’ve done it on another one and it’s a lovely look. Let me know if I can help some more. Also, look for videos on YouTube: there are lots!
Great makeover! Especially liked the hardware and the color. I guessing your daughter “stored” that rug a little too long with you! Wish I was more handy!
OKAY, must be me it worked now!
YOU did a FANTASTIC MAKE OVER!
THAT paint is BIG out WEST TOO……………you must be patient to do this I am NOT!
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You worked wonders on this dresser! Today I discovered chalk paint and now I want to paint everything in my house haha. I have the same dresser so I’m really inspired to change the handles out on it at least.
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