Where did August go? Oh, I know... it went to this dresser. Seriously, this was a loulou. I tried to find a good dresser that was low and wide for between the girls beds but nothing out there was right. If it was, it was too expensive. So I bought the cheapest buffet I could find and chose to spend the time and a bit of cash for gold foil supplies.
I bought it looking like this.
Black base, distressed by adding paint, not by rubbing it away. A tan top, black hardware and made in China. Which means cheap "non-wood".
We figured out how cheap when my husband attempted to spray paint the top surface white. After several coats and cans later, we moved on to Kilz primer and then rolled a white gloss paint over the top. Once the top was painted I was able to start in on the gold foil. P.S. That top surface took two solid weeks to complete. Bah!
If you've been hanging around my posts, you'll know I like to gold foil stuff. After this one, I think I earned a masters on the subject. I learned a few things this time around. The tight detail is sometimes not worth the several layered attempt... Some spots are best to use a rub on gold paste and then ONE layer of gold foil over that. However the paste is slightly darker so you can see where you put it, you don't want to apply it after gold foil. And it's best in a crevice where it's naturally darker anyway. I ended up doing a few layers in some places. I also wish I had painted the whole thing a base of gold, just lightly. So that I wouldn't have had to do so many layers. Gold leaf picks up textures and bumps which I don't mind but keep that in mind when choosing what to foil. It's so thin, it sees EVERYthing.
Here's a list of what I generally buy. I really should buy this stuff in bulk online, but I still go to Michael's and buy for each project.
SUPPLIES
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Sizing Adhesive - 1 1/2 small jars
Foam Brush - I went through 2
Disposable Container - I went through 2
Soft Brush - I destroyed my brush so after this it's time for a new one.
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Sheets - I think I used 6 packets
Mona Lisa Gold Leaf Paste - 1 tube, but I still have lots left for next time.
ModgePodge Gloss - 1 jar, I used about half to seal it all when I was done.
Because the entire piece is made of crappy non-wood, that is matte and a bit rough, I chose to put down shelf paper in the drawers and cupboards. This is to be used in my girls room so I needed it to be a bit lighter and smoother for their little hands.I bought crystal glass knobs at Anthropolgie for the cupboards and I reused the black handles for the drawers. I spray painted them white, then steel wooled them a bit and then used some of my gold paste over the top. It made them look nice and old.
There's more to come on this room, I'm almost finished with it. This dresser was the toughest part. The rest is smooth sailing.