Duck Egg Blue Secretary

This piece was a mess but it was gorgeous!

I rescued it from the basement of a home that was being sold.  It was missing a piece of glass in one of the doors,  the veneer was chipping and peeling off, and one of the drawers was locked and I could not open it for the life of me. My dad and stepmom came to the rescue and sawed off the lock for me!:))  I knew it had potential though, and when I finished I think it came out awesome!I  I knocked out the glass, got some chicken wire (poultry netting) inside the doors.  Then I went to work....

Before...

After...

I always mix up my own chalk paint, it's way cheaper than buying pre made. I can also customize my colors to whatever it is I'm painting. I used Behr's Gray Morning in a flat matte finish. I mixed a couple of teaspoons of non sanded grout and water in my old blender and then in poured it in to about a cup or two of the paint. Mix it really well, and Voila! Homemade chalk paint. 

I don't prime when I'm using chalk paint, it's not necessary.

I usually paint 2-3 coats, then I use a sanding sponge to sand the paint. This gives it that nice smooth texture you need for the next steps.

The inside I painted another Behr Color, Sparrow. I wanted a little contrast inside but nothing too shocking. 

To antique it and give it more worn appearance I brushed on Valspar's translucent color glaze in Mocha.

You have to work fast with this kind of glaze because even though it has a long drying time, depending on the weather and how big your piece is ,it can dry before you have a chance to wipe it off. That doesn't look so good.😧

 

If you work section by section it makes it much easier.

 

The inside I did not distress or glaze. 

 

I sprayed the old hardware with Rustoleum's aged bronze spray paint.

 

I distressed the edges with the sanding sponge

The beauty of the glaze is that even after its dry and you realize you applied a little too much you can remove it with a damp cloth, thank goodness ! (Note right door) ;)

I used a can of Briwax I had lying around my garage to give this protection, used my large stippling brush to apply and buffed it out so it gave it a nice sheen. I find that the Briwax is softer than some other paste waxes I've used and it makes it easier to apply.