Distressed Painting... Indigo Blue Chest

Sometimes I have painted a piece that either I am not happy with or does not sell. This antique pine chest from Romania is a good example. I had painted it awhile back and always thought it could look better. It has such character with the little columns on the sides and they weren't showing up painted in one color. So, I repainted it. Though I started out in one direction and ended doing something different at the end! Let me explain-

 

First step was lightly sanding the finish and priming it with a good quality primer. I like to use the water based Aqua Lock Plus. It can  be tinted to your color and covers well. I paint two coats to create a blank canvas.

 

If the inside drawers are clean, I usually do not paint them. I don't want to cover the antique wood with its patina and warmth. You can see the old solid pine wood, dovetailed drawers and nice detailing around the drawers in this piece.

 

So, my plan was to paint the chest a pastel blue-green. I let the cream primer peek through.

But, it still did not show the piece well. A bit blah! I was looking for some inspiration and found it in the fabrics I recently bought to sew pillows. Indigo blue! Of course, that's it. As I was painting, I kept thinking of an old pair of jeans with the white threads showing through the blue.

 

After the blue paint layer dried, I sanded it to reveal either the wood or pastel layer. After looking at it, I realized I removed too much blue paint! So, I went back and added some more blue. Next step was applying a tinted brown glaze to antique and 'dirty up' the chest. Once dried, a top coat of a satin acrylic seals and protects the finish.

I'm happy with how it turned out and hope you like it, too! For more details, or if you are interested in purchasing, just visit the Vintage Indigo Chest listing in my online shop. I would love to hear your opinions on this redo. Which do you prefer, the before or after?

Till next time!

Cindy