Painting A Dresser In A Custom Color

Mixing Up A Custom Shade Of Teal With MMS MilkPaint™

When I came across this gorgeous mahogany dresser, I knew I wanted it to be refinished in a vibrant, saturated color.

 
antique dresser
 

I decided to mix up a custom blend of 2 parts Flow Blue, 1 part Ink Blue and 1 part Boxwood to create a gorgeous shade of teal. With a little bit of MilkOil™ and some Rub N Buff, this dresser took on a whole new look!

 
 

Prep Work

This dresser was a solid piece of furniture. The structure of it was sound and it didn’t need any major repairs.

 
antique dresser
 

The only problem was the finish. It had definitely seen better days and was in pretty rough shape, so I had no guilt about refinishing this depression-era piece with MilkPaint™.

 
damaged finish on antique dresser
 

I started work by prep sanding the piece with 150 grit sandpaper. While the finish on the top was flaking off, the finish on the drawer fronts was still in tact. I wanted to rough that up a bit so MilkPaint™ would adhere.

 
scuff sanding an antique dresser with sandpaper
 

This is what a good scuff sanding looks like. You don’t have to break out the orbital sander and remove the existing finish completely. Just break the surface of the existing finish and rough it up a bit. It should take you less than 15 minutes to do a piece like this.

I used my vacuum to get rid of the dust, then set off to mix up my custom MilkPaint™ color!

Mixing Up A Custom MilkPaint™ Color

I wanted to create a lovely shade of teal, so I used a recipe of 2 parts Flow Blue, 1 part Ink Blue and 1 part Boxwood. I wanted the vibrance of Flow Blue, a hint of green with the Boxwood and some darkness with the Ink Blue.

 
painting milk paint on a dresser
 

If you’ve never mixed up a custom MilkPaint™ color, it’s really easy. Decide what your “part” will be. In my case, it was tablespoons. I tripled the formula so I had enough paint to cover the dresser.

After 2 coats, the piece was looking really good! The coverage of the MilkPaint™ was awesome, and I knew that MilkOil™ would wake up that dusty and ashy teal color in no time.

 
dresser with 2 coats of milk paint
 

Applying MilkOil™

Before I applied my MilkOil™ topcoat, I distressed the edges of my dresser with sandpaper. After wiping the dust away, I poured some oil in a cup and began painting it on the piece.

The transformation was instantaneous!

hemp oil on milk painted dresser
side view of hemp oil on milk painted dresser

After I covered the whole piece in MilkOil™, I let it sit for about 15 minutes or so. Then, I used a lint-free shop towel and began wiping away the excess oil from the surface. The reason why I let it sit before wiping it away was to give the oil a chance to soak in.

Now after you’ve MilkOil™’ed a piece of furniture, you may notice splotches and uneven patches. That’s totally normal. The oil will absorb at different rates across the surface of your project. It will even out in a few days.

 
antique dresser with hepplewhite pulls painted in milk paint
 

I used a little bit of “Autumn Gold” metallic wax from Rub ‘n Buff to spruce up the original Hepplewhite style pulls. Look at the difference it made!

 
rub n buff autumn gold wax on hepplewhite pulls
 

The Final Result

After some staging, my dresser had the vibrant teal finish I had envisioned from the start.

 
milk painted dresser with Hepplewhite pulls, llama painting
 

So are you ready to start whipping up custom colors for your next MilkPaint™ projects? Make sure you share them with MMS MilkPaint™ on social media!


 
 
Jennifer Baker | Jennifer Baker Creative

Hello there! [Insert virtual hug]

I’m Jenn Baker of Jennifer Baker Creative.

I started my entrepreneurial journey as a furniture refinisher and paint retailer after falling in love with Miss Mustard Seed and her incredible Milk Paint. This love has blossomed into a multi-faceted creative business.

Currently, I blog for Miss Mustard Seed’s® Milk Paint and appear on QVC as a guest host for their private garden brand, “Marigold”. When I’m not on national television or elbow-deep in MilkPaint™ projects, you’ll find me enjoying period dramas like Downton Abbey or savoring my third cup of coffee for the day.

I am married to a hockey-playing statistician named Marc and we have 2 cats - Nelson and Jake. Marc and I got married during an epic blizzard in 2016 when over 3 feet of snow fell overnight. Needless to say, our wedding photos are amazing!

https://www.eighthundredfurniture.com/
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