I've had this chest in my garage here in Charleston for the last three years. Those of you that know about this area know - that this isn't good! It's hot and humid here. With wood furniture, humidity is not our friend. So after three years, Grandma's chest was warped, chipped, and pretty much a mess. Leave it to a first time blogger - to lose the "before" picture. Trust me, she was an ugly brown armoire, but I was inspired by what she could be! I started with Annie Sloan Old White. (We'll talk about paint in the next post)
As I was working on her, sanding the drawer that would no longer open, I noticed that years of moth balls and cigarettes and she still smelled! Even after being outside for 3 years. And, after being in a smoke free humidified basement for a previous 20 years. So I grabbed a good old can of Zinsser Shellac from Lowes. This is the fix all to smelly furniture. You don't need to scrub down drawers with vinegar, baking soda or coffee grounds (which - only work on the surface). Just take your furniture outside and give it a good spray. This stuff is cheap and takes care of the smell. It just seals it away.
The inside of this chest had beautiful cedar paneling that I wanted to keep. The shellac made it look shiny and allowed the inside to come to life.
I used Annie Sloan's clear wax, then a little dark wax in the grooves and over the distressed areas.
I heavily distressed this initially, and then I backed off a bit. I wanted this to look old, but not too shabby.
Here she sits in my daughter's "purple room". I think she came out great!
Let me know what you think!
Paula
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