Classic and Beautiful White Floral Dresser

Hi Friends!  I am in love with how this white floral dresser turned out, and I want one in my own home!  Is it wrong to say that about my own project?  My projects feel like my children, and after I work so hard to birth them, I am totally biased.  I admit it. 

But this one was for a client, so I didn’t have the option of keeping it.  I’ve done a bunch of previous pieces for this wonderful client, and you can see them here, here and here.  Now you have a good feel for her décor!  Sherry found this piece on Facebook, and I went and picked it up.  It was seriously the biggest heaviest tall dresser I have ever worked on.  I had to use a stool to paint the top!

This dresser was manufactured by Broyhill, and it was in decent shape.  There were a few issues we had to address, like replacing the broken drawer slide on the bottom drawer.  I also used Dixie Belle mud in white to fill in any dings and some of the hardware holes.  As you can see, some of the original hardware was missing, so I replaced all of the pulls.

Continuing with prep, I cleaned it with White Lightning and vacuumed out the drawers.  Since my final color was white, I used BOSS white primer for better coverage.  I’ve recently implemented a few steps to ensure a smooth paint finish.  I give a light scuff sanding over everything after each coat.  For primer and paint coats, I use a 220-grit sanding pad.  For sealer coats, I use a finishing pad.  Then I clean any dust with a shop towel sprayed with a tiny bit of Spray Way foaming glass cleaner.  Then I move on to my next coat.  I’ve really noticed the difference these steps make too!

50 Shades of White

I have used all of the whites and creams in Dixie Belle’s regular paint line (see my summary here), and I love them all in different applications.  Fluff is probably my favorite.  Sherry and her husband weren’t quite in agreement on which shade of white to choose.  She wanted Cotton (a pure clinical white) and her husband wanted Drop Cloth (cream).  To resolve this, I mixed the 2 for a custom color I like to call Cotton Cloth ;).  The mix was approximately 3 parts Cotton to 1 part Drop Cloth.  Don’t you love the result?

I did 3 coats of Cotton Cloth, and followed with a light distressing around the edges.

Rose and Rouge Stencil

Now it was time to embellish!  We chose the Redesign with Prima Rose and Rouge stencil.  If you look up this transfer on Pinterest, you’ll see it against both a white background and a dark background.  Both looks are beautiful, but so different you’d almost think it wasn’t the same transfer.  I only used 1 sheet of the transfer, so I have 2 sheets left for other projects.  Woohoo!  I placed about half the sheet on the left of the top drawer, and the other half on the right of the bottom drawer. 

Using smaller sections of transfer creates a really classic and livable look.  A dresser covered in florals may go out of style over time, but this little touch will remain classic-ly beautiful.  Applying the transfer is very simple.  You cut out the section you’re using, peel back the white backing, and stick it to the drawer.  Make sure you’ve got it where you want it before touching it to the drawer!  Smooth it down with your fingers, and then use the little stick provided to rub it onto the wood surface.  Pull the plastic backing off slowly, rubbing more in any areas where the design hasn’t stuck to the wood.

And viola!  To finish a transfer, I use the finishing pad to burnish down the edges and remove any “halo” of the adhesive around it.  I tried sealing this one with spray wax, and it worked really well.  I just sprayed on a generous amount of spray wax and immediately wiped off the excess with a shop towel.  I only waxed over the transfer, not the rest of the paint.

Sealing & Hardware

I wanted to ensure a durable surface on the top, so I sealed it with 2 coats of Clear Coat in Satin.  I applied it with a foam brush, which ensures no brush strokes.

Sherry and hubs had another difference of opinion on the hardware, but he won out on that one.  He chose these flat black wire bail pulls by D Lawless Hardware.  I love how the black grounds the piece.

Here are the products I used for this project:

Resource List

(These are affiliate links, for which I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.)

• Dresser (Facebook Marketplace)
• White Lightning
• Dixie Belle mud in white
• Cotton
• Drop Cloth
• Brush
• Finishing Pad
• Redesign with Prima Rose and Rouge transfer
• Easy Peasy spray wax
• Clear Coat Satin
• D Lawless Rustic Hand-made Bird Cage flat black wire bail pulls

If you like this project, you might enjoy this one as well.  Please Pin!

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