Ahead of schedule

Just got this finished and moved back into the bedroom...and in the nick of time too, because I could not have stood ONE MORE MINUTE of having my clothes strewn all over the bedroom floor.


That's a custom colour, a mix of chestnut and cedar stains and some black tint. I just splashed a bit of this and a bit of that into a container till it looked about right, then started painting. It turned out pretty well.

The handles...hmm. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted - I was after something ornate, but not too ornate. Then after sleeping on it, I did an about-face and decided that the chest really needed something pretty simple. So these black cast iron knobs won out:



Yes, it's a little distressed. *ahem* That wasn't deliberate, it's just how it turned out. The drawers may be solid pine, but the top and sides are ply, and will only stand up to a little sanding. So there may have been a little of the old polyurethane finish left behind....

There's a story behind the "custom" colour.I actually began using the leftover stain from the bedside tables, which I renovated back in March. Only problem was, it was one of those stain and sealer all in one products. I didn't buy it because it was cheaper though (even though I am cheap). It was because I couldn't get the colour I wanted in a straight stain. What I didn't know was that there are chemicals added to those two-in-one products to get them to dry. And that once the can is opened, if you don't use it all within a few weeks, the chemicals evaporate and you're left with a sticky, nasty mess that simply will not dry.

I learned this after painting one coat and cursing the next day because it was still gooey. Aargh! Cue stripping and sanding and another trip to Bunnings to hunt for a colour that would more or less match the bedside tables. Of course, I didn't find one, so I made my own.

Let's hope the next project is less of a drama.