I came across this antique wash stand at a tag sale.  I felt like it was an absolute steal for $40.00!  My husband wasn’t so sure, but I already knew exactly what color I was going to paint it, and what kind of finish I was going to put on it.  I was quite excited!

It was in pretty rough shape, one of the boards on the top was trying to come off, my husband used some wood glue and a clamp to try and get it back down.  It helped quite a bit, but wasn’t all the way level with the other boards.  I didn’t care, I still thought it was beautiful, antiques aren’t perfect, that’s part of their charm!

The first thing was to sand the top down.  I knew I wanted to keep the wood finish on the top.  I also wanted to try my hand at keeping some of the trim around the doors the wood tone.  So I worked on sanding down those areas as well.  Yes, it did take more time deciding to do the 2 tones, but I knew it would be worth it.  I use a palm sander.  It’s just easier for me to control.  I have also learned to wear a mask!!!

As far as the chalk paint, I used some I found in the craft section of Wal-Mart.  I have used several brands, and really haven’t found one yet I will swear by.  I hope to conduct some product testing and comparison soon!

The secret to that beautiful sheen on the paint, is that I don’t use the wax that most people use with chalk paint.  I use regular wood stain, I literally just brush some on and then wipe it off!  I used the same stain over the chalk paint that I used on the wood I sanded, Minwax Early American.  I love the way it seems to make the piece glisten!  This piece is one of my favorites!