Bedroom chairs

While I give the shellac on the doors a few days to cure, I keep moving to other projects in the bedroom. One is finishing painting the wicker dresser. I started with 1 coat of paint on the dresser a few weeks ago and due to the wicker, it’s really spotty. I back over with a 2nd coat of Annie’s chalk paint to try and fill in all of the gaps. It takes a lot of work to dab all of the paint into the wicker and even after the 2nd coat dries, I need to do a 3rd touch-up coat. After that dries I apply some black wax to match the dresser in the other room. The wicker again is a challenge because the wax collects very easily in the nooks and crannies of the wicker braiding, so it requires a bit of wiping down to even out the finish.

Wicker with black wax applied.

The next project to strip an old chair left in the cottage. I’m no expert on furniture, but I get the feeling that it an old piece. I follow the standard process of starting with the SpeedHeater followed by the CitriStrip. It goes pretty well, although with legs and dowels supporting the back of the chair, it’s a little tricky to get the paint out where the pieces of wood meet. After stripping the chair I start applying linseed oil.

Old chair with layers of paint.

Layers of paint

Stripped chair

After applying linseed oil

After waiting a few days, I go back to the shellacked doors and give them their final preparation. First I rub down the shellac with 400 grit sandpaper with mineral oil as a lubricant. Then after the sandpaper, I do 2 coats of dark wax using steel wool.

Waxed door with hardware installed.