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.

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.

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.