It’s true, we named the vanity Eloise. And this girl is finally finished. Enjoy the progress photos!
This is the actual picture on the craigslist posting where we found the vanity. A little rough, yes… but with obvious potential.
Then we sanded her down real good.
And slapped on a coat of primer.
After removing the mirrors for ease of painting, we found an old picture of a couple and a piece of mail dated 1974!! They had fallen down behind the mirror decades ago! I love little glimpses of the past. I want to know the full story of this cute couple!! JACKPOT if you ask me!
We added our own stamp of history. That way, 50 years down the road, when someone is stripping off the paint and cursing the person who would PAINT such a lovely piece, they can know us by name.
We gave her a fresh coat of Krylon’s ‘Blue Ocean Breeze,’ and my favorite part comes next… glazing! Full GLAZING tutorial HERE! And you can purchase the technique glaze here.
What do you think? An improvement? Yes? There are TONS of pictures below… mostly because Eloise just has so many great details! I didn’t want to miss any! Enjoy…
I love it so much! Be sure to check out our other Furniture Transformations and Refinishing Techniques!
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Lucy says
beautiful work I have one that I want to restore I will use everything you did to see how it fits me. one question did you change the mirror or did you use something to renew it please let me know
Steffi helmich says
It‘s a dream
Janice davis says
I have that exact same dresser. The silvering on the mirror is chipping and has little black spots. How can I fix it? Also can you show us the room the dresser is in, so we can see the setting it needs to be in? Thanks!
Bethany Sy says
Sorry, we sold this vanity years ago.
Patti m says
You could gert a glass company to replace the mirror. Resilvering might be hard to find someone to do that.
Diane says
Can you use a polyacrylic over a glaze to protect the furniture? I have heard that you cannot.
Bethany Sy says
You TOTALLY can.
Dwight says
Hi I have an old piece of furniture maybe 50 years old or older are you interested in purchasing it it’s a vanity it has beautiful mirrors also Wheels on the legs need TLC that you can provide
Brandi says
While I think you have done an beautiful job on this project, I’m afraid I would be the couple 50 years from now; I would prefer to see the piece brought back to it’s original grandeur.
Fiona says
Absolutely agree. When I saw the original, I was thinking “Please don’t paint it” .
I was hoping you’d just refinish it with some stain.
Fortunately the days of painting beautiful antiques are coming to an end.
Lindsey says
I’m just wondering how you went about sanding this? How did you sand all the ornamental pieces/ curves, etc? I have a painted piece that I am sanding down and want to stain the natural wood, but I’m finding it difficult if not impossible to sand in all the ornamental grooves without messing up the piece :(.. any advice would be appreciated!
Bethany @ Sawdust and Embryos says
Hey Lindsey! Since we were painting (opposed to staining), it wasn’t necessary to sand through the existing finish. We just sanded it enough to rough it up so the primer would have something to stick to. If you’re refinishing a piece to stain it, you’ll want to use stripper to get in the cracks and crevices. We have a tutorial for that too! (stripping is a pain in the A though, just warning you!)
https://realitydaydream.com/2013/08/we-stripped-our-front-door-tutorial-on.html
Suzanne says
I love that you didn’t go all Annie Sloan chalk paint on this. It seems that is all we see nowadays. I like the different applications that make the details popl As usual, awesome paint tutorial.
Silver Quill Creative Group says
Awesome! My sister Val in Lethbridge, Alberta just told me about your site and this dresser which in my opinion, is a work of art!! Thanks for NOT doing the chalk paint thing which is getting really tiresome!
Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos says
You’re super sweet! This is still one of our favorite furniture transformations to date. 😉
PreshesM says
I NEVER leave comments, however:
1. I’ve just found your site, and have been unable to pry myself away for over an hour now.
2. You’re a creative genius! I love that the projects are simple enough for the average Jane to conquer, and the finished products change the entire feel of the space, and or piece.
3. Now I have these awesome budget friendly guides to finally break up the monotony of our completely neutral, bare walled house.
4.The mirror photo. Your wide eyed silly face made me laugh. 🙂
Just awesomeness everywhere.
Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos says
You are SO SWEET! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice comment! 🙂
Linda says
Wow, the pictures are absolutely beautiful. I would’ve loved to have details about how you applied the glazed and wiped it off, etc. When I’ve applied glaze, my piece always looks dirty. Yours is absolutely gorgeous.
Beth @ Sawdust and Embryos says
Linda… I just realized I never responded to your comment. I’m so sorry! When you’re glazing, the outcome depends a lot on the sheen of the paint you’re glazing on top of. If it’s a flat or eggshell paint, your piece will end up looking a lot ‘dirtier’. If you have a glossy piece, you’re able to wipe ALL the glaze away… just leaving it in the cracks. Depending on the piece, we like both looks. It’s just really up to your personal preference. Hope this helps!
Ebony says
Wow….. Dope! It’s just D-O-P-E! Beth, Ms. Lady- you are the Bomb.com!!!!
If you ever get tired of Ms. Eloise (like that’ll happen) PLEASE send her my way! 🙂
Keep up the fly work!
Ebony says
Ooh… Dope! It’s just DOPE! Beth, Ms. Lady- you are the Bomb.com!
If you ever get tired of Ms. Eloise (right, NOT!) PLEASE send her my way! 🙂
Massy says
I am working on a project like Eloise, but it has three coats of previous paint should I strip the paint in sand it or just sand it? And how do you stand in the nooks and crannies? I’m having a real hard time, I started on one of the 2 nightstands and I have a lot of tiny pieces and CRUSTY stuff in the corners. Please help 🙁
Massy
Bethany @ Sawdust and Embryos says
Massy, if you’re just wanting to paint it, don’t worry about stripping anything. Just sand everything down slightly so it takes the ‘sheen’ of the previous paint, and then prime and paint! Simple! Please send pics when you’re done!
Massy says
I cant attach pictures here 🙁 Where can I email them to you?
Bethany @ Sawdust and Embryos says
You can email us at sawdustandembryos@gmail.com
vivi says
gracias por compartir su lindo trabajo esta muy lindo ,,felicidades vivi
JASIVE says
IM SPEECHLESS !! I TOTALLY LOVE YOUR SITE AND IVE ONLY SEEN 2 PIECES SO FAR. THE BUFFET ( WHICH I FELL IN LOVE WITH & THE COLOR ) AND THIS VANITY. I AM DEFFINATLY GONNA TRY THIS. ITL BE MY FIRST TIME BUT AFTER SEEING WHAT YOUR PIECES LOOK LIKE BEFORE/AFTER…YEAH IM DEFF TRYING. KEEP UP THE AWESOME JOB NICK & BETH !!
melanie says
wowwwww!!! you have such incredible furniture finds! crushing over your love of color!!
Bethany says
Hi Shanna! We just used a black/gray glaze on this piece.
Shanna Gilbert says
I love this piece! Great job! I was also wondering what color of glaze you used?
http://restorationredoux.blogspot.com
mich says
Ilove this piece. It turned out so awesome. The detailwith how the wood swirls and the glaze picks up on them so nicely. You have a great eye for redoing furniture. So enjoy looking thru your pieces that you have brought back to life. Thanks for sharing.
SAVE4242 says
I found one just like this last night at my local thrift shop! I am inspired to try doing this technique and doing it bold like you have! I would have never thought of blue, but it is so perfect.
Anna See says
Super fun! Do you tint your own glaze by adding paint to plain glaze?
Beckie says
I rarely make comments but I have to tell you the transformation is absolutely gorgeous!!!
GREAT job!
Anna says
Wow, congratulations for seeing such potential! I absolutely LOVE the result! Gorgeous!
Anna(via BetterAfter)
Katie says
Visiting from Better After, and that dresser is jaw dropping!! Absolutely amazing!
Nita {ModVintageLife} says
Oh…my…it’s so pretty! I came over from Better After. It truly is a thing a beauty.
Anonymous says
I wish I had the money I would totally buy this – it is gorgeous!
Lovely says
Want! The mirrors, the carved details – it’s lacy furniture!
simpledaisy says
Love…Love…Love it:)
Jodi says
Can you share what glaze you used? I see that it’s RL but what shade is it? I lurv it
Chas says
A beatiful find!
Chas @ A Woman’s Haven
http://onewomenshaven.blogspot.com/
Mandi says
I am so JEALOUS! This is such a crazy awesome piece of furniture!!! Great job!
love your guts
mandi
oops! says
I love everything about it! From the beautiful detail, the color, the glaze! Thanks for sharing how you did it too!
Anonymous says
Oh wow, what a beauty!! That’s what I call a major craigslist score! And you did a wonderful job refinishing it. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it for years to come.
The Keele's says
WoW! Saw you over on All Things Thrifty and what a beautiful peice!!!
Kacey says
Gorgeous! What an incredible piece. I just love how it turned out!!!
Heather P. says
Wowzers, what a GORGEOUS transformation!
amber says
This piece is gorgeous! You did an awesome job. And how cool to find that photo…i love stories like that. It would be interesting to find out who they are 🙂
Sharon says
So…lucky…I am totally jealous!! You did a great job. Awesome color choice! Just found your blog and am looking forward to following you and seeing many more great finds like this one!
Sharon
Sheila says
WOW….I would love to have her in my house! You guys did an awesome job and should be proud!
Rachel Gardner says
She looks amazing!!!!! it’s a great piece…love the fact that you found some history tucked inside…you should track them down and get their story! i was wondering, do you still have that vanity you used to have? that would make a great project too if you haven’t redone it already!
Karen says
Looks good! I’ve never glazed before. I should really give it a try sometime.
Mom says
Gorgeous!