The Weathered Door

Navy Campaign Dresser

By 21 Comments

I am so excited to have finished this dresser. I got it back in August? September? I don’t even remember! (ha! I just made a rhyme) I purchased this campaign dresser along with a matching desk off of craigslist. (Click here to see how the desk turned out) I did not care that the brass corners has been painted over, I was just happy to get my hands on some campaign pieces. Here are the before pictures showing the bad paint job.

 

First, I took off all of the pulls, then it was time to take off the brass corner pieces so I could strip the paint off and shine them up! My dad helped be get the corner pieces off when I redid the desk, so I thought I would be able to tackle this myself. Wrong. For some reason, this dresser wanted to give me a hard time. It probably took an hour to get all of them off, in three separate sittings.

After I had taken all of the brass pieces off, I laid them out on a plastic lid we had. I then poured enough of the stripping goop on so that each piece had a thick layer. Almost right away the paint starts to crackle and come off.

 

 

I made sure to use this outside since it has a harsh chemical odor and I did not want to get it on anything. Also, I would recommend wearing gloves. It won’t kill you if you get some one your skin (well I didn’t die), but it does burn for a minute or so. I let it sit for about 5 minutes, then used an old toothbrush to brush off the extra goop with all the paint in it (I also did the same with the nails, but in a separate container). I rinsed it outside, then brought it in and used the faucet to make sure everything was off. Next it was time to start polishing! It’s really not that fun.

I use Barkeeper’s Friend to get off the tarnish and years of grime. Many people suggest using Brasso, but I tried that when I redid the campaign desk, and it did nothing. The scrubby side of sponge is all you need (along with the Barkeeper’s Friend), and just start polishing. It make a big difference!

 

I used our orbital sander to sand the drawers and dresser frame. I started off with a 60 grit. Whatever type of white paint was on this dresser would just chip off, but some spots it would stay on. This left a patchy look, and there were ridges where there was white paint and where there was no white paint. I got most of the chippiness of with the 60 grit, then I moved up to a 150 grit to smooth everything out a little more.

 

I could not use the sander everywhere, so I did have to hand sand some areas. I did one coat of primer, then started painting the dresser a midnight blue color. I was going for something neutral, but dark enough to make the brass stand out. The color does not show up right in the picture of the drawers (is it better on the frame of the dresser, but still not great), but you get the point.
After 3 coats of paint I let everything cure, then used Johnson’s Paste wax to protect it against wear and tear. After everything was protected, I put the gold hardware back on. I still have a few things to finish on the dresser, but it is almost completely don’t… so I had to take pictures. And just note that it really is a navy color (color shows best in the close-ups). It is not as light/bright of a blue as it appears to be!

 

 

 

 

This piece turned out great, and I am excited to finish some of the other campaign things I have. I got a small knock-off campaign style chest of drawer, and want to paint it a bright color. I’m thinking kelly green. Are you a fan of green?
Linking up with:

 

Filed Under: Before and After, Campaign Furniture, Furniture Makeovers

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Comments

  8. Hi,
    Absolutely beautiful!
    The colour is wonderful! (at least on my computer it is). I'm looking for a navy for a dresser I have and can't decide which one to use. If it's not a deep, dark secret what is the make, colour and shine of the navy you used?

    Thanks for your help and Merry Christmas,
    Cathy

    Reply

  9. Reeves, what a beautiful transformation! I'm loving my first visit to your blog after finding you here http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/before-after-refinishing-a-mcm-dresserthe-weathered-door-181503 . Your work is amazing!!

    I am especially intrigued by your work on campaign furniture since I own several pieces … plan to sell a few & possibly paint those that I keep. My heart skips a beat when I see how popular it seems to be these days on interior design sites, etc. It's sleek, simple lines have kept it relevant, versatile & in-style. Memories of shopping for it with my parents as a teenager bring smiles to my face … what a wonderful bedroom set. It was such a blessing that has brought me joy as a teenager & as an adult with my own family joy for a few decades. It is white with silver metal hardware, solid wood with white laminate. As an empty-nester, a few of the pieces may be sold. Hmmm, I am officially intrigued & inspired by beautiful reinventions like yours that keep seeing online … until recently, I didn't realize that the laminate surface could be painted successfully. Perhaps, I will try it myself.

    Reply

  10. Thanks for stopping by! I am glad you got the chance to look around! I have seen people paint laminate and it turn out great, as long as it was sanded and primed so the paint would adhere. I also did another, smaller campaign dresser that had a white laminate top. I just painted the frame white so it would blend in with the top and painted the drawers a grey-ish color. You can check it out in this post http://theweathereddoor.blogspot.com/2012/10/thrift-store-campaign-dresser.html I would love to see what you do with the pieces you have! You should send me am email with pictures when they are finished 🙂

    Reply

  12. Cathy,
    I'm glad you like the color, I do too! The color that shows up in the pictures is way brighter/more blue that it is in real life. I would share the paint details with you, but I got it at Habitat for Humanity. It is by Comex, I believe it is a Parker Paint brand. I think that may be a paint store only in this area, but I am not sure. It was an OOPS paint, but there is no label that says the name. The finish is eggshell, and I waxed it with SC Johnson Paste Wax, which it why it looks matte and not shiny. It is a dark blue with some grey undertones. I know this is not very helpful, wish I could give you the exact color.

    Reply

  15. Hi,
    Thanks for getting back to me.
    I don't think Comex or Parker Paint are brands available in Canada. I've bought oops paint before and you're right they don't put the label on it.
    The info re eggshell and wax is great!
    All the best to you and yours at Christmas and the coming New Year,
    Cathy

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *