Peony Lane Designs

Sigh! It’s hard not to fall in love with the art deco lines of a waterfall dresser. For those of you who just said, “A what now?” Waterfall is the term given to the dressers, nightstands, armoires, or any other piece of furniture with that rounded top edge. These were popular in the 1930’s and in my mind, they have remained popular ever since. [su_pullquote align=”right”]Of course I forgot to take a before picture but that was not the only bad thing that happened with this one.[/su_pullquote]

I went picking with my sister one winter day last year and found an amazing deal on one of these beautiful dressers. Only $30!

Of course, at that price point, it needed some love but it was is great shape. And then something bad happened. My sister slipped on the ice while taking it out of the truck. Don’t worry she was okay. Nothing but bruised pride (I did tell her we should move the truck off the ice after all). Unfortunately, the dresser unglued itself. And when I say unglued I mean it. It came apart at

every seam like a jigsaw puzzle. It could have been worse. No, I’m not being sarcastic. None of the wood was damaged so the puzzle could be put back together. If it had splintered in any way the dresser would have been toast.

So it was glued and clamped. It was probably a fortune accident because if the glue was that precarious it would have fallen apart eventually. Better with me than after I’d sold it to someone. Imagine getting something home and having it come apart.

I don’t believe the handles that were on it were original. They aren’t deco at all so I filled one of the holes so I could use some jewel knobs I had instead. I wanted full on girly for this one!

I chose Junk Gypsy Buttermilk Biscuit for this. Yes, that is my daughter doing some of the work. Junk Gypsy paint is perfectly safe for kids to use even my daughter who has asthma. We are able to paint inside all winter with no problem.

Then something bad happened. The stain bled through bad! Anyone who has ever tried to paint a piece from the 30’s knows what I mean. The tannins in the stain are drawn to the water in the paint so it will continue to bleed. No problem Junk Gypsy primer to the rescue! It’s fantastic at blocking these stains without harsh odor.

[su_pullquote]I had planned to decoupage a cherry blossom poster to the front of the drawers . . . Then something bad happened.[/su_pullquote]I had planned to decoupage a cherry blossom poster to the front of the drawers. I got as far as decoupaging one drawer when something bad happened. The poster shrank and wrinkled when I put it on. This has never happened to me before. I wish I had taken pictures. I didn’t think about it. To be honest I just cried. I thought the piece was ruined. The hubby to the rescue!

I don’t cry over pieces so he must have been distraught to find me weeping in the basement. Somehow he got every last piece of glue and paper off the drawer. I didn’t see it because I was curled in the fetal position crying. It was a miracle. I love him so much.

Still, after all this, I didn’t want just painted front drawers. This piece deserved something special. I turned to decoupage again and this time I used Paris themed burlap.

Then something bad happened. Here’s what people who decoupage burlap forget to mention. It gets stiff and sharp. Imagine if you will covering your drawers with 80 grip sandpaper.

Yeah.

Imagine grabbing the knob to open the drawer of a dresser covered with 80 grit sandpaper.

Yeah.

I had to fix that. I took a sanding block and knocked down the sharp pieces and then coated the drawers with Junk Gypsy clear coat. The surface was still rough but not sharp.

Once it was put together it was gorgeous. It looked so amazing in my both for about one day until someone fell in love with it and had to take it home with them.

Waterfall Dresser Redo — Finished Waterfall Dresser in the booth

This one made me want to throw it in the firepit. I kid you not. About halfway through I regretted spending the $5 to buy this beast.

Yep, it was only $5 and I thought great! A quick flip. Ha! Ha! Ha! Wrong again you silly, silly woman.

The navy blue paint that was covering this piece was some kind of rubberized paint. I’ve never encountered it before and I hope to never see it again. It gummed up the sandpaper in seconds and when it did come off it peeled off in chunks.

I find the person who put it on this table I might lose my mind and hurt them it was so awful.

Sorry, I’m still recovering. I may need therapy.

Anyway, it was $5 and I thought it would be cute

if I could bring it back to life. The delicate legs. The inlaid top. There were a lot redeeming features in addition to the price.

I decided to spray paint this one a flat white. And again I started upside down. If there’s one thing I hope everyone who reads my blog and wants to

This is what not to do on the legs. Please paint the underside of your tables!

learn to flip furniture takes away is to paint the underside of your pieces. It just makes your pieces look so much more professional.

I knew I wanted to decoupage the inlaid portion since it was already a paper inlay. Of course, then I had some options. I’d found a Degas art book with pull out posters that were the perfect size to fill the top, but I was concerned the crease would be too noticeable.

Finally, I opted for 1930’s sheet music. They were perfect! Wonderfully aged with that perfect brownish/yellow color on it. Since the sheet music wasn’t the same size as the top I had to create a layout I liked. There’s no science to that just rearrange until you like what you see.

And since this was the table from h**l the decoupage bubbled, refused to stick, and bubbled some more. I cried, drank a glass of wine, and called in reinforcements (aka the husband). My hubby is an artist so he’s used to solving creative problems.

He literally had to cut the sheet music along the music lines and massage the glue into the cuts. When the decoupage glue dried it laid down nice. Thank you to the hubby for saving my Butt because I was ready to burn it.

After the glue dried (I left it for 2 days to be sure), I clear coated the top. To be sure that the paper wouldn’t come up or be damaged by a sweaty glass I did about 10 coats of clear. I used Junk Gypsy Matte Clear Coat so the top wouldn’t be shiny.

Then I polished the brass hardware, distressed the white a bit, and put the whole thing back together again.

Now I think it’s pretty again. To be honest, I hope is sells fast because I’m still holding a grudge.

Something Bad Happened to The Waterfall Dresser

An Endtable Finally In Harmony