Well it took a good week plus to scrape away on this poor cedar chest. I think that there was at least 3 or 4 layers of paint on this thing. Also the fact that it has some detail makes it even more challenging to strip.
I was surprised at what I found under the paint where the inlay design is...
After removing the paint to expose the inlay I stopped because I want to try to preserve this part and implement it into the final design.
The front of the piece is a veneer and partially chipped off, so I filled it with wood putty and sanded it until smooth. It's a shame that the veneer was in disrepair, I would have loved to restore this to it's almost original state.
After stripping I wiped the piece down with mineral spirits, this loosens any residual paint. Once dry I do a quick sanding to make sure the surface is smooth. Mineral spirits are available at Lowes, Home Depot or any hardware store. I also sanded the inside to remove the crayon and marker marks and refresh the cedar itself.
So in keeping with the colors of the inlay I used red as an accent color. After painting the feet red I used a glaze with a hint of color to take the brightness down and then I distressed them.
Then I added a little finishing touch. And now it lives upstairs in Michael's room. My sister laughed when she heard where it was going to be placed...she said "I think Michael had his eye on that since the day you brought it home!"
And Michael is thrilled with the new addition to his room!
Oh my, I love this blanket chest and I love how you freshened it up! Nice job. The colors are perfect and it looks great in your son's room.
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