Charcoal and Wood MCM Dresser Makeover

Charcoal, wood and original brass hardware make for a beautiful combination on a vintage MCM dresser.

I had a slight moment of panic after the end of the August Sweet Clover sale. It was a great month and I sold all my large pieces of furniture, which was AMAZING, but that also meant I had a lot of work ahead of me. I'd only have a few short weeks to hunt, buy and transform another 4-5 pieces of furniture and I was starting to stress. The hunt was immediately on to find new treasures to update.

We were actually getting ready to head out of town for vacation when I spotted an affordable Mainline by Hooker MCM dresser. It had gorgeous original teardrop pulls that I just couldn't resist and since I can never pass up a good deal, we held off on loading up the car and I headed out to pick up the dresser. Priorities, right?

SUPPLIES USED TO PAINT A MCM DRESSER

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- Rust-oleum Charcoal Chalk Paint

- Minwax Polycrylic (matte finish)

- Quality paint brush

- Dewalt Orbital sander

- 100 & 120 grit sandpaper

- Simple Green

- Paper towels

- Screwdriver

HOW TO PAINT A MIDCENTURY DRESSER

As soon as we came home from vacation and got the car unloaded I started working on the dresser. I normally like to use milk paint, but I was out of the color I needed so I used the charcoal chalk paint I had on hand.

After removing the hardware, I gave the entire dresser a good sanding with 100 grit sandpaper and my orbital sander. I wiped it clean with Simple Green then applied 2 coats of chalk paint, lightly sanding in between each coat. I then sealed the dresser with my favorite matte poly

I liked the age and patina of the original hardware, so I opted not to clean them with Brasso and put them back on the dresser as is.

Charcoal chalk painted MCM dresser makeover

I'm used to milk paint, which gives a smooth clean finish, but I kind of like the brushed denim effect of the sanded chalk paint. It's definitely a different look and gives a bit of dimension to the dresser. I left the base and legs of the dresser stained, which adds a touch of much needed contrast.