A Hope Chest Worth the Trouble
Sometimes it is all about the challenge...
What the heck... the price was right and it seemed to be
worth the effort... The inside of this hope chest is lined
with cedar... perfect cedar... not a ding or mark on it.
So as you can see I hauled it home in the back of my Jeep.
The piece had some beautiful detail...
But a few problems too... the trim was missing from one side of the bottom... luckily I found it inside and re-attached
it with wood glue and nails.
The rail was loose but nothing that some more wood glue,
finishing nails and a bungie wouldn't fix.
There was one other small problem...
Apparently this chest had legs at one point. A problem easily fixed with a set of castors.
And then came the fun part... the paint.
The first thing I did was to coat the whole top with a very
thick paste-like crackle and texture medium from Martha Stewart.
I waited for the thick paste to dry, I watched it crackle and crumble, then painted it with a coat of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® in Old White.
When the Chalk Paint dried I used a wash over the whole piece of French Linen. Using a dry brush and a spray bottle of water, I brushed, sprayed, then wiped off the excess.
I was left with a beautifully textured, crackled top. The
French Linen wash went into all the cracks and crevices
leaving the piece with an old worn look.
I was careful to use more French Linen wash in the corners and in places that would naturally look dirty and old.
A coat of clear wax and this hope chest is gorgeous!
I took a $15.00 chance and it paid off... the piece looks great!
This hope chest sold quickly and I hope the new owner enjoys it as much as I enjoyed panting it.
