Frustrating 1st Ever Re-Do

Refurnishing can be especially nerve-wracking when you're new to being a DIY-er and don't possess a whole lot of patience.  That's the first thing I've learned.  Its like I see blogs all over the place where people seem to be turning out beautiful pieces left and right.  They make it look very uncomplicated.  Grrrrr!

So, you might remember the chest of drawers I refinished for my oldest son...

Well, let's just say that the final product wasn't what I imagined.  It just needed something, but I wasn't sure what.   I had used a satin paint and while I thought I didn't want it shiny, after it was done, it just didn't look right.  Plus, the satin finish seemed to show every single flaw that I hadn't completely sanded out.  It just looked...  BLAH.

And since we're all about honesty here at Little Big House On The Prairie, I will admit that I attempted to use a clear spray gloss to use as a sealer, protectant, and to give it a little shine.  Boy, did I screw it up!  I don't know if heat got to the can or what, but it was glossy in spots and had a white film in others.  In fact, I could run my hand along the top of the surface and it would come up coated in a white dust.  What was THAT all about?  It did NOT look like it did when I used the gloss to put a clear coat on a peg shelf I painted for the diva.  What it did look like was polk-a-dotted.  I really wanted to cry.  I mean, REALLY.  But more like a 3 year old temper tantrum cry.  I was soooooo frustrated!!!  I did NOT take a picture of that hot mess!

Too, I found out that using a paint brush on furniture looks terrible. Unless you want to see every little brush stroke, its a bad idea.  I have to admit, after I used the spray gloss and it looked so terrible that I spent a good amount of time pouting like a baby reflecting about what I should/could have done differently.  And I googled the heck out of painting techniques from some of my favorite bloggers.  Then I spent some more time pouting like someone ate my last piece of Dove chocolate reflecting and just shut the door on it for a while.  That really made my oldest son happy, let me tell you. Poor kid was living out of a laundry basket.

Yesterday, I finally got the guts to go up against the stupid chest of drawers again to try to salvage what I had already started.  I REALLY didn't want to have to sand it (one thing I've discovered I hate with a passion) again, re-prime, and then repaint.  Armed with a nifty foam brush and a can of Min-Wax Polyurethane, I tackled the dumb thing again.  I let it dry overnight and hit it with a second coat this morning.  Shutting the door on it, I put it out of my mind for another few of hours.

When I went back into the room, I could have sworn I heard the angels singing the Hallelujah Chorus!  I actually got tears in my eyes.  Yes, I was THAT frustrated by the whole entire thing.  Beautiful...  Shiny...  Perfect.  And the oldest son got to finally take it into his room, where I told him to go easy on it for the first few days.

So, here it is.  FINALLY!

MUCH BETTER!

Don't you think?

And now I think I'm ready to tackle the middle son's dresser.  Fingers crossed!