A friend of mine wanted a new (old) white dresser for her little girl’s room. But she didn’t want just any white dresser, she wanted a pearly white dresser. You know if you saw either of these popular posts (here or here), I was happy to oblige! Shimmery dressers are completely my thing!
I found this dresser at an antique store – it is an OLD piece that needed a little drawer work, but it was worth it – I loved the curves it had. I think if you are going to do a pearly shimmery finish, it stands out more on a piece with curves or details!
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I decided to do this project in Dixie Belle products for a couple of reasons, one, because for a white finish Dixie Belle paint will get you there MUCH faster than General Finishes will. And two, because I was really curious about their Pearlescent Glaze and how it stood up to Champage Pearl Effects. Let’s do a little comparison test…
Supplies:
- Dixie Belle White BOSS
- Fluff Chalk Paint
- Pearlescent Glaze
- Sterling Silver Gilding Wax
- old tooth brush
- Dixie Belle Brush (favorites are the mini or flat medium)
- Top coat (not shown in the video, but it was necessary!) – I used General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in flat.
This piece needed 3 coats of BOSS before it stopped bleeding through and turning the white primer pink. That red stain is a nightmare. After I was convinced it was good (ie: it stopped turning pink), I applied one coat of Fluff and got a solid white painted finish. If I just wanted a white dresser, I could stop here. But to add a little something extra, I pulled out the Pearlescent Glaze.
Here she is all finished up, isn’t she pretty?! The shimmery finish is a little hard to capture in photos, but trust me, it’s there!
This old dresser certainly has a new, fresh look on life, don’t you think?!
It was really fun to transform the hardware on this piece. I thought the original hardware was so pretty, so to make it compliment silver accents in the room, we turned it silver with a bit of Sterling Silver Gilding Wax and more Pearlescent Glaze. They stand out and make a great compliment to the white dresser.
So… Dixie Belle Pearlescent Glaze or General Finishes Champagne Pearl Effects??
I think the Pearl Glaze was less streaky, there is a fix for that I show you in the Pearl Effects tutorial, but I think overall the Dixie Belle product was easier to work with. It did leave a bit of a tacky finish (even after drying for 24 hours) so it would definitely need a top coat. I never noticed that feeling with General Finishes.
In all, I didn’t get a conclusive favorite. Either one will serve it’s purpose, and whichever you have available will work just fine!
This piece is off to complete a sweet little girl’s room – what a fun project to work on (these old dressers are my favorite)!
I thought it would be really fun to do a giveaway with this project – you can win everything you need to re-create this look on your own piece! I’ll ship it right to your house and you can get to work painting! CLICK HERE TO ENTER GIVEAWAY!
Good luck, and happy painting!
Jenni
looks good!
I love how you changed the hardware!! I had no idea you could do that so quickly and easily!!!
Wasn’t that fun?!
I have some hardware that I would like to try using this on.
Yes, that would be lovely!
What a beautiful finish. I have a sofa table that would look great with this finish. Thank you so much for showing us.
Beautifully done. Absolutely love the hardware.
This is absolutely beautiful!! Thank you for the step by step visuals you do!
Totally cute makeover! I think I’d definitely like to try the pearl glaze. For some reason when I used the GF pearl effects, it was very latex-y feeling, like it pulled away like a rubber coating or something. I just couldn’t get it right. And somehow, I’ve managed to buy 2 cans of it! Probably with the intention of using it then forgetting I had it and purchasing another. I may have to give it another try…
LOL, with GF Pearl Effects, I recommend mixing it with a bit of topcoat to help it spread a bit more evenly. I think this also helps with the feel of it. I thought this DB pearl glaze had that feel to it as well until I top coated it. Maybe it’s something with the shimmer 😉
Love your excitement and patience! The dresser is beautiful, especially the hardware!!!
I love the finish i would love to try this on my new curbside treasure.
That came out amazing!!! I’m going to try some glaze on my desk!
Keep up the good work. Lovin’ it!
Thank you so much!
So pretty! I have an old chaise I would love to try this on!
Thank you for this great video and thank you for a chance to win!!!!! Love your Blog!
dresser
You’re right that pearlescent glaze did wonders. Who would of thought. I’ll definitely be trying that in the future. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Beautiful! I love the white with the silver hardware
Just love the finished look of this dresser. That hardware is gorgeous. Loved how you did it. So easy! What a statement. Great video… I always enjoy.
Would the pearl work over pink? I just got a nightstand for my daughter and she want to paint it pink.
Oh yes!!! I did a pink vanity once then added the pearl effects on top – it was stunning!!
A bench I made from a headboard would look great in this color
I love it!
I have a desk that I would LOVE to make prettier! This would be awesome!
I just “tried “ a blended look with a different pearl effect brand. I absolutely love this
A beautiful makeover. The hardware looks amazing.
I’ve seen the pearl finish on a couple of end tables and I’m anxious to give it a try!
I love the buttery sheen on this dresser! I’m not familiar with “Boss” Is it much better than Shellac?
It’s water based, so not so smelly. I do feel like shellac is the best when it comes to stain blocking, but if I want a water based option I’d choose this one!
This dresser is beautiful! I have a large dresser that is a deep red that I would like to redo with the General finishes “Perfect Gray” color, and refinish the drawer pulls with the Sterling Silver glaze! I am sure I will need to apply 2-3 coats of primer to cover the red finish on it now. Any suggestions?
Perfect Gray is a great color – not only pretty, but it will cover very well. Maybe do a test spot and see if the red shows through, you may get lucky and not need to prime!
Would love to try this on my bow front dresser!
I love this finish! I can’t wait to try it on my daughter’s dresser that has carvings on the drawers. I think the pearl finish will look great with those carvings! Thanks for sharing!
I’m wanting to do a pink paint with pearl finish on an art deco vanity. Which do you prefer the general finishes or Dixie belle, also have you used the Modern Masters paint?
I haven’t tried Modern Masters yet, but I know people love it. I didn’t come away with a strong preference. They both need a topcoat, i think they are about the same!
Love the finish. I’m going to try in on an old dresser. Thanks for the video.
I love this! Wondering what it would look like on a different color. I know you did champagne pearl on pink. But I wonder about blue. Jenni you make me feel like I can do anything!
You can do anything! I’ve done one metallic blue piece, it was very pretty!
I’ve just completed a tea rose dressing table. Had considered the pearl effects, but thought it might seem too glam for my personality!
I think you can make it as subtle or as glamorous as you like depending on your style!
I’m redoing a dresser and chest of drawers for our guest bedroom and I think this could be the answer to how I want to do them!
WOW, what a beauty! And the hardware looks amazing as well, great job!
I actually have this dresser plus the mirror. It was my great grandmothers. My dad stripped and stained it years ago. I think I will try this.
Love this video! Would like to try this on an old bookcase that needs a good paint Job!!
Will definitely be buying the Sterling Silver Gilding Wax…..that is amazing!!
So very grateful I found your videos.
The dresser turned out beautifully! Amazing what the pearl finish did for the project!
That is so pretty! I have a waterfall vanity that would look great with this finish!
Absolutely beautiful
I love watching your videos. I’ve learned so much from you! This piece is really pretty!
Love the look! Will have to try on one of my pieces.
Nice sheen at the end. I love how the hardware turned out. Thanks for your detailed tutorials!
This is just beautiful!
Awesome job.
Great project! Love the handles.
Omgoodness!! I love the pearl white color.Its sooo pretty😊
I love it too! Thank you!!
What a lovely, refreshing piece. You definitely breathed new life into it.
Thank you for saying so!!
I would love to try this finish on an ornate long dresser that’s been sitting in my garage forever!
Absolutely beautiful!!
You always have the best ideas, and super easy to follow along. Love it!
Beautiful dresser. I have painted a lot of furniture and my go to paint is a chalk paint called Rethunk Junk. It covers well and has a slight sheen when it dries. You should give it a try if you haven’t used it before.
The Pearl finish is beautiful! I especially love what you did to the drawer handles. I want to do that to those on my dresser that I will be painting a pale gray
This looks like a wonderful finish. I have several thrift store pieces that I am itching to makeover. I definitely will try a pearlized effect on at least one of them.
You made it look so easy that I am sure I could do it myself as well. Thanks for the inspiration.
This looks like the perfect way to refinish the dresser I’ll be using for my daughter’s room makeover, sophisticated but with a hint of sparkle. Love it!
I absolutely love the dresser with the pearl glaze. I’ve been wanting to paint a small desk for my grand daughter with some kind of pearl glaze!! Her name is Aubree Pearl, so it’s quite fitting for her!!
Awe, that would be perfect!
Beautiful!
I have an old dresser with curves that would look terrific refinished using these tools and techniques. Thanks for the inspiration and for giving me the confidence to do it!
Absolutely!
It’s absolutely gorgeous! I have a nightstand I would love to do … and I’m sure many other pieces after I see it done in person!
Oooh, yes!
I would try this finish on a vintage drawer.
Great idea!
I need help. I did a night stand in Annie Sloan Paloma chalk paint. Sealed it with General Finishes Flat out Flat. Two days later applied General Finishes Champagne Pearl Effects that I cut with 1/2 General Finishes High Performance – mixed well and brushed on with Purdy brush. The finish (first coat) has streaks and is very uneven. Worried that I applied too much product? Or…? I have sanded the glaze. Will a second coat give a better finish, or do I have to start over and repaint and then apply top coat again and so forth?
I would do a second coat and see what you think. Sometimes with this, several light coats will even it out and give it an all over pearl finish you are looking for!