FRENCH PROVINCIAL MAKEOVER, SANDING TIPS AND DARKENING DISTRESSED AREAS

I have always loved french provincial pieces.  They are classic and sweet with their fancy lines and curves.  Even though the lingerie dresser was not originally a part of this set, they are always so similar in style that it didn't matter.  Once everything is refinished in the same color, as well as the hardware, they always blend together beautifully.

I have to point out a very important fact here…you MUST sand EVERY square inch of every piece on this and all pieces to make sure you have a surface that primer can adhere to.  Don't ask me why…I just know:)
This includes those pesky and annoying nooks and crannies! Just do it.  It will save you a lot of work later on.  Again, don't ask…I just know:)

The sweet gal who this set is for, wanted some distressing.  This lacquer product is so crazy awesome, durable and hard that I seriously have to pull out an electric sander when I need to do some serious distressing, just so that I can get through the layers.

Ofter times, when distressing, I don't think that the wood showing through is dark enough.  I personally like to see a darker wood showing through after distressing.
This is when I will often times use a few different techniques to get the look I want. I might a staining pen, little gel stain or maybe a bit of glaze on a piece of cotton wrapped around my finger.  Just "hitting" that distressed spot to darken it a bit, followed by a clean rag to quickly wipe off extras.

BEFORE HITTING DISTRESSED SPOTS WITH DARK GLAZE

AFTER HITTING THE RAW, DISTRESSED SPOTS WITH GLAZE….HUGE DIFFERENCE!