Once in a (General Finishes) Blue Moon

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Swatch of General Finishes Blue Moon wood stain showing soft, serene teal tone

When General Finishes released 12 new colors earlier this year, it was like Christmas Day for restorers and DIY junkies. Any color you want can be achieved by mixing colors, but it’s so much easier to just open a can and have the color you want.

The colors are amazing. Beautiful shades in gray, blue and even ballet pink. I was instantly attracted to blue moon, a bluish teal color. I purchased the paint, not knowing what I would use it on but knowing that I would find something eventually.

 

The opportunity came when I found a small dresser at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore. The Restore is a great place to find used furniture, and it supports a great cause. This piece will go in the office as a place to store items, replacing an incredibly cheap piece of furniture that has long outlived its usefulness. It was the perfect size, with lots of drawer space.

Of course with any piece of older furniture, a good cleaning was needed. I used Krud Kutter, a water-based, nontoxic formula that helps to remove dirt and degloss surfaces to help paint adhere better. This product will make your furniture sparkly clean and ready for a new look.

 

I applied the paint with Black Dog Salvage’s Round furniture brush. I love how solid these brushes are and how well they apply paint to the surface. They come in three sizes, which makes it convenient for any project you are working on.

Wooden dresser with three drawers being painted blue on top with a round bristle brush in a workshop setting
Round brush applying blue-gray wood finish over natural wood grain surface
Blue-painted wooden dresser with three open drawers showing natural wood interiors in workshop setting

The blue moon applied well on the first coat, but I decide to do a second coat to make sure it was covered completely and gave the full color I wanted.

 

It’s a tough choice whether to keep the original hardware or to replace it. I decided to keep the original hardware because I thought it matched the piece well. The pulls were a rusty-goldish color and I painted them silver to give it a little more updated look. 
The base was unattached to the main piece of the furniture, which surprised me when the Restore guys loaded it in my car. Since it sat straight on the ground I decided I would add some feet to the base to make it stand up higher and give it a more modern and sophisticated look.
Rectangular wooden frame painted blue on the outside with adjustable metal leveling feet on a workshop floor

Painter's Pyramids are a great way to elevate your work and makes painting easier

Applying silver paint or finish to a small metal woodworking clamp part with a brush on a paper towel background

Saved money and updated the existing hardware with a coat of silver paint

Corner of a wooden frame with metal corner braces and a caster wheel attached on carpeted floor

Adding feet to the dresser gave it more height and added a modern touch 

Blue-painted three-drawer dresser with modern metal handles and decorative plants on top

The General Finishes Blue Moon did not disappoint! It is a beautiful color and was perfect to transform this piece of furniture into a modern, unique piece.

 

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