Sausalito Seadrift Pottery Barn Dup
I picked up this dresser off of Facebook Marketplace. I decided to try my hand at creating a Pottery Barn Sausalito Seadrift style. Lets see how this turns out.
Materials and Tools Used in this Project
Krud Kutter
SurfPrep 3”x4” Electric Ray Sander
Dewalt Orbital Sander
Graco TrueCoat 360 Variable Speed Sprayer
Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel - Universal Khaki
Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer
DAP Wood Filler
Rust-Oleum Java Glaze
Varathane Polyurethane Matte
Hula Home Mist Bottle
Five Inch Deck Brush
Small broom
Vevor Spray Tent
Preparation
First steps are to remove all hardware and to thoroughly clean. I use Krud Kutter which really cuts through the dirt and grime. I tend to keep all of the hardware I remove just in case down the road I want to use it for something. I will be replacing the hardware for this project.
After cleaning, I simply had to scuff sand the entire piece and make some small repairs. The biggest repair I had was the crack or scratch in one of the drawers. Someone tried to patch this with something that wiped right off. I don’t know what it was but this time the repair was done right.
There were other minor repairs I had to make. I used DAP Wood Filler since none of the repairs were too deep. Once dry, I used 220 sanding pads to smooth at all surfaces in preparation for priming.
Priming
After the dresser was sanded and wiped down, I loaded it into my spray tent and sprayed the primer. Since I was not concerned with bleed through, I used Sherwin-Williams Extreme Bond Primer, which is water based. I used a Graco TrueCoat 360 Variable Speed Sprayer. I sprayed this with the drawers in so I did have to remove the drawers and touch up the edges where the sprayer couldn’t reach and also on the dresser itself where the drawers covered up parts of the frame.
Creating the Sausalito Effect
After the primer was dry, I lightly sanded the drawers and the dresser with 220 sanding pads to smooth out any imperfections. And now it is time for the fun part; creating the Sausalito affect. I had never done this before, but very excited to add a new technique. I did the drawers first so that if I didn’t like it, I didn’t waste much time.
Step one was to apply the base coat. I used Sherwin-Williams Emerald Urethane Trim Enamel in the color Universal Khaki. I simply brushed it on since I was not too concerned with brush strokes, because that is part of the effect. After the base coat was dry, it was time to apply the glaze. To do this, I used a brush for applying the glaze, and a five inch deck brush and small broom I picked up from the Dollar Tree (but it was a $1.25) and rags to wipe the glaze off of the brush and broom as I made passes over the drawer. So first I applied the glaze. You just want to get it on and not worry about what it looks like. Then I used the deck brush, making multiple passes over the surface, wiping the brush off after each pass to get rid of the glaze on the brush. I repeated this until I got the result I was looking for. No right or wrong look here, just what you like. The final step was to use the small broom to even out the glaze, again making multiple passes until you have the final result you like.
Painting the Dresser
Painting the dresser is much like doing the drawers. One thing I did not mention, is that it is important to brush in the direction of the grain. On the drawers, that meant the edges were in the same direction as the top. Once I got the base coat on the dresser, I taped off places of the dresser where the wood grain would run differently. I didn’t want to get any glaze on areas that I was not ready to paint yet. In my opinion, if you didn’t do that, then the glaze could dry before you were ready and that would detract from the overall look. Also, on the top and sides, I did small sections at a time so the glaze would not start to dry out, overlapping each section.
You can see from the photo on the right how the grain direction changed on the vertical part of the frame, so the glaze was applied to follow that grain direction.
A Touch of Gray
To give it a bit more of a coastal vibe, I decided to infuse some gray paint I had. I applied it using a dry brush technique where you get a little paint on the brush then dab most of it off into a paper towel or rag, then randomly lightly brush it on the surface. I then used a paper towel and a water bottle to blend in the gray giving a very subtle blend of colors. Not too much, just a little.
The Final Result
After spraying on three coats of polyurethane in a matte finish, here is the final result, The touch of gray gives it a bit of drift wood and coastal vibe. I was very pleased with this first attempt and will be doing this more in the future.