This swanky pair of mid-century modern nightstands didn't get this fabulous in a day! In fact, it took several weeks of "processes".... but it was so worth it... ending with these gorgeous faux crocodile patterned pieces of art!
My client specifically asked for these to be re-dressed in a white, grey and a mix of metals. Her master-suite is glamorous, to say the least, with a king-sized royal headboard with tufted velvet and rhinestone buttons. She has mixed both silver and golds in the space as well as an eclectic mix of furniture styles.
I cleaned the nightstands using White Lightning and rinsed well afterward.
I primed using two coats of Boss White to prevent bleed-through of the wood tannins.I painted the body with two coats of Fluff white before applying two coats of Top Coat in satin.
The drawers...... is where the party began!
I applied Dixie Belle Mud to the drawers with the DB spatula....and allowed it to set up for approximately 15 minutes.
I then used my crocodile roller to roll the crocodile pattern on. This roller is a game-changer for me....and I just ordered myself the tiger roller.
Below is only a small clip of the process but you can see the entire 4-part series HERE on my YouTube channel.
https://youtu.be/HGZn82_5ioE
I left the mud to dry for the afternoon. After about 5 hours it was ready to paint.
I painted the crocodile dried mud pattern in Hurricane Gray and let dry. I then lightly sanded the dried pattern to knock back the peaks that the roller leaves behind. I used the Surf Prep fine pad to do this. (see the door on the right in the photo below)
I then applied a single coat of Top Coat in Satin before applying a liberal amount of Best Dang Wax in black.
I wiped off the excess wax until I had achieved the tone and leather look that I was after.
I repeated this same technique on all the drawers and even on the cabinet doors.... completely concealing the once wood slatted pattern there.
I applied foil adhesive to all hardware as well as to the metal portions of the feet. I let this dry for 30 minutes. I then applied the gorgeous foil.....rubbing slightly....and lifting the foil sheet off...leaving this gorgeous mercury glass look on all the metal!
I decided to dress up the side of the drawers with a little unexpected surprise! I applied designs in Victorian Damask and Royal Damask Stencils.
These papers are more like mesh paper...and nothing like tissue paper at all! They are sooooo easy to work with...I simply applied a single coat of Top Coat in Satin to the wood and immediately laid down a sheet of measured and trimmed paper. I smoothed it down with a swipe of my hand and followed with another layer of the satin topcoat. That's it!!! Such a nice detail and so easy to achieve!
Now for the last and most fabulous of all the processes.....the epoxy tops!!!
Matt and I did this process on live video which is probably the easiest way to share this with you. It would be extremely difficult to follow in writing...not to mention quite boring.
https://youtu.be/FwG8I15ptKw
We chose the Carrara Marble countertop kit...which comes with a gallon of part A and part B....a metallic white powder and black powder....as well as the white adhesion primer. If you love gray and white.....and a gorgeous durable shine......I highly recommend this. I have supplied the link to purchase in the shop section below.
What I do want you to know is this....after these cured overnight Matt wanted to sand back as they dried with these strange looking tadpole shapes on the surface. We determined this was our mistake due to us not stirring the white powder into the epoxy long enough...and it left tiny clumps that were not visible at first. Other than that.....the epoxy is GORGEOUS!!!!!! It was really easy to use as well. This is our third time to use Stone Coat products and we are SOLD!
To remedy our mistake, Matt sanded the tops with an electric sander and coarse sandpaper disc. Most of the "tadpole" shapes were easy to remove but it also removed our gorgeous shine. This stage is actually a look that many people are after and it's really gorgeous too! It reminds me of soapstone and you can be done with your project at this step if you prefer. We chose to repour our tops since not all of our mistake was removable. So we repoured another coat of epoxy mixed with the metallic white and added metallic black veins again. We just wrote this extra step off as an opportunity for more practice!
We allowed this to cure for 48 hours. Matt then sanded back the shine one last time. For a different look, you can see the original epoxy pour in our laundry room HERE.
We then applied Ultimate Top Coat per the instructions with the roller method. This allows you to finish off your epoxy tops with the natural stone look I mentioned earlier.....yet it remains as durable as the shiny finish.
It was a PROCESS!! But so very worth every single step! Aren't this faux crocodile nightstands gorgeous???
I hope this will allow you to envision opportunities to glam up pieces within your own home!
More Inspiration: Faux Finishes
With a little paint...and the correct tool... you can create some really fun furniture finishes. Here are some more faux painted looks for your inspiration! Be sure to check out my faux wood grain looks HERE or HERE and the eye-catching faux rust dresser HERE.
Shop: Faux Crocodile & Epoxy Pour
The products listed here are what I used for this project! Dixie Belle Paint company offers amazing products that will make all of your projects successful no matter what your skill level! Just click on any of the products shown below! You can also find my favorite products and tools in my Amazon influencer list here.
Here's how it works...these products are attached to my name. When you purchase by clicking from my blog.....then Dixie Belle offers a kickback to me for referring you! It doesn't cost you any more to use my links....and the support helps me to bring you new projects! So I thank you in advance!!!
See you next week!
XOXO,
Tracey
Please share my faux crocodile nightstand pins and follow me on Pinterest!
XOXO,
Tracey