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    Handpainted Maritime Blueprint Dresser Inspired by Vintage Nautical Decor

    Decorating, Furniture Painting

    I love the look of antique maritme blueprints, and if I ever achieve my dream of a seaside cottage vacation home, I’ll surely decorate it will vintage nautical decor.

    Today’s project, which I first shared on the DecoArt blog, brings that look to a seen-better-days yard sale dresser.

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    Thanks to a little paint, chalk, inspiration and time, this $18 yard sale chest is truly something special.

    You’ve probably seen antique maritime blueprints. They’re all the rage in nautical and coastal décor. That’s the look I was going for when I started this furniture makeover using DecoArt Chalky Finish paints and waxes.

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    See how I transformed an $18 yard sale chest into a one-of-a-kind piece of nautical decor , which would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over to see the after and for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    This post includes affiliate links, but I only recommend products I use and love.

    Items needed:

    Small wooden chest, preferably with a flat front
    Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – Legacy
    Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – Carbon
    Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint – Everlasting
    Americana Decor Creme Wax – Clear
    Waxing brush
    2-inch paint brush
    paint cup or wide-mouth jar
    Assorted artist’s paint brushes, including a fine point brush
    Chalk
    Ruler or yard stick
    Martime blueprint image

    Instructions:

    Remove hardware and clean your piece of furniture well. I will often wipe mine down with water or diluted TSP, a heavy-duty cleaner you can find at the home improvement store. You want to remove any dirt, dust, oils and residue for the best paint coverage.

    For my chest, I wanted to match the vibrant blue color you see in vintage maritime blueprints. Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint in Legacy is a pretty close match, but I thought it needed to be a bit darker and murkier.

    So, I mixed a custom color, combining 2 parts Legacy with 1 part Carbon. Be sure to mix enough to complete your entire project. It’s better to have leftover paint than to run out and try to mix more to match.

    See how I transformed an $18 yard sale chest into a one-of-a-kind piece of nautical decor , which would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over to see the after and for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    Paint the entire chest with one coat of your custom-mixed Chalky Finish paint.

    Allow to dry, then follow with a second coat.

    Now comes the fun part. And trust me when I say you do not have to be an artist to do this.

    Find a maritime blueprint that floats your boat. (I couldn’t resist the pun.) You’ll use this as your guide for the boat you paint on your chest.

    Vintage Maritime Nautical Decor: Maritime Blueprint
    I found my sailboat – The Rudder – as a poster for sale on eBay and printed out a copy of the listing photo on my home printer. SeaJunk.com is another great resource for blueprint drawings of ships and sailboats.

    See how I transformed an $18 yard sale chest into a one-of-a-kind piece of nautical decor , which would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over to see the after and for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    Using a ruler or yard stick, sketch out your blueprint using chalk. I like to sharpen my chalk to a point; it’s easier to work with.

    And I deliberately chose a simple image with lots of straight lines, so there was very little freehand drawing required.

    If you have an overhead projector, you can transfer your image that way.

    See how I transformed an $18 yard sale chest into a one-of-a-kind piece of nautical decor , which would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over to see the after and for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    Once you’ve sketched your image, carefully paint over the lines with Chalky Finish paint in Everlasting, a bright white.

    Don’t worry if your hand isn’t steady. I think the hand-drawn look contributes to the charm of the piece.

    See how I transformed an $18 yard sale chest into a one-of-a-kind piece of nautical decor , which would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over to see the after and for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    Once the paint has dried, gently wipe away any remaining chalk with a wet cloth.

    Allow any water on the surface to dry, then apply two coats of clear Americana Decor Creme Wax, allowing to dry between coats. When wax dries, buff with a soft cloth.

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    I love how this dresser turned out; it truly is a one-of-a-kind piece.

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    I considered switching out the drawer pulls on this dresser with some white knobs decorated with a compass motif. But I decided those would stand out too much. I also worried they’d take away from the sailboat.

    So, I used the original hardware, but changed up the configuration a bit.

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    I think the tarnished brass knobs and drawer pulls work well with the nautical look of this chest.

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    A model sailboat, a buoy, artwork and some other nautical accessories (all of them yard sale or clearance finds!), and this dresser is ready for a lucky sailor’s room – or cabin!

    This chest would be perfect at a beach house or in a child's  room decorated with vintage nautical decor. The color on this piece is amazing! Click over for the full tutorial on how to transform a cheap yard sale piece of furniture into a custom piece.

    If you liked this chest, be sure to check out my other furniture makeovers.

    Filed Under: Decorating, Furniture Painting Tagged With: DecoArt, handpainted furniture, nautical, painted furniture, yard sale transformations

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Virginia

      January 29, 2015 at 12:07 am

      I absolutely love the nautical dresser! You did a great job. Pinning.

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        February 03, 2015 at 9:21 pm

        Thanks so much!

        Reply
    2. Nicole

      January 28, 2015 at 10:22 pm

      That looks awesome!

      Reply
    3. Lysa @ Welcome To My Circus

      January 28, 2015 at 9:06 pm

      What a great idea I love it and it turned out great! Thank you for linking up to the Oh My Heartsie Girls Wordless Wednesday Linky Party!

      Wishing you a fabulous week!

      xx
      Lysa
      Co-Host OMHGWW

      Reply
    4. Melinda

      January 28, 2015 at 5:28 pm

      I love this. There is just something about nautical decor that is totally soothing. Awesome job!

      Reply
    5. Susan @ SunfowerHugs.blogspot.com

      January 28, 2015 at 3:18 pm

      You did a wonderful job. Love all the colors and you put the perfect image on the dresser! I am very jealous of your oar–I want one so badly!

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        February 03, 2015 at 9:23 pm

        I probably shouldn’t tell you that I found the oar for $1 at a yard sale. But to be fair, it was the best yard sale ever! I think I spent $15 and got a table, stool, the oar, a milk crate, some old liquor bottles, an old metal bucket and some other odds and ends. It was just an old man and his daughter in the country, who just wanted to clear out their storage building. I didn’t even haggle with them.

        Reply
    6. Mrs Major Hoff

      January 27, 2015 at 11:43 pm

      Absolutely superb Amy! You out did yourself! You really gave that dresser a whole new life!

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        February 03, 2015 at 9:23 pm

        Thank you, Sara!

        Reply
    7. Julie

      January 27, 2015 at 5:29 pm

      What a great idea, you can literally paint any design on a vibrant coloured background! Oooo, I’m feeling very inspired! Thanks.

      Reply
    8. Lisa at Mabey She made It

      January 26, 2015 at 4:49 pm

      This is awesome, Amy! It’s really beautiful.

      Reply
    9. Aimee, The Crazy Craft Lady

      January 26, 2015 at 4:06 pm

      I’m so loving this dresser re-do. So unique! Pinning 🙂

      Reply
    10. Amanda

      January 25, 2015 at 10:37 pm

      I love this!! I may have to do this for my little boy’s room.

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        February 03, 2015 at 9:24 pm

        If you do a version of this for your son’s room, I’d love to see it!

        Reply
    11. Jenna

      January 25, 2015 at 9:05 pm

      very cool! great idea~

      Reply
    12. Melanie C.

      January 23, 2015 at 1:47 pm

      Great idea! Love the color too! But what I really want is that oar!!!! Wanna sell it by chance?

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        February 03, 2015 at 9:26 pm

        Melanie — I actually did sell the oar, at my antique store booth. I probably shouldn’t tell you I got it for $1 at a yard sale! It was a great find, and I wish I had a place for it in my house. Since I don’t have that dream beach house yet, I decided to sell it.

        Reply
    13. jillene@inkhappi

      January 23, 2015 at 12:25 am

      What a great transformation! I love the idea of sketching with chalk. I want to do a project with this method now!

      Reply
    14. Steph @ Crafting in the Rain

      January 22, 2015 at 1:25 am

      This is so awesome–and I love all your props too!

      Reply
    15. Shirley@Housepitality Designs

      January 21, 2015 at 7:21 am

      Great job!..Love it!!

      Reply
    16. Rose L.

      January 21, 2015 at 3:09 am

      Such a cute idea! Love it!

      Reply
      • Atta Girl Amy

        January 21, 2015 at 8:07 am

        Thanks so much.

        Reply
    17. Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods

      January 20, 2015 at 4:55 pm

      Awesome transformation! Thanks so much for the great tutorial and inspiration to do something fun with the yucky dresser in my little boy’s room. 😉
      ~ Ashley

      Reply
    18. laura@top this top that

      January 20, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      amy, just love this! wow.

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

    Trackbacks

    1. Making Monday [#74] - A Bright and Beautiful Life says:
      February 1, 2015 at 8:02 PM

      […]  Painted Paisley Stones ~ Suzy at Suzy’s Artsy-Craftsy Sitcom #2.  Maritime Blueprint Nautical Chest ~ Amy at Atta Girl Says #3.  Bite-sized Lamingtons with Whipped Strawberry Cream ~ Alyce at The […]

      Reply
    2. The Found & Foraged Linky Party: Vol. 11 | The Big Reveal says:
      January 31, 2015 at 9:02 PM

      […]   Uh, copper cups, expert styling, bonus libations. Need I say more?   MY PICKS   Nautical Inspired Dresser by Atta Girl   I think this little dresser makeover is so. very. sweet.  It would look adorable in a […]

      Reply

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