Apothecary Makeover

I love creating this industrial apothecary style and have done a few pieces using different colour schemes. This one is 'classic apothecary' colours. Read on to find out how I do it OR you'd prefer to watch instead of read, the YouTube tutorial is at the very bottom of the page!

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Product list:

White Lightning

Sea Spray

Drop Cloth Chalk Mineral Paint

Honky Tonk Red Chalk Mineral Paint

The Gulf Chalk Mineral Paint

Caviar Chalk Mineral Paint

Best Dang Wax Clear

Best Dang Wax Brown

Premium Chip Brush

Synthetic Brush

Best Dang Brush

Apothecary Handles

Here's the before shot of this solid (and very heavy) piece! I have always wanted to get my hands on a piece like this - I've done this style a few times but not on a chunky, low chest like this.

I started with cleaning the piece using White Lightning then a scuff sand. I used Sea Spray mixed with Drop Cloth and stippled the mixture on using a premium chip brush for the base coat. 

Once this was dry I layered Honky Tonk Red and The Gulf over the top allowing each layer to dry thoroughly between. I also used a beeswax block to create a resist in some areas. 

I used a dry brush to apply the layers and varied the thickness of the paint so that when this is distressed later on, it has various tones and depth the colours.

The final colour is Caviar. I applied two coats of this for complete coverage. 

I used my electric sander to distress the entire piece to reveal the different coloured layers under the Caviar.

I applied Best Dang Wax in Clear to seal the paint - for flat surfaces I usually use a dish sponge and for detailed areas I use the La Petite brush.

I applied Best Dang Wax in Brown over the top of the Clear Wax with a Best Dang Brush to add age and depth.

Finally I added apothecary style handles and used some pages from a vintage book for the card insert part to add some character.

Here's the final shot and some close ups - hope you've enjoyed reading!

Con x