I love experimenting with paint finishes. This cute lil'commode is cream colored, with a darker wash over the top. First you paint the piece with your first coat, let it dry, then put on your second coat VERY thick and hatch-crossed all over with different strokes to give the paint an old look. Then you steal the hairdryer out of the bath and blow it on the drying paint until it cracks, then let it dry with a fan on it. You have to do it one side at a time, because the paint will run until it is totally dry. Then when you have completed the whole thing, water down some dark brown paint in an old bowl, very runny, but enough to put a wash on the piece and let it sit for a few minutes, then with a damp rag, wipe it off. It is best to wait until the next day so the piece is totally dry, or you may rub some paint off. But even as the wash has dried, you can still rub some off to give it a really old dirty look, then sand the edges and put on a finish or not, I do the tops with clear Bri-wax. I have a lotta fun with this technique, I also do it on my walls, but you must use flat paint on furniture, doesn't matter on walls...have fun.
