Dry Brushing a VanSciver Hutch

Jun 22, 2019 | General Finishes Milk Paint | 2 comments

A VanSciver hutch dry brushed with lamp black milk paint by general finishes

Yesterday, I finished my latest furniture project – a slender VanSciver hutch! This piece was in pretty great condition when it came to me.

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByFhHdYnwEf/

I wanted to update this piece and give it a more sophisticated look without completely painting over all of the lovely wood details. The hutch had some ring marks on the bottom from drinks that needed to be addressed.

This piece was a perfect candidate for a technique called “dry brushing”!

Dry brushing general finishes milk paint

Dry brushing is essentially using very little paint on your brush, and working it across a very large area. You use so little paint that when you’re done, your brush still feels dry, hence the name DRY brushing!

I used several of my ClingOn! brushes in various sizes to work small amounts of General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint across the surface.

Drawer corner of VanSciver hutch dry brushed in Lamp Black by General Finishes Milk Paint

As I dry brushed, I wiped away excess paint from the edges and high points of my piece to reveal the wood underneath.

This technique allowed me to give this piece a more uniform color without completely covering the wood.

VanSciver, hutch, Lamp Black Milk Paint, General Finishes, Eight Hundred Furniture, Dry Brush, High Performance Topcoat in Satin

When all was said and done, I probably used less than 1/4 cup of paint total.

To seal the piece and give it some shine, I applied one coat of General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Satin to the body, and two on the bottom.

VanSciver, hutch, Lamp Black Milk Paint, General Finishes, Eight Hundred Furniture, Dry Brush, High Performance Topcoat in Satin, Lion's Head Ring Pulls

Those drink marks are long gone now! On the bottom, I applied the Lamp Black Milk Paint like normal instead of dry brushing. It took two coats to cover everything over. To ensure that part would be protected in the future, I applied two coats of HP Topcoat instead of one.

Features of the vansciver hutch

This piece has so many lovely features to draw your attention to. Let’s work our way down from the top. You’ve already seen the pretty wheat stalks on the top, but let’s see them again!

VanSciver, hutch, Lamp Black Milk Paint, General Finishes, Eight Hundred Furniture, Dry Brush, High Performance Topcoat in Satin

The doors have lovely original glass divided up into six panes. The original key to the piece is included too!

Top of VanSciver Hutch dry brushed in Lamp Black by General Finishes Milk Paint

The drawer underneath is clean inside and has the VanSciver plaque nailed to the side. Two original lion’s head drawer pulls stand watch on either end.

Drawer corner of VanSciver hutch dry brushed in Lamp Black by General Finishes Milk Paint

I shined them up with a small amount of metallic wax. In the photo below, you can get an up close look at that gatored texture I’ve been mentioning.

Lion Head Ring Pull on VanSciver Hutch

The legs on this piece are slender and carved. I took my time rubbing away the edges along these surfaces to draw your eye to their gorgeous details.

Close up shot of leg on VanSciver Hutch
Base of VanSciver Hutch Dry Brushed in General Finishes Lamp Black Milk Paint

The staging on this piece was simple – a pair of matching cotton wreaths on the doors. I attached them with some 3M command hooks.

Want to replicate this look on a piece of your own? Here are the products I used. You can pick them up in person at Homestead Studios, or purchase them online from me!

VanSciver, hutch, Lamp Black Milk Paint, General Finishes, Eight Hundred Furniture, Dry Brush, High Performance Topcoat in Satin, Lion's Head Ring Pulls

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I'm Jenn Baker - Milk Paint lover, photographer, blogger, and QVC Guest Host. Click below to learn more about me and my creative business.  LEARN MORE ABOUT JENN

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