French Linen Hutch

A friend asked me if I wanted to buy a hutch from her. She sent a picture and I couldn’t pass it up! It was a beautiful piece but it needed some TLC. The surface was scratched and the drawers needed repair.

I sanded the top down, applied a coat of wood conditioner and one coat of Minwax Provincial stain. The wood top drank up the stain and turned out a bit reddish than expected. The plus side, the stain showed off a beautiful wood grain.

I’ve had a General Finishes top coat on my wish list at Lee Valley for awhile and finally ordered some. I tried it out on this hutch and I love it! General Finishes high performance top coat is a little different from other polyurethanes. You just brush it on, careful to not overbrush, and wait 48 hrs between coats. I lightly sanded before applying the second and third coats. No fuss and easily applied. The top coat turned out beautiful! It gave a nice finish and will be pretty durable for whatever the hutch is used for. I’ll definitely use the product again.

I tried to pick paint colours that would appeal to everyone, so I tried out Fusion Mineral Paint in Coal black, General Finishes Milk Paint in Coastal Blue, and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen. I painted swatches on the back plate so I could visualize it better with the wood. Once it was dry, I compared the 3 colours to the wood colour. I was aiming for a colour that complimented the reddish hue in the wood, and not compete with it.

I found the black and blue were both too dark and on the colder side. So, I chose French linen, It’s a nice warm grey and complimented the wood. After 3 coats, I lightly sanded and distressed then waxed. The inside of the drawers were painted Duck Egg Blue to make them look clean and new. Some new knobs mixed in with the old, made the hutch look refreshed!