help turning old wardrobe into shabby chic

[tracie7515]

anyone please help i have been given a beautifull old dark wood wardrobe i think its victorian and would love to paint it white or cream but i dont have a clue about how to do it do i need to strip it first and if so what with or do i just sand it and paint any help would be great as i am a complete diy biff

[hobbis]

I have along kitchen dinner that has a very strange efect on any colour I put into the room. White takes on a grey tinge and cream takes on a grey tinge. I had already tried to give the room colour but none lookes good. I don't understand the problem the rest of the house is great and I have never come across this problem before. Any ideas on what colour I can paint on the walls, I think it needs to be fairly neutral. The kitchen designer also said I would have to be careful choosing the colour of my units as the coloured range would take on a different look, I chose Ash in the end which also looks either pinky or yellowy.It is diving me mad, and I have spent a fotune of paint pots.

[hobbis]

I have just come across your post so you may have found a solution. I think you are right to strip the wadrobe first, remove any wax or build up of varnish. You can buy a wax stripper or use sugger soap, paint stripper for the varnish,. Then I would sand it down. Choose your base colour if you want it to show through, use a primer and then your chosen colour, rub off the areas that you want to look shabby with 00 wire wool, if the wardrobe has any profiles rub some brown artist oil into the crevis and lightly rub areas which would have been natrually worn. Finish with a clear varnish. It will look lovely.