Brass Chest

One of my neighbors came knocking on my door last month asking me if I had time to do a project for her. Her dad was about to get rid of an old brass chest/trunk that he had had for years but she rescued it in time. The fact that it was shiny brass had me a little nervous but we both felt it was worth a shot.

I decided to start by spraying the whole thing with a primer spray paint. And I realized part way through that I hadn't taken a before picture. 

This was the only side that still showed how shiny and brassy it was. Here's the rest of it after a coat of primer...

I sprayed the whole thing with a couple of coats of primer and then went over all of the edges and hardware with some Rustoleum spray paint in Brushed Nickel.

Then came the tricky part. I painted the body of the chest with some Napoleonic Blue Chalk Paint. There were lots of tiny areas to get my paint brush into and I didn't think painters tape would be much help so I just used a tiny paint brush from Hobby Lobby and a very steady hand. After a few coats and a little drying time I waxed the whole thing with clear wax. 

Done! It is in her twin boys' bedroom so I will have to ask her soon how the paint job is holding up. I knew right away that I could paint over the brass but my concern is wether or not it will chip easily. Only time will tell! In the meantime it looks so cute in their room!