When a vintage piece with beautiful details crosses your path, sometimes it just asks for a second chance. That’s exactly the story behind this stunning buffet makeover by Niky of The House on Silverado. With a rich gray base, warm wood-stained top, and thoughtful finishing touches, this piece went from dated to dramatic — all while honoring its original character. In this guest post, Niky shares how she brought this buffet back to life using Dixie Belle Paint products, including her tips for prep, paint, wax, and staining that helped make this transformation truly shine.

Vintage buffet painted in a deep blue-gray finish with a stained wood top, turned legs, and decorative detailing, styled with neutral decor against a white brick wall.

Materials

(The following is an excerpt from The House on Silverado. Read the full article here).

What attracted me to this beauty in the first place was all the pretty details, especially the curvy spindle legs.

The color was an unattractive orangey maple, and the top had some damage, but I knew I could fix her up.

Vintage wooden buffet with a warm natural wood finish, carved drawer details, and turned legs, shown outdoors in natural light before a makeover. Top view of vintage wooden buffet with a warm natural wood finish, carved drawer details, and turned legs, shown outdoors in natural light before a makeover.

When Dixie Belle Paint sent me a can of their Golden Ash No Pain Gel Stain, it was the motivation I needed to get started on giving this vintage buffet her makeover.

Vintage Buffet Makeover

Look at her now!

It’s a night and day difference, don’t you think?

Vintage buffet painted in a deep blue-gray finish with a stained wood top, turned legs, and decorative detailing, styled with neutral decor against a white brick wall. Close-up of a vintage buffet top with a rich stained wood finish, styled with stacked books, decorative bunny figurines, and neutral farmhouse accents.

The combo of Black Sands Silk Mineral Paint, layered with Best Dang Wax in white is stunning!

And, the Golden Ash No Pain Gel Stain transformed that damaged maple top into a showstopper! Just look at that woodgrain.

Prep

I began by giving the whole buffet a good cleaning with Dixie Belle’s Pristine Clean.

Using my favorite Ryobi Corner Cat sander, I scuff-sanded all the flat surfaces of the buffet, including the drawers.

These flexible Rad Pads worked great for sanding around all those curvy legs, and the crevices of the pretty drawer details.

Furniture makeover in progress with a wooden buffet drawer and trim pieces laid out outdoors, showing sanding prep using a Ryobi sander before painting or staining. Close-up of SurfPrep RAD Pads sanding sponges resting on a wooden furniture piece during prep, used for smoothing mouldings and flat surfaces before a furniture makeover. Furniture makeover in progress with a wooden buffet drawer and trim pieces laid out outdoors, showing sanding prep using a Ryobi sander before painting or staining.

Ready for Paint

After thoroughly wiping down the buffet down with tack cloth to remove all the dust, I was ready to paint.

Black Sands Silk Mineral Paint was my choice for this project. Don’t let the name fool you– this paint isn’t a true black, but more of a rich, deep gray just like the black sand beaches in Hawaii.

Dixie Belle Silk All-In-One Mineral Paint in Black Sands with paint brushes resting on a wooden dresser top, showing prep and painting in progress during a furniture makeover. Vintage wooden buffet flipped upside down outdoors during prep, showing turned spindle legs and open shelving before sanding and painting for a furniture makeover.

I flipped the buffet upside down to access the leg details more easily. My small round Dixie Belle brush was perfect for getting in all the nooks and crannies.

Close-up of turned spindle legs on a vintage wooden buffet during prep, showing partially painted dark finish and exposed wood before completing the furniture makeover. Close-up of a paintbrush applying gray chalk mineral paint to carved spindle detail on a vintage buffet, showing smooth coverage on decorative wood trim during the painting process. Vintage buffet prepped for a makeover, with a sanded natural wood top and gray-painted base, set outdoors on a driveway during the furniture refinishing process.

The Drawers

I used Duck Clean Release painter’s tape to make sure I had crisp paint lines on the top and sides of each drawer.

Then I applied Dixie Belle’s Howdy-Do Hemp Seed Oil on the inside and outside of both drawers. The hemp oil worked wonders to condition and revive the old wood!

Close-up of a furniture makeover in progress, showing a freshly painted gray top with crisp edges and blue painter’s tape protecting the natural wood interior. Close-up of a dresser drawer interior during a furniture makeover, showing natural wood with dovetail joints beside a bottle of Dixie Belle Howdy Hemp Seed Oil on a drop cloth.

Best Dang Wax

After two coats of Black Sands Silk had dried overnight, I was ready to move on to waxing.

I love the deep, rich gray base color, and wanted to highlight all of those intricate details to make them stand out even more.

Finished vintage buffet makeover featuring a dark charcoal painted base with turned legs and an exposed natural wood top, photographed outdoors in natural light.

Dixie Belle’s Best Dang Wax in White worked perfectly for this. Using a premium chip brush, I worked the white wax into the details on the base of the buffet, the drawers, and into all those spindly legs.

Close-up of a vintage buffet makeover showing dark painted trim with a natural wood top, a brush applying finish, and Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax resting on the surface outdoors. Close-up of a vintage buffet makeover showing dark painted trim with a natural wood top, a brush applying finish, and Dixie Belle Best Dang Wax resting on the surface outdoors.

After letting it set for about 20 minutes I buffed it with a lint-free cloth.

It turned out so pretty!

I love how it settled into the details with sort of a hazy, almost oxidized look. It definitely adds some “age” to this piece.

Close-up of a carved rosette detail on a vintage buffet, finished in a soft gray painted finish with subtle highlights that emphasize the raised design. Close-up of antique brass drawer pulls on a vintage dresser, set against a smooth gray painted finish with lightly distressed edges for contrast.

The brass hardware that came with the buffet is lovely, but a little too golden against the new gray color.

I easily fixed that by rubbing just a little Bronze Gilding Wax into them with my finger, and then gently buffing them the next day. It gave them a nice luster, and toned down the yellow to make them work well with the new color of the buffet.

No Pain Gel Stain

Next it was time to accent that beautiful wood grain I had uncovered by sanding.

Using an applicator pad, I applied an even layer of Dixie Belle’s new Golden Ash Gel Stain, allowed it to set for just a couple of minutes, and then wiped back any excess with a shop cloth.

Can of Dixie Belle No Pain Gel Stain in Golden Ash resting on a white cloth atop a sanded wooden furniture surface, ready for staining. Open can of Dixie Belle No Pain Gel Stain in Golden Ash with a gloved hand holding an applicator pad, shown applying stain to a wooden tabletop.

I gave this buffet two coats of stain, allowing several hours of dry time between each coat.

Then, I allowed the second coat to dry for several days before coming back to apply a top coat of Dixie Belle’s Satin Clear using a Blue Sponge Applicator to avoid lines and streaks.

Dixie Belle Clear Coat in Satin with a blue foam applicator stacked on top, shown next to a red paint tray on a stained wooden surface.

The Satin Clear Coat gives just the very slightest sheen that really accentuates the wood grains. It’s my very favorite of all the various DB top coats.

Finished vintage buffet painted in a soft blue-gray with a warm stained wood top, styled with decorative rabbits, stacked books, a white vase of tulips, and wood bead garland against a light brick wall. Finished vintage buffet painted in a soft blue-gray with a warm stained wood top, styled with decorative rabbits, stacked books, a white vase of tulips, and wood bead garland against a light brick wall.

Don’t you love it when your vision for a piece comes to life?

Vintage buffet painted in a deep blue-gray finish with a stained wood top, turned legs, and decorative detailing, styled with neutral decor against a white brick wall.

There’s something special about taking a piece with history and turning it into a refreshed focal point for today’s home — and Niky’s vintage buffet makeover is proof that thoughtful technique and the right products can make all the difference. Thank you to Niky at The House on Silverado for walking us through her process and inspiring us with such a beautiful result. If this project sparked ideas for your own furniture flip, check out another of Niky’s blogs, How to Paint & Distress Furniture.

blog Pinterest pin

Furniture Makeovers, Guest Author, How To

About the Author

The House on Silverado

Niky is a wife, mom, stepmom, teacher, and a blogger who has spent her whole life in the Midwest! She started blogging as a creative outlet to share her hobbies and interests, but to also write about things that matter to her. She loves all things farmhouse, rustic, vintage, and historical--basically anything that has a story behind it.

View All Articles