Addressing the Dresser

This is a project from several months ago that I've been meaning to share for a long time but for some reason it just kept getting pushed back.  Well I'm finally sharing it!  A yard sale dresser redo that my husband and I did over the
course of a weekend.

Ahem.  Please ignore the lovely piles of random junk/stuff/holiday decorations/camping gear in our basement.  Instead focus on the dresser!  Isn't she pretty?  Or at least have the potential to be pretty?  This was a solid piece of quality furniture, it had just seen some rough years.  You might not be able to tell from the picture but there were lots of scratches and nicks all over it and the color of the wood wasn't really helping anything.  But for $30 we knew we could make it beautiful again.

So on a bright afternoon we took it outside and gave this little lady a good sanding all over and down to the bare wood on top.  It took forever, but it was worth it to get the wood nice and smooth again.

I thought a lot about how I wanted to paint this piece and while I was tempted to go with something trendy or hip, in the end I decided I just wanted to go with classic and timeless.  I wanted a piece that could be used in different rooms throughout the years and always look like its fits no matter the other decor around it.  So for paint we went with Behr's Ultra Pure White in a satin finish on the bottom and a Dark Walnut stain for the top.  Oh, and we spray painted the hardware black but I forgot to take a picture of that.

 
The steps for re-doing the dresser:
-Give the dresser a complete sanding to allow the paint to better adhere. The top needs to be stripped down to the bare wood to be stained.
-Wipe it down with a slightly damp rag to remove all the dust.
-Use a quality brush to apply the paint.  Spend a few extra bucks on a nicer brush and it makes a big difference in the finish.
-Use an old rag to apply the stain on top.  Follow the directions on the can remembering that the longer you let it sit, the darker and deeper color you will end up with.
-Allow each coat of paint/stain to dry thoroughly. We gave it a total of 3 coats.
-In between each coat, give it a very light sanding with fine sandpaper. Wipe away any dust before applying the next coat.
-After the last coat of stain, seal the top with varnish to protect it and give a little bit of shine.
-Dry, dry, dry.  Our dresser took a long time to dry mostly because we live where it can be pretty humid but we let it dry completely before putting any of the drawers back in or closing the cabinet doors.

I love, love, love it.  It turned out so pretty and absolutely worth the $30+paint and stain.

  

This dresser lives in our guest bedroom right now and provides some great additional storage in our storage challenged apartment. We love finding pieces and making them new again and this has been one of my favorites!

And in other news I have the two winners from the Poppy Planner Giveaway by Blogger in Love! Drumroll.....

Comment #41- Linda!  She said: Enjoyed looking around her blog! Definitely a new follower!

And

Comment #20- Amber!  She said: I love planners because you can decorate them to fit your personality! I personally love sticking post it notes out the top of mine to see what I thought was important that day!

The winners were randomly chosen using a random number generator.  Congrats ladies, I will be in touch soon!