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I bought this dresser when I bought this desk. Yeah, remember that whole story?!
I got it for $15.
Not bad, but certainly not a piece of furniture I would double as a step stool, if you know what I mean. It clearly had seen better days before it entered my life and had a few pieces missing and/or broken.
First I drug it outside {it's really not that heavy with the drawers removed} and sanded it down because well, it was nasty. I didn't go crazy, just roughed it up a little so the paint would stick.
Next, I grabbed an old brush from the bottom refrigerator drawer {isn't that where you store all your brushes?}. I threw on a light coat of old white paint to act as my primer. Is it really necessary to start with "primer"? That's a real question. Anybody know? I didn't feel this dresser would get much wear and tear in its new repurposed state so I didn't think it really mattered in my case.
Then, I made sure Raegen was having a blast on his new skyfort. He couldn't contain his excitement...
I'm so glad his daddy slaved away all summer putting this fort together so that Raegen could send things down the slide...toys, spare parts, hats, balls, anything but Raegen.
One more check to see if he's enjoying himself...
{okay, maybe I was really letting the paint dry}
After the primer was dry I put on two coats of free paint. Yep, I gave Glidden all my personal information and they sent me a free quart of paint...my color choice! Isn't free stuff fun?
When I was done with my brush I stuck it in a sandwich bag, stuck that bag in a bigger gallon bag, and threw it back in my fridge. It will be there the next time I need it.
So "ta-da"!!!
Here's the dresser. Isn't she a beaut?
I didn't really think so, so I ran and got my sander and went to work...again.
When I got tired of sanding, I quit. Simple as that. I've never done this before so I made up the rules as I went. Then I ran out to the shop and grabbed a can of stain. {I knew it was there because it calls my name everytime I go out there..."Robin, come get me and use me on that old dining table you've been wanting to restore"}
In my house simple projects have precedence over big, time consuming projects.
End of conversation.
Period.
Back to my step-by-step directions. If you're writing this down, I think this is step #47.
I grabbed some GLOVES!!! {don't want to forget those!} and a couple of cotton balls.
Then it was as simple as...
wax on...
wax off.
Here's a little tip...a little stain goes a loooong way. And, depending on your desired effect, you may not want the stain to set long. By the time I covered an area (i.e. drawer, side of dresser, top) I immediately wiped it off.
Which of these things does not belong?
Can you see the difference?
I found some decorative wood parts at HobLob to place at the bottom of the dresser to take it from that "broken" look to that "is that suppose to look like that" look. If I were handy with power tools I'm sure I could have restored it to it's original state, but who really cares. It's finished! :)
I am super pleased with my work and the best thing is it wasn't hard at all.
AND, because I had all the materials {from previous projects and FREE paint} it only cost $15!!
It will now house shoes in the bottom drawers and board games, cards, etc. in the other drawers.
{that only took four months to cross off my to-do list...}
