BEFORE:
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| The dresser measures 77"x20"x32.5" |
AFTER:
I started by removing all of the drawers and hardware. Then, I cleaned out the whole thing. I finally took the vaccuum to it, because there was so much dust and fuzz inside.
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| Lots of dust and "mouse evidence" inside! |
After a great deal of sanding, it came out smooth. With a couple of coats of stain, it looked like new! For this, I used a gel stain in a mahagony color to match my dining room table. If you haven't used a gel stain before, be forewarned it is different than a regular stain! I found that it "sets" faster and you have to work quickly! (I used the same stain on my kitchen cabinets this past Spring.) I prefer to wipe it on with a soft cloth rather than using a brush. I let the first coat dry for about 3 hours and then put on a second coat. I let that one dry for over 24 hours and even then, I was careful about handling the top too much.
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| TOP....before |
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| TOP...after |
The top looked great, so I moved on to the rest of the dresser a couple of days later. I loved the way the thing looked sanded...kinda rustic. After doing another project in chalkpaint (which was my plan for this piece), I decided to go another route. I whitewashed the whole thing by painting it (in sections) with a flat white paint and then wiping it off with a cloth. I liked it, but it was a little "too white", so (after it dried) I used a rag to wipe-on a brown liquid stain (leftover from another project). This was perfect! It brought out the wood grain a little and some of the detailing.
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| Whitewashed and stained |
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| Peeling off the veneer |
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| The center was cut-out of the door with a jigsaw. |
My Dad helped me cut-out the center with a jigsaw. We also routed the inside a little, in case I ever decide to add glass (too expensive and time-consuming right now).
I then spent some time shopping for hardware and found it a frustrating task. The drawers pulls are quite long and the few knobs I liked were pricey. Then, I found enough crystal-look knobs for the top two drawers at Michael's Craft Store for only $2/each! I re-finished the other hardware by spray-painting them with an aluminum color then lightly spraying over them with white. They dried very pretty.
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| Re-finished drawer pull |
I cut shelves for the center section (behind the door) out of thin plywood (only a few dollars at Home Depot for a 4ftx4ft piece) and painted them white. I also painted inside that area white. I liked it, but it wasn't quite right. Then, I saw Liz Marie Blog's post about her dresser-turned-bookshelves and was inspired! I loved the idea of wrapping the shelves in burlap...and I had a ton of burlap left from Christmas projects!
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| Burlap-wrapped shelves (where the drawers used to be)! |
It was all coming together! I put two coats of wipe-on poly (using an old sweatshirt rag) on the whole thing. I love the way the wipe-on poly looks...hand-rubbed and never streaky. I stapled a small piece of chicken-wire (~$6 for a 2ftX10ft roll) to the backside of the door (for a French Country look).
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| Chickenwire on the inside of the cabinet door adds a rustic feel. |
Overall, the project did not cost me much. I already had the stains, spraypaints, rags, burlap, and brushes. I purchased the dresser, white paint, chicken wire, plywood, and 4 new knobs....some of which I paid for with a Home Depot gift card I got as a housewarming gift last Spring! Oh, and the plate of brownies I "paid" my friend for helping me pick it up! Not too bad, huh?
The best part.....I love it in the space! It is perfect for what I wanted in the room. So, don't judge a book (or a dresser) by its cover.....you never know what you can make of it!
Here is another pic of the finished piece:
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| You can get a good look at the top in this one and the contrast of it to the rest of the buffet! |
