Pinspiration Sunday: Dresser Makeover

I’ve been wanting a new dresser for a very long time now. The dresser I had was from my Aunt and who knows how old it was…but that I got passed to my son when  he got too big for his changing table (we put the changing pad on top of the low dresser…works amazingly!) and I have his baby dresser/wardrobe. After we madeover our bedroom a few months back I wanted something that would fit in well with our new look. I searched online but just didn’t find what I wanted and if I did like it, it was way out of my price range. So I took to the thrift stores and hunted through yard sales…and one day I found this for $60!

But that was not going to fit into our new room…but after looking on Pinterest, I found a tutorial over at Adventures of a Middle Sister and decided that’s what I was going to do with mine. Now my dresser looks like this:

Here’s how I did it…

Supplies I used:

Electric sander

Medium and low grade sandpaper

Sanding block

Paint of your choice

Rollers/brushes

Sealant

Drawer handles/pulls

Spray paint and sealant

Electric screw driver

Drill bit

Screws

Wood

Stain

 First I sanded the entire outer surface with my electric sander. First I used a medium grit paper then a fine grit sand paper. Then cleaned off any dust.

Then I started painting it. I used a white, oil-based paint for outdoor doors, hoping that this will withstand some wear and trying to avoid priming it first. I put 2 coats on with 24 hrs of drying time in between. 

Next, I took my sanding block and removed the paint along the corners of the entire thing. I love that distressed look, but I didn't want to go too wild.

Then it was time to work on the top. I wanted to incorporate the gray from our bedroom color into this piece. I was orginally going to use wood from an old pallet that has been sitting outside, but with my RA, breaking it apart became quite difficult so I decided just to go by some wood at Lowe's. My husband offered to cut it to the size I needed to cover the top. There was a about an inch or so left in the back, so instead of cutting a strip to fit, I used the ends of the previous cut pieces. This is perfect to give a little back edge. My dresser will be pushed up against a wall with a register at the bottom so the dresser doesn't actually touch the wall and things often fall off the back...so annoying...but now I don't have to worry about that. I sanded the sides that would be stained...and look...they are ready for Halloween!

 I stained the wood using a stain from Lowe's. The color was driftwood. After the stain dried for 24 hrs (I used 2 coats), I set them into place.

Using a electric drill and drill bit, I placed my holes for my screws (one on each end...so 2 per piece of wood). Then screwed in all my nails.

Then it was time for the hardware. I bought new ones from Lowe's...some cheap ones (I'm not too picky) and I spray painted them orange (Valspar's La Fonda Copper) to match the rest of the orange stuff throughout our bedroom. I left them dry for 24hs, then sprayed them with an acrylic sealer and allowed that to dry overnight.

The box is already orange because I used it when I sprayed my book pumpkin from the last tutorial

While those were drying, I applied a furniture sealant for light color wood called polycrylic. I allowed the first coat to dry, then lightly sanded it with the sanding block, wiped clean and then applied another coat of sealant. I allowed that to dry for several hours. Then I placed the drawers back in just to free up some room in the garage until it was fully dry after 24hrs.

And there you have it....a thrift store dresser makeover. Hope you liked this tutorial and it inspires you to get crafty! Thanks for stopping by!