Sunday, June 5, 2011

dresser remake

Saturday I decided Lawson needed a new dresser since he will soon be "kicked" out of the nursery by Fischer. I have lately been reading so many blogs that turn thrift store finds into beautiful pieces of furniture. So, Saturday we headed to the antique/thrift store and found a perfect "kid size" dresser for $27! I was beyond thrilled at how cheap it was and how good of condition it was in! I got really excited about redoing the dresser and headed to Lowe's to purchase some spray paint and a mask for the fumes since preggos aren't supposed to be around paint... especially the super strong fumes of spray paint. Here is a lovely picture of what I wore all night.
After the little one went to bed I began my project. I first sanded the entire dresser with 150 grit sandpaper to remove the glossy finish. I meant to take a before picture but I got too excited and didn't remember until after I had sanded the drawers. 
After she was completely sanded I wiped it down and (with my mask on) primed the entire thing with Kilz spray primer. I found out that Kilz sort of leaves a sandpapery feel to it so after priming it I sanded it with one of those foam hand sanders to get it smooth. This is what I had before I went to bed.
During Lawson's nap today I started on it again. I first spray painted it with Glossy White spray paint... it took about 3-4 coats. I found that thin coats... all though it takes much longer.... prevents the drips and streaks. It gives it a real "professional" spray look without looking like you used spray paint. After coating the entire thing which took about an hour, I decided that it needed a little color. So, I taped around the edges of the top of the dresser and then painted the top an avocado green which will match Lawson's quilt. After everything was dry, I began to add a brown glaze. I found it worked best by brushing it on with a paint brush and then wiping up the excess with a wet rag (or in my case a t-shirt) and then using a dry one get kind of "clean it up" and get the desired look you want. I made sure to leave a lot of glaze in the nooks and crannies to make the distressed parts of it pop! I then spray painted the hardware with a metallic ( it think it was called "hammered")color to match the glaze better.Before the handles were gold. Okay... here is the finished result!





I was a little iffy about using spray paint as I have not had much luck with it before, but after learning how to properly use it, I fell in love! It is so much easier than brushing on paint and dries so quickly! You can actually finish an entire project during nap time! It also leaves a really smooth, professional look.  Can you tell I was a little too excited about this project!? Hope you like it!
Dresser: $27
Spray paint and primer: ~ $22
Glaze: Already had
Total: ~ $49!!

PS. It is supposed to look kind of old and dirty. That's the glaze!