Hidden Beauty Revealed - Dresser Redo

I finished the dresser. She's gorgeous with an English twist:

I knew she could be pretty even though she was rough around the edges and sporting golden oak - a color that had seen more popular times. Here's a refresher on what she looked like:

Now we had a chest of drawers, but it was too small. And even though I had painted it inside and out, there was still a lingering cigarette smell. ( Trust me, if I had realized that when I got it, I would never have brought it home but it was free. And I have plans for Still Stinky). 

It took me a long time to find the right piece. I looked at all the GoodWill and Salvation Army stores. All were either too damaged and "are you kidding me it cost that much for that piece of junk?" or just plain too expensive for a used dresser. (they're thrift stores for crying out loud! But that's a rant for another time).

Then I saw this one...ok, maybe she would work. She had beautiful lines but there were some issues:  a peeling finish, the top coming loose, a perfumey smell (spilled perfume?), and some rough spots. Nothing I couldn't fix. The size was right, the price ok, and the smell not too obnoxious. I double-checked her and decided to pay a little more and take her home with me.

We got her up to the farm, in the garage, and away I went getting her ready for her new life. I screwed back down the top, patched the holes, and got ready to paint. Then Mr. B wanted to know - "Are you painting it? Why do you have to paint everything and what's wrong with stained wood?" 

UH, nothing if it's pretty wood. I decided to humor do something nice for him and stain part of it. :o) . The top was in good condition, as were the doors, so they got sanded and stained a darker color, then  finished off with a clear coat of poly for extra durability. I  primed the rest, using Zinsser BullsEye primer, making sure to paint all the porous surfaces to seal off the smell (this included the undersides/sides of the drawers and inside the cabinet. Perfect.

 Next, I chose one of my sample color cans of paint (Benjamin Moore's Shenandoah Taupe ) and mixed up a homemade chalk paint recipe which I then used to paint the sides, door panels, and all the drawers.

I also decided the doors needed more oomph so added an British Flag design using neutral colors; in this case Behr's Creamy Mushroom and White. I also stenciled numbers on the drawers, lightly distressed the whole piece, gave it a clear coat of wax, and then added the hardware. All done!

White striping added

Creamy Mushroom over the white and distressed

Numbers added to drawers

Isn't she beautiful? 

She now sits happily in our bedroom enjoying her new look and lease on life. All she needs is some dresser top adornment but I am thrilled with how she turned out. I've finally hit on how I want our room to look. I will be working toward achieving that over the next several months...after all, it takes time to find all the right stuff. :o)

Thanks for dropping by,

Cecilia

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