Vintage Dresser Redo

Let me start by apologizing for the semi-awful pictures of this project.  I lost some files and the few  "before" photos I have were from my cell phone.  Hopefully you get the gist. I found this dresser several months ago at Goodwill.  Its really sturdy, is solid wood and has nice dovetailed drawers.  The only thing that was wrong with it was a small section of trim that had broken off the side and it was missing two knobs. Nothing structural at all.  I decided that it was well worth the $30 price tag and snatched it up. 

The finish on it was terrible.  It was creamy white with brown flecks.  The top layer looked like it was tobacco stained from years in a smokers home but didn't have any smoke smell.  Not sure what it was.  On the top of the dresser, there were several layers of paint.  The very top layer was very strange.  It was almost like a sprayed protective plastic of some sort.  Beneath that was another layer of tan paint and then a layer of mint green.  It had definitely been well loved.

When I started to strip the paint from the top, it began to melt and stretch and I could actually lift it and pull it off in large sheets.  Hopefully I didn't expose myself to some freakish chemical.  I've refinished a lot of furniture and I've never seen anything like it before.  Weird.

A friend of mine thought she may want this dresser for her bedroom. She wanted to do it in a gloss black.  We started with that idea in mind.  She later decided the space she had planned for the dresser was much to narrow and we had to use something else. The dresser sat half painted and looking terrible in my kitchen (storing art supplies) for a while until one day when my friend Kristin called and told me she was looking for a dresser.  

We pulled the half painted beast out into the yard and started to strip her down.  Kristin wanted to learn how to strip furniture (doesn't that sound scandelous hee hee).  Diet Cokes in hand, we got started.

Heres a before shot

We gloved up, put goggles on and got started.  One word of advice, when using chemical strippers, ALWAYS wear chemical resistant rubber gloves (stripper will eat through regular thin rubber gloves)and protective eye wear.  We both got stripper splashed on our glasses.  Stripper burns like CRAZY! Be careful!

Here's the stripper we used

I wouldn't recommend using the black foam brushes. The best thing to use is a cheapo bristled brush.  Stripper melts the foam brushes.I like this stripper because its very thick and tends to stay put better than some of the other strippers out there.

After you remove all hardware, put a piece of tape on the back side of each drawer covering the screw hole from the hardware.  This will prevent the stripper from dripping through the front of the drawer and making a mess on the inside back of your drawer. Its also a really good idea as you remove drawers to grab a pencil and mark the bottom of each drawer with a letter or number denoting which order they go back in so they'll fit back in correctly when your done.

Brush on the stripper covering all painted areas.  I lay it on kind of thick so it doesn't dry too quickly especially in the summer since I live in a very hot climate.  If you lay it on to thin on a hot day it will still loosen the paint but then lay right back down and dry solid.  At this point, be patient.  Let the stripper work.  I usually wait about 15 minutes then try to scrape the paint off in a small section.  If it sticks, wait a while longer.  You should be able to get almost all paint off and have very little to sand if you wait long enough.  Use a putty knife to scrape the paint.  Make sure to use a glass or metal container to put your scraped paint in the stripper will eat right through stryofoam and some types of plastic. You can see the stripper working well after about 10 minutes

The stripper was working well but the temperature outside was rising fast.  We couldn't get all the drawers stripped before the stripper dried and we ended up with this

Not a huge deal if this happens, just reapply stripper, wait a few minutes and scrape again while its still wet. Don't waste your time trying to muscle through it.

Its really pretty easy to remove paint from the flat areas.  The nooks and crannies can be a little tougher.  The easiest way I've found to work with irregular spaces and detail work is to use a scrub brush or even a toothbrush in the smaller areas while the stripper is still wet.  Be very careful to move the brush back and forth VERY slowly so you don't run the risk of flicking stripper up on your skin or in your face.  Once you've loosened the paint from the nooks and crannies, grab a wet washcloth and wipe the paint particles and the stripper paste from the wood.  You should be able to get it very clean. What you can't get off now you can lightly sand off later but its much easier to get it off while its wet.

If you decide you want to use the orginal hardware you can skip this step.  If you want new hardware that won't fit the holes that have already been drilled, you'll need to fill the holes with wood filler at this point. This is the filler I usually use.

Its pretty sticky stuff.  Try to use a putty knife (or even an old credit card) to press it into the hole left from the hardware.  Run over it again with the side of the credit card or putty knife like you would if you were leveling off a cup of flour with the backside of a butter knife.  You want it to be as flush as you can with the surface of the wood.  As the filler dries, it will shrink just a bit.  Add a bit more filler until it is flush or just higher than the surrounding wood.  You will sand it level when you sand the rest of the dresser prior to priming it.

Every once in a while I run into an applique on a piece of furniture I just don't like.  I wasn't really excited about this one and neither was Kristin. Most appliques are made of a mixture or resin and sawdust. They will soften a bit when cover them with stripper and let them sit for a few minutes.  I usually give it about 10 to 15 minutes then very gently try to lift a small area with a putty knife.  This one popped right off after about 10 minutes.

When we started this project, we weren't sure how we wanted to finish it.  We debated completely stripping it and staining it. Once we had it stripped, we stained one of the drawers and immediately changed our minds. This dresser was born to be painted! 

I love finished look of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Its fun to work with, has very few (if any) brush marks and has a unique finish I haven't seen with any other products.  In Tucson, we don't have any Annie Sloan stockits but my parents are driving down from Utah in a few days and have agreed to pick some up for me.  If you don't have it near you and want to give it a try, you can order it online from drab2fabpaint.blogspot.com They'll deliver right to your door.

We decided to paint the dresser in Annie Sloan Chalkpaint in the color "Primer Red."  We should have the paint this weekend and will post pictures as we work.  Thanks for looking!

End Table Redo

Vintage Nightstand Redo



While helping a friend with her master bedroom update we were both on the prowl for new nightstands.  We looked through a million websites and catalogs and stores. We found a lot of them that would "work" but nothing that really excited us.  We were on a budget and weren't really interested in buying new.  We decided we'd take our time and find just what we wanted. 

One night while on Craigslist, I spotted two matching antique walnut nightstands.  They had an amazing shape but a dark, dated finish and boring hardware.  I think the seller only wanted $60 or so for the pair.  The nighstands had just been posted a few minutes before I saw the ad. I was so excited I couldn't stand it!  I called the seller right away to see when I could pick them up.  The seller told me they had just been sold.  SOLD? SOLD!?? I wanted to cry.

As soon as I hung up my phone rang.  It was my friend Sue.  She told me she'd just found the perfect nightstands on Craigslist.  I described the nightstands to see if they were the ones I'd just seen.  They were.  I sadly told her they'd just barely sold.  When she told me she was the one who'd just bought them I about died.  What luck!  I'd get to refinish them after all. 

How to Do Chippy Paint Finishes

Nightstand Redo

Okay, I'll just come right out and say it. I'm not a huge fan of the matchy matchy six or seven piece bedroom (or living or dining room) sets you see in every stinkin' furniture store and Craigslist post out there. I hope I don't offend anyone here but I find it a tinsy little bit BORING.  Just putting it out there. With that said, the set of Rubbermaid storage drawers that was serving as husband's night stand was even worse than that. Ugh. I knew I wanted something fresh and light with clean lines that wouldn't distract from other pieces I knew I eventually wanted to add to my room.  We both needed drawers for storage.  I wanted them to coordinate but NOT match.  Also, I needed to do them on a very tight budget.  I found this nightstand for $15 at Goodwill. It had been marked down because it had a crack near the top.  I LOVE finding slightly blemished furniture because many times its super easy to fix and most people will walk right past it.  It's also a great way to bargain for a lower price. Since I knew I'd be painting it, a little wood filler and a light sanding to fix the crack was all it took. Here is the before picture:

 It's not terrible but its nothing special either.  The scratches in the top are just in the finish.  I sanded the top until it was smooth and then gave the rest of the piece a light sanding.  I filled the crack with wood filler then gave it 2 coats of primer.  I wasn't a big fan of the brass pulls but liked the shape.  I decided to spray them with Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint. I painted the entire piece in a warm antique white paint I had left over from another project.  I decided to paint it in a satin finish because I knew lamps would be placed on top and I didn't want any glare or reflection.  I gave it two coats of paint then lightly sanded back the edges and gave it one coat of antique glaze to give it some dimension.  Here's the after picture.  I love how it turned out. I also love the little Dollar Tree bird sitting on top of it :)

Vintage Desk Redo

While at Goodwill a few months ago, I spotted this little eyesore gem.  It was originally marked $39.00 but after a few markdowns was only $9.00.  It was in pretty rough shape cosmetically speaking but was actually really solid.  No wobbles, cracks or anything else that I could tell.  There were a couple of names scratched into the top (Jessica and James, you should be ashamed) and someone had spilled a bottle of blue nail polish down the side.  Aside from that, pretty typical scratches and water (or hopefully, DIET COKE) rings on the top. It was solid mahogany and had dovetailed drawers so I knew it would be worth the work. Here is how I found it:

I completely stripped the finish with Ace Hardware brand stripper then sanded (and sanded and sanded - dang your little hides Jessica and James) until it was smooth. Anyhew, after it was sanded, I stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut.  I painted the rest of the dresser a creamy white.  I decided to stripe the drawers.  I can't tell you the color I used because I mixed a few leftover colors from the garage....kind of a grayish greenish I'd call it.  Very neutral maybe even more of a light khaki.  I used painters tape to create the stripes.  Once everything was dried, I used a light antiquing glaze to give it some authenticity and dimension. I finished it off four coats of wipe on non-yellowing poly sealant made Minwax in glossy to protect the top from Diet Coke and pesky kids.  I replaced the round pulls  with new hardware I found at Hobby Lobby.  The hardware is amazing.  It looks much better in person.

Old Dresser Turned Fireplace

This is how it looks during the day. There is a drum that spins around the light so the "fire" seems to dance around the inside of the firebox just like the real thing.

Here's what it looks like with the lights down low.  It adds a lot of visual warmth and atmosphere without adding ANY heat.  I live in Southern Arizona, so that is a great perk.  My little one likes to snuggle by the "fire" after she swims to get warm.  If it works for her, it works for me I guess. :)

I found this amazing lady at an estate sale hidden underneath a gigantic pile of clutter.  I immediately knew I had to have her.  These pictures just don't do her justice.  She's a BEAST of a dresser.  I loved her curvey front and the way her feet met the ground.  The only problem was she was very old and and been very well used.  Over the years, several repairs had been made, most likely by several different people. Several different wood species and repair methods were used and the new finish never quite matched the original one.  In several areas, the veneer was bubbling, peeling or gone all together.  The finish itself resembled rough, dry elephant skin that turned chalky when touched.  There were major cracks running the entire width of the dresser's top. Two of the cracks went all the way through the one inch thick solid top. Because of the cracks, the top had warped badly and raised up on either side making the top unlevel.

When I brought the dresser home, my husband looked horrified.  I promised him she would be restored to her former glory (while trying to keep a straight face of course).  Yikes!  She was in rough shape.  I could try to match the veneer but it would cost a fortune and I'm not that experienced with veneer (okay fine, not at all).  I also knew the amount of money it would cost would be WAAAAY more than the fifty dollars I paid for the dresser.  We moved the dresser into the garage where it sat for several months.

Waaaaay back when my 15 year old was 3 years old, she realized there wasn't a fireplace in our apartment for Santa Claus to use on Christmas Eve.  She was quite upset. I ended up decorating a large box like a chimney in our living room so there would be NO chance she would be forgotten by Santa. Every Christmas since we've made a fireplace if we didn't have a real one.  We've made them from boxes, bookshelves and anything else we had on hand. Its become a bit of a tradition. We make a new one every year and usually end up donating them to a friend or to our church for a Christmas party/Santa photo prop.

A few months before Christmas I was looking around the house for ideas for the Christmas fireplace.  I looked high and low inside my house and then headed out to the garage.  I debated building a mantel from scratch and was looking to see what scrap wood I could use.  I had some wood stacked up on top and around the dresser and had all but forgotten about it.  I laid out some scrap wood on the garage floor and wasn't entirely excited about what I had done. When I was finished, I turned to head back inside and there she was in all her glory.  A little beam of sun shone down on her and harps played in the distance. It was a Christmas miracle! I finally knew what I would do with her! Now before any of you start to bag on me for cutting into an antique, I need to put a little disclaimer out there.....This dresser was in really rough shape. Most sane people would have cut it for firewood or hauled it to the dump.  The dump here is kind of expensive....probably its only saving grace. I realized the time, money and effort it would take to restore the dresser was more than I wanted to undertake. If I had it professionaly restored it would have cost a fortune. I decided the rolled front and overall size would be PERFECTO for our Christmas fireplace.  Here's a little looksie at her before:

Since I knew I'd be painting it, I used a heat gun and a putty knife and popped off all of the veneer that wasn't firmly attached.  Next, I used an antique hand wood planer (I found at a yard sale for a dollar) to level both sides of the cracks in the top.  I used wood filler and a boat load of sandpaper to get her all nice and smooth.  I removed all of the drawers except the top two.  I figured I could use those for storage as well as to hang the stockings from.  

Next, I used my jigsaw to cut out the "guts" (that sounds like proper terminology, right?) from the inside of the dresser.  I removed the bottom two drawer guides leaving a large empty box beneath the two drawers I left. I wanted to make the fireplace as real looking as I could while keeping the look of the dresser in tact.  I thought about bricking in the "firebox" and even bought a product called "Thinbrick" to do it with.  Since I'm a huge procrastinator perfectionist, the dresser sat and sat and sat with a gaping hole in its belly in the garage for another month or so while I thought about what to do with it.   Finally, one day while walking down an aisle at Lowe's, I spotted a sheet of faux

Several years ago, I bought an antique electric fire log at a thrift store.  I think I only paid $3 for it.  It doesn't put out heat and is purely for decoration.  It has a little drum that spins and has a yellow light bulb that puts out the most amazingly realistic little fire.  Perfect to go inside.  If you wanted to make a fireplace of your own, I've seen a newer version of mine sold at Lowe's for around $40.

Lowes Image

This one is actually listed as 50% off now thu 5/31/12.  It's called Duraflame 19-3/4" Electric Fireplace Logs.  They have a few others that would work well too. They also sell the fire log holders.

Depending on the height of your fire box, you may also be able to burn candles (or even battery operated ones if you have little ones or curious pets).  I painted the inside floor of the firebox cement gray and placed one piece of faux brick flat against the back of the inside back and one on either side (at an angle so the front of the firebox appeared larger than the back).  I then cut the door casing trim to fit the inside length on either side of the fire box.  I painted the entire dresser a satin black (Benjamin Moore).   I initially thought we'd just use it at Christmas but we actually use it all the time now.  Its actually really nice to curl up next to after a long day and perfect for the hot dusty desert I call home!  Also remember, you don't have to use a dresser for this project.  I've used other things to (bookcases etc).  If you make one, please forward pictures and I'd love to see them!!