Hey Friends!
This project was a true labor of love. I honestly cried when I got this baby from the curb and into my apartment. For starters, I had been crushing on a piece like this one for so long. It's a really classic piece, with charming character and a price tag ranging from 1,000 - 2,000 US dollars (ha!),I just had to have it!
The backstory: I was walking home from the grocery store when I spotted this piece on the curb with some other beauties (I passed on those). I went home and dropped of the groceries and went back to see the dresser up close and personal. While doing my inspection, a neighbor saw me take out the drawers and stack them on my dolly and he asks me "what are you going to do with it?" and I said "paint it" then he says, "give me a second, I'll help you" When I got back from dropping off the drawers in my apartment lobby, I returned to pick up the rest. My kind neighbor Isaac had it propped on an industrial dolly, ready for me to push it down the two blocks to my place. He even helped me maneuver it across the street and to my door. I was truly grateful and impressed. He had to be in his late sixties. (Thank you again Isaac Mazel Tov!)
Here is what the piece looked like before...
I had it stand vertically, because I had nowhere to put it, so it sat in my hallway until I was able to dedicate time to work on it. It was about 6ft tall!
When I was finally ready to get to work, I had to use the boys room. This meant camping the kids in our room for about a week and covering their toys and things with drop clothes and sheets.
The surface had lots of deep scratches and stains that needed seriously sanding. I used my handheld electronic sander to smooth it out as best as possible. I didn't worry too much about the stain, which wasn't going away with the sander, I had stain blocking primer in my paint. Score!
Here's how I turned this trashed piece into a true treasure:
1. I started with my drawers. I had limited space, if I had started with the body, it would eat up the majority of my work space and I wouldn't be able to spread out the drawers. The body was set aside, vertically by the boys bunk beds, while I put down my painting tarp and tended to the drawers.
Removing the handles was tricky, it's a vintage piece so one handle came with three pieces, so you better believe I was NOT going to replace them!
2. I then cleaned the surface of each drawer with a water and vinegar mixture. and began to give each drawer their first coat. I ended up giving them 3 coats. The dresser was going to go in my room. It was going to be used often, I wanted it to handle the abuse. :)
3. When the 3rd coat finally dried on day 2, I was able to move the drawers away from my work space and separate them throughout the room. It was time to start to sand and paint the rest of the dresser.
4. I began to paint the sides of the dresser (always paint the top surface - last). I lined the thinner portions with a thin foam brush and used a 4 inch paint brush to do the rest. It was easier to use a brush than a roller brush because there the dresser had lots of grooves and detail that a roller brush wouldn't cover, In fact, it could drench and fill the carvings with paint.
Here's the end result...
This piece is a true testament that someone else's trash is really someone else's treasure.
I just LOVE her.
Hope this post inspires you to transform something old into something new and if you do, share it with me on Instagram or Facebook, I'd love to see it.
Cheers!
Sarah
