Dresser Refinishing

Warning for all you folks who only read this blog because Nathan is adorable: This is one of my rare, Nathan-free posts. Feel free to skip it if you'd like. However, lately I have been inspired by the impending arrival of another human into our mix to do some reorganizing and furniture reallocation. As part of the increase in Fowle family population, my sewing room has been moved down to a sort-of finished room in the basement, which does not have a closet. So I decided that I should move the armoire from our bedroom down there to serve as a closet stand-in. This necessitates a different dresser for our bedroom.

One of the things I do for fun/to waste time is troll the furniture section of Craigslist (yeah, I know, you wish your life was as exotic as mine). When I saw this dresser listed for $40, I could instantly picture it painted a fun color with some new knobs. It had to be mine!

I have some vacation time this week, so I decided to use some of it to refinish the dresser and do a bunch of other odds and ends around the house. As you can see from the photos above, the dresser has been well loved throughout its life, and needed a little TLC, starting with sanding to remove the finish and some of the blemishes.

Safety first! This little mask was my constant companion throughout this project. You're welcome, Pepper! :)

All sanded and wiped down, ready for some primer. I moved the project into the shop for the rest of its duration so that it would be protected in case it rained.

Primer applied! Exhausted Jessica. This whole home improvement plus growing a human thing wears a girl out!

The next day, rejuvenated, I got to tackle the make-it-pretty part: painting! Well, before I got to the pretty making step I did sand the primer with a finer grit sandpaper, wiped everything down, and vacuumed all the nooks and crannies with the shop vac. Here it is after the first coat--looking good already!

I put a second coat of paint on it and let it dry overnight. This morning I sprayed clear enamel sealer on it and let it dry until late afternoon. Then I installed the new drawer pulls, moved everything to the bedroom and put it all together. TA DA!!!!!

I think it looks awesome with our gray walls and the yellow/gold of our curtains and bedspread. It's not in its final location yet, as I need Todd's muscles to move the armoire, but I can't wait to "move in!" Perhaps this project will inspire me to actually do some decorating in here. I repainted a year and a half ago, and still haven't hung anything on the walls--such a procrastinator!