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Monday, August 19, 2013

Old Dresser Transformation

I picked up an old dresser from Salvation Army about 2 years ago.  It has been sitting in my garage collecting dust....until now!

I thought I had taken a photo of it before refinishing but turns out I did not.  It used to look something like this:


Before:




 Now it looks like this:





After filling in all of the gauges and dings the old dresser had with wood putty, I repaired 2 of the legs with wood glue.  Then the entire dresser was lightly sanded with medium grade sandpaper.  I didn't spend too much time sanding.  20 minutes did the trick!

After wiping the dust off with a damp cloth, I primed the dresser with Zin stain cover primer.  I used the latex primer (not oil based) because it's easier to clean and doesn't smell as much as the oil based version.  I primed with 1 coat just to get the paint to adhere to the dresser.



 Primed drawers drying in the driveway:



Primed dresser body:


Primed side of dresser:


 As you can see, the primer doesn't cover the brown stain of the dresser completely.  The purpose of the primer is to get the paint to stick well to the dresser.  I decided to prime and paint the back of the dresser too, although you may decide to skip the back.  If you won't see it, why paint it?

By the time I was finished priming, it was dry enough to get the first coat of paint on.  I used the white trim paint that is all over my house: Benjamin Moore Dove White (or is it White Dove?) in a semi-gloss.

A nifty trick to get the paint to roll and paint on smoothly is to use Floetrol:


 Floetrol is a paint conditioner and it helps with less noticeable brush strokes.  The paint job is much smoother as a result.

For the blue color of the drawers, I used Benjamin Moore Wyeth Blue cut in half.  I added half of the Dove White to create a less intense blue.  I used the leftover can from painting my front door Wyeth Blue.

I thought I could get away with 2 coats of paint on top of the primer, but to get the coverage I wanted, I ended up with 3 coats of the Dove White.  2 coats of the Wyeth Blue on the drawers was fine.

I thought about getting new hardware for the drawers, but I kind of liked the hardware the old dresser came with so I shined it up with Brasso:




This stuff is very easy to work with and made the old pulls look like new!


They look silver here, but they are brassy in real life.


I put the dresser in my dining room because I need some storage since I sold the sideboard.  I will be revealing the new dining room eventually (you can sneak a peek at the table, below).  For now, I'm enjoying this revamped old dresser!



:)

Monday, May 6, 2013

Dining Room Redesign with Trestle Table






Restoration Hardware  
 It all started with the photo above from Restoration Hardware.  


I have been debating whether to trade in my classic cherry Ethan Allen dining room.
        
 This is my dining room set:


There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and it is definitely a classic and beautiful but I was looking for something a little more rustic.  I FINALLY decided to sell it and I'm happy to report it was bought by an adorable young couple.

Now, time for me to decide on a new table and chairs! 


Centsational Girl


 There's this awesome table Kate has at Centsational Girl.  I love this one!  She has a great post on her hunt for this table.


Arhaus 
 Almost went with this one from Arhaus.  They were having a great sale!


houzz.com
 Then I spied this photo from Houzz.  It's the salvaged wood Restoration Hardware table with white slip covered chairs from IKEA!  Perfect!  BUT wait!  The table is a little too rustic.  From some reviews I have read, the table is rough to the touch and is totally unfinished.  While this sounds great to some, my kids do their homework on our dining room table and I don't want them getting splinters. 

I need a rustic looking table but not too rustic.  Although Centsational Girl's table looks like it fits the bill, I wanted something a little less refined than that.  Something in the middle of Kate's table and RH's table.

Enter this beauty:



Zin Furnishings


Another shot with chairs:



This table is from Zin Home.  I spoke with them several times and I am convinced this is the table I have been searching for!  I am still waiting for it but the price was right and with free shipping, I went ahead and ordered it sight unseen.  I am a bit nervous, but confident I will like it. 

Since there is no IKEA for at least a 4 hour car ride from Syracuse, I ordered these slip covered chairs and had them shipped. 

Ikea

They are sitting in my garage, but I am planning on opening the boxes and setting them up. 

In the meantime, it's time to paint my LR/DR!

:)