Newest Dresser Revealed!

Remember when I pleaded for help with my dresser addiction? I found a mod dresser for $20 at my favorite thrift store, but it needed a serious facelift.

I was going to sand, stain, and poly as usual but then I discovered something I had overlooked - the top was laminate! NOOOOOO! Let this be a lesson, make sure you look at all parts of the piece before you bring it home! I was so pre-occupied with making sure the drawers were functional that I didn't even think to check the top.

Since staining this bad boy suddenly became impossible, I tossed around a few options: (1) I could paint just the top and stain the rest or (2) I could stain the drawer fronts and paint the entire frame or (3) I could paint the entire thing and be done with it. I chose option 2.

And I'm so glad I did!

I went through the usual steps for the drawer fronts. Sanded them down, stained (3 coats!), and then used a good poly topcoat (again, with multiple coats).

For the painted parts, I admit I skimped a bit. Everyone recommends using an oil-base primer and paint to get the most durable finish, but I didn't do that. I already had water based primer at the house and I just didn't feel like dealing with the extra hassle of cleaning up after oil based paints. I also figured that the parts that would handled the most, the drawers, weren't an issue so I risked it with the water-based stuff. Do I recommend that for everyone? Not necessarily, but so far so good for me.

And if you're curious, I just rolled the paint on everywhere I could. For the smaller parts that I couldn't use a roller, I used a small brush. It worked. Oh, and the paint is semi-gloss and I did two coats.

And I think the mod dressers have won the dresser war for rights to the master bedroom. The white dressers are getting the heave-ho (at least they will eventually, whenever I post them on craigslist).

I'm linking up to DIY Day @ A Soft Place to Land, Blue Cricket Design Show & Tell,