DIY Dresser

Last year my mother-in-law moved from a raised bungalow on 42 acres in Eastern Ontario to a one-bedroom apartment in our town to be closer to family. Needless to say, she had to down-size big time. She selected all the things she wanted to bring that were important to her, but there was still so much left over.

I really was not in need of anything, because I clearly have a home of my own that can use some purging (wink, wink), but there was a little tallboy dresser that I knew I could use in a specific spot in my son's old room. It's not the best quality furniture, but it was perfect for a transformation. Of course I couldn't just leave the dresser as it was…that’s no fun!

As usual, a good sanding was necessary to get rid of the shiny finish. This was done outside on a beautiful fall day so sanding dust wouldn't get all over the basement and then it was stored in the garage until I was ready for my winter project. Well, that time was in February in the middle of a snow storm.

As much as I love it, I wasn't going to use Behr's Cracked Pepper (PPU18-01) again, like I did on the armoire and buffet and hutch, so I needed to choose another colour. Teal is one of my favourite colours, and I have quite a bit of it throughout my home so I decided on Behr's Ocean Abyss (MQ6-01), a rich, deep teal. When I went to Home Depot to get it, Katie, the lady at the paint counter said “thank you...something other than beige!”. I guess she gets that request a lot.

There was a bit of a primer/sealer left over from another project so I added a small amount of the dark teal to it to cover the varnished wood. Then two coats of paint were added on top of that. I've had great luck with Minwax’s Polycrylic as a final finish so I used it again here. It was applied with a sponge roller and then a foam sponge brush was dragged over it to knock down any air bubbles. Three thin coats were used here, but I often use four.

I loved the glass knobs that I used on my sewing room cabinet, but couldn't find any inexpensive ones at Habitat For Humanity Restore again...and I wasn't willing to pay $7-10 per knob at the home do-it centres for a freebie dresser. Recently, while browsing through Home Sense, I lucked out and came across this great deal...8 knobs for $16.99! They are sooooo pretty and just what I was looking for.

The dresser fits perfectly in the spot it was meant for and the colour is gorgeous...so happy with how it turned out. I have three more items that are in need of a makeover and there's enough Ocean Abyss left over to use on at least one of them, but which one and where will it go once it's done? What DIY projects have you got underway?