Refinishing a Vintage Dresser

This has been an eyesore in our bedroom for some time. This was a hand-me-down dresser that was given to us and we have used it for YEARS. I've always hated the look of this dresser and it wasn't able to hold all of our clothes. I've been hunting for a new dresser that was
> Wood
> Mid-century looking
> Had more storage
> Drawers that move in and out smoothly

I knew I could find a dresser for under $100 that with a little TLC I could make new again. I came upon this awesome mid-century, solid wood, long dresser for $40 at the local Goodwill. Bingo! This dresser fit all of my functional needs, I just needed to make the wood darker.



And the results....



Here's how I did it:
1) Remove hardware and wipe down the dresser. I used a damp towel to wipe down the dresser to remove any dust and dirt.

2) Sand it. I used an 80 grit sandpaper and my small Ryobi sander to remove the veneer. I had to get all of the veneer off to get the new stain to soak into the wood. This task took about 4 hours to get the entire dresser sanded down to the wood. It's important to wear a mask when sanding and it's best to do it outside. I did this in my garage and it wasn't ideal and definitely required some help from the shop vac to clean up all the sawdust afterward.

3) Sand it (again). I went back over the dresser with 200 grit sandpaper to finish off the dresser and smooth it out.




4) Wash the dresser. I used a damp cloth again to go back over the dresser and remove any sawdust left on it.



5) Apply a coat of wood conditioner. I used Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. The wood conditioner is supposed to help the stain soak into the wood.


Stain should be applied within 2 hours of applying the conditioner.

6) Stain. I used a dark walnut stain in a satin finish for this dresser. I used a product by Minwax called Polyshades. It's a polyurethane and stain in one.

I would recommend using a cheap brush for this. Thoroughly cleaning a paint brush that has stain on it is not easy. Much easier to toss it after using it.

7) Re-stain. I applied a second coat of stain to make it a richer color

My final touches for this piece was to add a metal finish. I used oil rubbed bronze spray paint to paint over the white knobs. I also used the spray paint to cover up the faux marble top.

And because I can't resist a before and after photos

Master Bedroom Facelift

I've been stumped on how to design/decorate/furnish the master bedroom. I really wanted to bring in natural elements and loved the idea of grass cloth wallpaper behind our headboard. The cost of grass cloth and the effort to put it up made me want to come up with a plan b. Here was the plan:

Frame the bed with large fabric panels.
I purchased $5 bi-fold closet doors, much like the ones I purchased for my stairwell art project at my local ReSTORE. I took off the hinges and had 2 panels of wood about 17 inches wide by 70 inches long. I thought I could cover them in a textured fabric, like burlap and mount them to the wall. I found white burlap for $2/yard at a fabric store and purchased 4 yards. I used a staple gun to wrap the fabric around the wood. I attached D rings to the back of the panels and poked monkey hooks into the wall to hang the wood doors.





Change the lighting
I have always loved the Pottery Barn bedrooms with the wall sconces on either side of the bed like this Pottery Barn bedroom


I found 2 brass wall sconces with pleated shades for $10 on Craigslist. I painted over the brass with oil rubbed bronze spray paint ($3 at Walmart) and changed out the lamp shades for $10 linen shades I found at Target.



I mounted the lamps to fabric covered wood boards and had new lighting for $30.





Add wall art
I love the look of having a big piece of art over the bed. I had a mirror that I used over the dresser and I decided to put that between the wood boards.

And the end result:


Total cost for this project was about $40.

$5 Wall Art

I wanted some large, unique wall art to go on my stairwell. I stopped by my local ReSTORE, which sells discounted building materials and helps support Habitat for Humanity. I found plain, bi-fold closet doors for $5 each. The doors looked like plain wood art panels that could be used for anything so why not paint them?



I used 2 dark wood panels that were about 12"x70" long, took of the hinges. I used painters tape to tape off different patterns.



I settled on doing stripes. I used painters tape and masking tape to get 2 different stripe widths and used 2 different neutral paint colors I had left over from another project.



To attach the panels to the wall I screwed in D rings and attached them to monkey hooks.

And the end result:



See another project with bi-fold closet doors here.

Pottery Barn Taste on a Thrift Store Budget

I love a great Pottery Barn lamp but refuse to pay $100 or more for a lamp. At the local Salvation Army today I found this



Okay, the shade is UGLY but the base of the lamp is heavy and in great shape. The lamp was $8, a good deal, but when I went to the register it was 50% off!!! This lamp cost me a whopping $4! I knew this would look great with help from my friend Mr. Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint (love this stuff). A few quick coats of spray paint topped off with a lamp shade I had purchased for $14 at Walmart awhile ago and never used and viola!




It looks just like 1 of these Pottery Barn lamps:





The Chelsea lamp $150 for the base $49 for the shade

Bathroom Updates On A Budget

I'm on a mission to personalize all 3 bathrooms in my home. My goal has been to get framed mirrors, new light fixtures, paint, tile the floors, replace hardware, and install new faucets and shower fixtures. I've been gradually putting the bathrooms together by adding new items whenever I come across a good deal. Here are my bathroom updates so far...

Master Bathroom (my favorite mirror project)

I had the challenge of 2 mirrors and an electrical socket on one of the mirrors so ripping these out was not going to be easy then I ran into this wonderful blog. I love it! The trim was $45 (cost me $5 with my Home Depot gift card). I used oil rubbed bronze spray paint on the trim to match the light fixtures and 2 coats of polyurethane to top it off. A little help from Liquid Nails and, Viola! WAAAAYYY easier than ripping of the mirrors!

Didn't want to mess with this thing

Before

The light fixtures here are replacements for the yucky brushed nickle, swirly frosted glass lights that came with the house (see Jack and Jill bathroom's before picture below). Lights were $52/each from Restoration Hardware Outlet (marked down from $170 each-a STEAL)

Downstairs Main Bathroom

I give credit to my fearless friend, Rene for coming over with a crow bar, gloves and her game face on as she ripped my big glued and taped mirror from the wall. The mirror shattered and we we were ripping pieces of mirror from the wall. Dangerous, I know. It left a few small holes in the wall that I was able to patch with Spackle. The best part? This mirror cost me $30 on Craigslist and was only 1 inch shorter than the mirror that was glued on AND matches the wood tone of my cabinetry. Other steals in this space:

candle lantern $3.00 from Kohls

light fixture $35 from Ebay

frames and pictures $8/each at Michaels

Just scored a chrome $35 faucet at Ace Hardware this week, that will be installed soon.....

I also tiled over the vinyl floors which was one big DIY adventure that I'll save for another post. The tile is 16" glazed porclein and cost $1.60 a square foot on sale. Whole tile project cost about $200.
Before

During

After

Jack and Jill Bathroom

This was done with the help of my dad. He came out for a Christmas visit and I put him to work. Merry Christmas Dad! He took of the old light fixture, patched the drywall and installed another junction box to get these lights in. Lights were $30/each at SmartBargains.com. Mirrors were $25/each at Ross. Towel hooks $3/each at Lowes.


Before.......




I'm planning on tiling the floors in this bathroom and changing out the faucets, but only when I find a good deal!