A Dressed-Up Dresser
Sometimes when I finish a furniture redo project the changes amaze me. This dresser for Trey and Grace was one of those times.
They’d been shopping for a dresser to update for their new home and when I found this one I knew it was a deal. Solid wood, in good shape, heavy as all get-out, only $125, and the ugliest orange you’ve ever seen. When I texted them a picture their response was, “Well, we trust you.” The translation was, “Woman, that thing is ugly and you’d better fix it!”
I loaded it up right then and hauled it to the house for a makeover. A couple of drawer runners needed repairs, but that was no big deal for handyman Chip. The hard part of this one was getting the redo done right for my “client”. I was asked to match the stain on the dresser to the stain on two side tables I completed for Trey three years ago – and I don’t remember what I did! And at that, I was matching off a picture he texted me since we live in different cities!
We started with stain
After lengthy discussion. we’d decided that the body of the dresser would be satin finish black paint and only the top and a few drawers would be stained, but still, I had to get the stain right! I bought several different stains remembering only that before, I had mixed to get a custom color. Oh my.
After about nine sample boards and input from everyone I could find to get involved, I had a plan. The dream combo was a dark walnut stain immediately followed by a classic gray stain. The layered stain was a perfect blend of medium brown and gray tones. Total spent for stain, paint, and poly came in at $44. Bethany painted and I stained and the dresser was coming along beautifully.
Next, handles
Trey and Grace had two entirely different ideas on the subject. Trey wanted a more antique look in the handles while Grace wanted decorative porcelain knobs. This proved more of a challenge than mixing stains!
At Hobby Lobby I found handles to suit Trey and knobs to suit Grace but they didn’t suit each other at all. The knobs were blue and white (bringing in bedroom decor) and the handles were antique white. Next, I added backplates to the knobs to blend with the backplates of the handles but… the backplates
Bethany and I were determined to make all these things a cohesive “set” using what we had on hand. First, Bethany used a silver buffing wax as our base layer on the metals, but the silver was way too bright for what we needed so the next addition was paint. Several applications of black paint to tone down the silver and bring out the designs in the metal, then a touch of blue here and there to pull in the knobs.
My finishing touch
I’m sure you can guess which verses I chose to write on the dresser. And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. Matthew 6:28-29
The end product astounds me. From thrift store to master bedroom. Looking at what the dresser was before I am amazed at the transformation. And guess what? It really does match the side tables. Whew!
Happy upcycling!
