DIY: Craigslist Dresser to Entertainment Center
When we moved into this house 3 months ago, we realized what an amazing location this was for us. Walking distance to the beach, good school district, awesome neighbors. Unfortunately, this house is lacking one very important thing: STORAGE! Uggg…storage…the bain of my existence. Seriously- being a military family that moves every two years, storage is a must for us. In our last house we had a basement that housed all of our miscellaneous items which we saved ‘just in case we’ll need it in the next place’. In this house that is not an option. We also had the TV wall mounted above the fire place in the last house and had no need for any type of media center. After moving here we needed something that would provide both a home for the TV as well as plenty of storage. So in true DIY fashion, I went to my favorite shop- Craigslist.
After searching through the adds to see what was available we came across this outdated mid-century Dresser by Drexel. Because I’m such an awesome blogger I forgot to snap a before picture. So please just use your imagination on this one. It was a 70′s shade of brown and the drawer pulls were heavily tarnished. The piece itself was still in excellent condition and was perfect for a little face-lift. Sold!
We got it home, removed the drawer pules and gave it a quick scuffing up with a sanding block. Notice, I did not say ‘sand’. To me the word ‘Sand’ (when referring to redoing furniture is a naughty word. Sometimes it is necessary to get the finish you want, but for the most part I just take a course sanding block and give it a good once over. You want to give the piece a tooth for the paint to adhere too. My handy mother in law happened to be visiting at the time so I recruited her help with polishing the drawer pules. She is so good and patient with projects like that-unlike me who gets distracted easily. With the help of some Brasso the previous tenants left behind (thank you!), she mad them shine like new.
After the rough sanding, I wiped it down with regular ol’ household cleaning wipes and let it dry. Then, I applied a coat of Zinzzer Cover Stain Primer. Love this stuff. Its oil based and will stick to anything. Seriously, don’t try the other stuff. Oil based is the way to go. Apply with a foam roller and dispose when done. So easy.
Next I applied the paint with a foam roller for the large sections and a brush for the corners and details. The paint used is Plumage by Glidden in Semi-Gloss from Home Depot.
After applying 3 thin coats of paint (thin coats gives you the best finish), I allowed it dry for a few hours then applied a coat of rub-on Polyurethane in Gloss. I wanted the piece to have a nice modern sheen so gloss was the way to go! We allowed the paint to cure for 3 days before putting it to use.
This project was a decent amount of work, but we are so thrilled with the result! Oh, and the storage is a-ma-zing!
I cant wait to find more dressers to re-do because now I’m hooked. What do you think of the result??
