One day my cheap-dresser-drawer-bottom fell out.
Again.
All of its contents were lost in the back of the said dresser. As I tried to take the drawer out to search for the lost clothing, the whole piece of garbage fell apart!
This instance began the search for sustainable bedroom furniture.
We began in all of the big furniture stores looking at bedroom dressers and armoires. The ones we saw didn’t look much sturdier then the ones we already had and they were hundreds of dollars a piece. With three small children we couldn’t justify buying the set for thousands.
So one day, I thought I would take a peak at a different kind of “furniture store”.
Everyone laughed at me when I snapped this picture with my phone and showed them my newest project.
I ignored their chuckling like any visionary would. Instead, I convinced my husband that I could work some magic.
Luckily, he has learned to let me get my own way at times.
We lugged this hideous heavy oak dresser home in our truck.
Complete with ornate finials, moth balls and spider webs.
I will admit, I really had to squeeze my imagination for some inspiration for this one. Those ornate finials were distracting every time I tried to dream up the new version this dresser could become. But, with some brain power, I pictured it sleek and streamlined with little brushed silver pulls. Good as new!
The dresser was soooo heavy! Full wood! Practically an entire tree! So moving it required some determination.
Quality furniture with a very dated look. 😉
Inside the dresser doors on either end, there were three little drawers. Sturdy too, and made of full wood.
For $25.00 we lugged it to its new home.
Once hidden, in the safety of our garage, away from prying and judging eyes, I started prying off the finials.
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Those finials left a bazillion nail holes! And man, they were made out of real oak too! I had to pull out the imagination and the muscle for this project.
I just used a slot screw driver to pull them off. They revealed beautiful unstained wood, and I started to get excited again for this makeover.
I removed all of the pulls and which meant more holes that needed filled.
Big ones.
Uggg.
Big ones.
Uggg.
I started to get a little overwhelmed at this point since the piece wasn’t changing as quickly as I wanted it to. I knew there was a lot of work ahead of me, which doesn’t sit well with someone who can be impatient.
For the next nine months my hubby and I sanded these pieces down.
If the garage got too cold or too hot with the weather, we would push this project aside.
If the garage got too cold or too hot with the weather, we would push this project aside.
It felt daunting.
I started filling some of the holes with this tinted wood filler and then hand sanded the filled spots until they were smooth. It was MUCH easier then I had anticipated, which meant I became passionate again to finish this ole dresser!
I filled the holes about four times each since the previous handles had gone right through the wood.
Finally, when we started to renovate our lower level I had a good reason to utilize the big empty area in the basement; to sand and paint till my hearts content, without the weather being an excuse.
So one evening we lugged this baby down to the big open area.
I puttied and sanded and puttied and sanded.
Because of all the drying time between applications, this process took a whole day.
Finally they were all sanded.
I then took out all of the drawers to get into all the tiny crevices of the wood.
After washing all of the surfaces to make sure they were free of dust, I taped off the ends.
I found two cans of Ralph Lauren Paint at my favourite free paint store. One gallon can wasn’t even opened! It was the perfect grey-taupe that I was looking for too! It is called `Mercer` and I got it in an eggshell finish.
After two coats of paint our furniture was ready to have new holes for hardware drilled in perfectly.
Since I would usually “eye ball it” I called in the pros.
“The King of the pros” = my husband.
We couldn’t decide what we liked better, so we went with round pulls and straight pulls with a slight antique look to them.
We argued discussed where the round pulls should go and where the long pulls should end up. And then, we both ended up compromising.
Once the pulls were on, I wanted to make the inside of the drawers look pretty too. I found some lovely wallpaper on my travels for $2 a roll!
I picked up two kinds, since they were both too pretty to pass up. In the end, I decided on using the cream based one with the graphic black flowers that were outlined in a pretty gold.
I traced the drawers on to the wallpaper and used it as a liner.
Once the drawers were back in place, we spent a horrible evening lugging this heavy piece up four flights of stairs.
I don’t know what was worse, heaving the huge dresser up the stairs, or having my husband joke that he might drop the huge dresser on me as I tried to maneuver it up a skinny stair well.
Once in place though, we were both so happy at the way this little outdated dresser had changed.
I love how it can hold so much storage and it how it made such a transformation from its days as a dated dresser begging for someone to see its potential.
It fits perfectly into our bedroom.
I still cant believe this beauty was hidden in the back of a little store.
Just to refresh your memory, it looked like this before:
And now…
I love this big dresser on the little wall in our master bedroom.
The paint colour changes depending on the time of day. Sometimes it looks more taupe, sometimes a deep grey and sometimes it looks like it has a hint of blue.
I am one smitten kitten.
I only wish it didn’t take us a year to get motivated to complete this project.
It was definitely worth it.
PS: I am in the process of finishing a bunch of projects complete with tutorials! I hope you will follow along to cheer me on!
Mel@Mellywood's Mansion
October 13, 2012 at 12:23 pmTotally worth it, you've done an amazing job, well done!
Judy grieve
October 13, 2012 at 12:35 pmGreat transform….I have a similar one and now that you know what to do….
Angela @ Number Fifty-Three
October 13, 2012 at 12:55 pmFantastic! I love the transformation paint can make. I'm now following you!
Angela
Mimi's Vintage Charm
October 13, 2012 at 2:50 pmwow! you did a wonderful job with that dresser. i have seen furniture like that and am always overwhelmed by all the details/moldings on it. you have shed new light on a piece like that… great update 🙂
Anonymous
October 14, 2012 at 2:43 amGreat vision Bethany! So worth the hard work. It will last forever comparied to the newer kind. You've inspired me to have a look at Op Shops ( second hand shops ) for something in my main bedroom. I just hope I can be as diligent, and patient as you've been. Thanks for sharing even the time it took too. Makes it real,if that makes sense? Jojo 🙂
Brandi
October 14, 2012 at 1:35 pmOh my goodness, I can't get over how beautiful your dresser looks. I have never painted such a huge piece of furniture. You gave the dresser such a gorgeous makeover. I love the drawer liners too. It's all in the details!
bethanygier
October 14, 2012 at 1:40 pmThanks Brandi. It was a big piece but now that I have gotten it out of the way, the next piece wont talke me so long to complete. You could totally do one like that too! And the drawer liners, add the perfect ammount of bling. 😉
bethanygier
October 14, 2012 at 1:44 pmJo Jo,
I hope you find a piece at at little store and re do it too!! I want to see pictures if you do!
bethanygier
October 14, 2012 at 1:51 pmThanks everyone for the kind words! Glad this re do it over! 😉
Jenny Meier
October 15, 2012 at 12:55 pmThis is an amazing transformation.
Jennifer {The Chronicles of Home}
October 15, 2012 at 11:13 pmWOW. Long process, but it couldn't have been more worth it for the kick ass high-end look you got!
bethanygier
October 16, 2012 at 1:11 amThanks Jenny and Jennifer. 😉
Glad you girls approve! Thanks for taking a look!
Michele at Better Organized Living
October 16, 2012 at 1:36 amAmazing transformation! The dresser looks wonderful. I love the color too.
I am a first time visitor off to check out the rest of your site! Love what I have seen so far.
Infarrantly Creative
October 16, 2012 at 12:36 pmThis before and after is Amazing!!! Love the color and hardware you picked! It's up over on my FB! I couldn't tag you? Couldn't find you on FB. So you can do that 🙂
Lisa Holman of XSBaggage and Co.
October 16, 2012 at 1:35 pmWhat a gorgeous piece of furniture! You did a fantastic job!
decorumdiyer
October 16, 2012 at 3:26 pmThat is lovely. I was a little skeptical when I realized you were removing the frilly woodwork, but it turned out great!
bethanygier
October 17, 2012 at 1:55 amThanks for the encouragement ladies! Yes, that frilly wood work needed to go for me in this case. 🙂
Im so happy that I could inspire you just a little bit!!
And Beckie, thank you for the feature on your facebook page! I have my facebook page up and running now too, thanks for the reminder. lol 🙂
Georgette
October 17, 2012 at 6:02 amOh my goodness this came out super fab! I love the color and hardware. What a gorgeous statement piece! Good Job chica:)
visiting from Pink Calaveras:)
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper
October 17, 2012 at 5:04 pmwhat a difference! i love the masculine look it has now!
Kelly
October 17, 2012 at 6:40 pmIt looks fantastic! Kuddos to you for sticking with it…even when you were freaking out 🙂
karen@somewhatquirky
October 17, 2012 at 10:04 pmThis turned out beautifully. Looks great without that ugly trim.
bethanygier
October 17, 2012 at 10:08 pmThanks for stopping by Georgette and Karen! I will make it a point to come visit you too! Thank you too for the nice comments. 🙂
bethanygier
October 17, 2012 at 10:12 pmKelly – you noticed I was freaking out? ;)lol
Cassie- I agree, it has a masculine feel which I love. When you see the rest of the thr room you will know why it needed some masculine touches.
Sam
October 18, 2012 at 3:45 amThis is beautiful! Perfect project!
xo Sam
DIY Huntress
Between Blue and Yellow
October 20, 2012 at 1:09 pmI just love those old dressers! They clean up so nice, yours is fantastic.
Courtney {a thoughtful place}
October 22, 2012 at 3:14 amSo so gorgeous!!!!
Jenny@thelavendermagnolia
October 23, 2012 at 3:22 amBeautiful makeover! I am on the lookout for an equally ummmmm…..ugly dresser to makeover as a tv stand for our living room. It will add so much storage to our house plus save us so much money.
Great job!
Jenny
Pretty Purple Treaures
October 23, 2012 at 6:49 pmYou stopped by my drawer front art post and I stopped by the see this! I love it!! It reminds me a lot of the piece that drawer front came from. I hope you saved all those things you pried off, wall art possibility?? 🙂
bethanygier
October 24, 2012 at 3:45 amThankd for the sweet comments ladies! They brighten my day!
Jenny- i hope you find the most hideous dresser and make it GORGEOUS! lol
…and yes I kept the finials, they are heavy duty! I want to use them somewhere soon…maybe an Ikea hack??
Mystery Girl
October 24, 2012 at 12:36 pmThat was lovely. I also want to have some repainting for my furnitures at home.
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October 31, 2012 at 9:58 amThank you for such a fantastic blog. Where else could anyone get that kind of info written in such a perfect way? I have a presentation that I am presently working on, and I have been on the lookout for such information.
TAMARA
November 6, 2012 at 12:10 amfree paint store?? i need more info, that is a great color.
bethanygier
November 7, 2012 at 9:05 pmTamara- in my city we have a recycling place at our local dump. The link is in the post, but check with your city to see if you have one too! It is such a great program, you can find cleaning supplies, paint, stain. Some that arent even open! Such a great way to truly recycle and reuse!
mark
November 27, 2012 at 8:19 amyou've done an amazing job, well done!you did a wonderful job with that dresser. I love the drawer liners too. It's all in the details
thanks for shearing
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Office Furniture Supplier
December 17, 2012 at 3:22 amWith some fixing and matching, Tah-da! You finally completed that master bedroom project especially with that dresser. Good job! 🙂
mark
December 21, 2012 at 12:02 pmThis before and after is Amazing!!! Love the color and hardware thanks for sharing see more
Fitted Bedroom Wardrobes Specialist
January 9, 2013 at 2:06 amGlad you transformed that outdated dresser into a contemporary, elegant one. Thanks for letting readers know how you did it.
Muhammad Amjad
January 9, 2013 at 4:54 amGorgeous furniture and lovely look ….done fantastic job.
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Mary Elizabeth
September 18, 2014 at 2:25 amWell done Bethany! You did an excelkent job rom the prep to the painting!! http://www.thepaintedtableboutique.blogspot.com
Alanna
October 2, 2014 at 7:44 pmI've been looking for gallery wall ideas for our drab bedroom and I love the chalkboards you used! Saving this idea for when we can finally re-do our room. Thanks! (And the dresser make over is nearly unbelievable! Awesome job!)
ladyg
October 20, 2014 at 3:37 pmGreat job on the dresser makeover!
ladyg
October 20, 2014 at 3:41 pmGreat job on the dresser makeover!
Weronika
December 26, 2014 at 9:22 amI can't get over the fact that you had a hand made dresser with beautiful ornaments and you turned it into something that looks like something tacky from IKEA…
Kathrine Barnes
February 24, 2015 at 5:07 amBeautiful! I love doing furniture re-do's. I found a china cabinet in the back room of an antique store several years ago. I lugged it home and everyone looked at me strangely too. I finally finished it and it is now a gorgeous piece of furniture in my living room.
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stephenn richardsonn
March 23, 2015 at 7:20 amYou did an excelkent job rom the prep to the painting!!
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Kari Turner
August 10, 2015 at 7:42 pmLooks awesome!
Question: what did you do as far as night stands and any other furniture in your room?
Thanks,
Kari
Paula Carr
September 24, 2015 at 7:06 pmI absolutely hate the grey paint — makes the dresser look like something off an old battleship.
It definitely looks better updated, but I think I would have saved more of the moldings you did keep to give it a bit more character. The curlicues could go for sure!
bethanygier
September 25, 2015 at 2:42 amHi Paula! Thanks for your advice! Personally we love the outcome! Grey isn't meant for everyone. 🙂
bethanygier
September 25, 2015 at 2:43 amKari! Im sorry I didn't see this sooner. IF you search master bedroom update you can see that I redid some RAST Ikea sidetables and love the look! Hope that helps!
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December 15, 2015 at 4:19 amI followed your technique and used the same color paint on all of my old cherry wood bedroom furniture… Dresser, nightstands and head/foot boards were all transformed. It turned out fantastic! Now I LOVE my bedroom and look forward to spending time in our new 'retreat'. Thank you for sharing your ideas!
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December 25, 2015 at 1:39 pmGreat job! Would love to know what you paid for the dresser.