This is my first week returning to the office in this new state of "normal". While I still have reservations about the outbreak, I'm grateful for a good and stable job in these trying times!
During my quarantine I was able to get a lot of small and big projects completed. One of those projects was re-doing my husband's childhood dresser.
The dresser was a a plain brown press-board piece. Not a very expensive piece of furniture and probably most people have something similar to this dresser in their homes.
So, if the piece is made of cheap wood, then how do you redo something like that? Don't you just have to toss it and buy something else?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
While cheaper pieces of furniture require a bit more tedious work to redo--they are absolutely not off the table for a refurbished look!
The Process:
The first thing you should do with ANY piece that you are planning to redo, is clean it! Find a non-latex based cleaner and use a cloth to properly clean the surface. Remember, latex or wax is NOT your friend when painting. Substances like latex or waxy cleaners will repel paint and cause it to bubble and not dry.
After the piece is properly cleaned, it's time for the most tedious part of the process--sanding.
Sanding is my least favorite park of any project. It's absolutely necessary however. Whether a piece is brand new with no paint or stained, or older and covered in paint and stain--sanding is the best way to make sure that the pain really sets into the material and dries correctly.
I spent a good long while sanding these pieces. I used a medium grain sand paper and made sure to sand in one direction on the piece. Even if you are painting over the material, bad sanding can still leave visible scars.
The drawers were a little more tedious as they had small lips along the edges that can't be over sanded. If a piece has dips or lips on it these parts are especially vulnerable to over sanding. If you are using too rough of a sandpaper, or sanding without caution, you can actually wear down these vulnerable parts or just completely remove them.
After sanding I went over the piece again with cleaner to remove any dust. Then it's time for my favorite part--PAINTING!
I once again used fiddlehead fern green from Ace Hardware. I got a semi gloss, interior paint and I've had great success with this paint. It goes on smoothly and the color is both vibrant and durable. I would definitely recommend going to your local hardware store and talking to the workers there about what paint would work best for your project.
Also, don't go crazy and spend a ton of money on a gallon of paint. Pant goes further than you think when it comes to furniture. I purchased a quart of this color and it was more than enough to redo this dresser as well as the bed that belongs to this set (more on that later).
I also chose this color as it goes really well with my home, but there are PLENTY of amazing colors to choose from!
I put two coats on this piece and let it dry for several hours between coats. After the second coat I let it set over night. Even after paint on furniture has dried, it is still vulnerable to damage for at least a day after it has dried. The paint needs to set and be left alone. DO NOT install hardware or put drawers back into painted dressers/etc until you have allowed the piece to set for 24 hours. You will end up pulling the new paint off or causing it to flake.
The Finished Project:
After letting it set for 24 hours I installed the new white hardware and put the drawers back in place. I was fairly happy with the results!
I love this piece in the room. It adds a lot of vibrancy to the room and it works well with the rest of our homes furniture.
I wish I had a picture of the dresser before I started sanding. My bad! I got so busy with the project that I completely forgot.
But let me know in the comment section what questions you have or what refurbishing projects you've had lately! Remember to follow us on the majors of social media, and to have an awesome day!
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