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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Do It Right the First Time

My hubby really supports me in what I enjoy doing, which is refinishing furniture.  He also know's that sometimes it's hard to find furniture that I can fix up.   Well a couple of weeks ago he was out of town and came across this dresser and a desk, (I'll show you the desk in a later postiing).  It was really sweet of him, especially since he was in his small car and to get the dresser home he had to put a blanket down and attach it to the roof of  his car.  Let me tell you, he got horrible gas milage, and I really had to scrub to get the bugs off the top of that dresser!  I wouldn't have bought this dresser to fix up because of the laminant on the top and the condition the drawers were in.  They didn't have glides on them and I know how hard it is to find the right one's some times.  Take a look at her.


I decided to jump in and see if I could finish it in couple of hours, I knew what I was going to do with it after staring at it for a long time.  The drawers are wood but the top had laminate on it, I knew I needed to sand every thing...or did I?  My thought process went something like this.  "You know you need to sand the top or else it won't stick",  "no, they make primer and paint so good that you won't need to".  "You'll be sorry if you don't sand",  "no, it'll work".   And so it went until I talked myself out of sanding, which, I knew better the whole time I was doing it.  Here's the headache I had to clean up just for trying to skip a step.



After it dried really good I ran my finger nail over it and it peeled right off.  Yep, I knew that would happen, why did I do it?  Hubby suggestd that I just lay a wet cloth on it since it is latex paint and that I would be able to scrape it right off.  Look how good that worked, I almost didn't need the scrapper.  So I was back to square one except for the rest of it was painted white and looked really nice.  I did discover that I really like the top in a dark color rather then white like the rest of it.  So I decided to use AS Graphite paint, (I know, I know, no sanding needed).  It went on great and I finished it off with just the right shade of color to match the distressing


On the drawers I decided to lightly paint over the scrolling that was on them so they would show through really good.  I replaced the little knobs, which were really understated, with these that make a statement.  The top, handles, and distressed area match really good in color, I was really pleased that it turned out like that.  I also painted the kick board in the graphite as well.


I'm not sure you can tell, but I really like how that looked.  I used Glidden paint in satin, the color is a soft white called Swiss Coffee.  It looks kind of bright here but it's actually a soft, warm, white.  To finish the project I used Min Wax rub on poly on the top and the kick board.  It doesn't look anything like the dresser he brought home, does it?

 

My Hubby did really good by choosing this one, it has turned out to be one of my favorites.


40 comments:

  1. Wow the detail of the drawers really stand out now. This piece went from ugly to fab! Can't wait to see the desk!

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  2. That is gorgeous!!! I've skipped sanding too...and always regret it. Nice work!

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  3. Don't you just exhale when a project is complete... especially after peeling paint, no fun! Great transformation!

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  4. It's BEAUTIFUL!! Your hard work sure paid off handsomely!

    Deborah, visiting from
    http://upcyclingmylife.blogspot.com

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  5. It looks beautiful! All of your hard work paid off!

    Found you on Shabby Nest! :)
    http://www.releasemecreations.com

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  6. FABULOUS!!! Just loooove that detail!!

    found you on Miss Mustard Seed :)

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  7. This is stunning! I love the detail that went into it. Such a knock out piece! Great job!

    I would love to have you share this at my first link party--

    http://southernlovely.blogspot.com/2011/08/show-share-1.html

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  8. What a great transformaion! I love how you let he detail show though, very nice!

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  9. I LOVE it with the dark top! I'm going to get my first cans of ASCP tomorrow and am so excited I can hardly stand it! The dresser turned out totally cute! Please stop by and share this at my VIP party today... http://designergarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/vip-party-24.html

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  10. WOW! What a transformation. Oh you give me hope that I can do this myself one day!!!! Really, WOW. I'm bookmarking so I can remember this!!

    I love transformations! I just turned my secretary into a bar area in my dining room. I really hope you'll stop by and check it out: http://niagaranovice.blogspot.com/2011/08/picture-is-worth.html

    See you soon, I hope!
    Artie

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  11. WOW! That's absolutely gorgeous! You give me so much hope for some of the pieces that I'm working on. Nothing with that lovely detailing, but to turn that into THAT... WOW! Truly the only word I can think of! Great job!

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  12. That is a really beautiful piece of furniture! I just love how you redid it:) Great job!

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  13. So you are having conversations with yourself and you feel comfortable admitting it. LOL, only in blogland, because we all do it. What a terrific transformation! I love how you kept the integrity of the scrolled design.

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  14. What a great transformation! It looks amazing now.
    Hope to see you on my blog:)

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  15. LOL -- haven't we all tried shortcuts knowing full well they wouldn't work?! This turned out so great - the chalk paint really IS the way to go! Love that stuff and love your makeover!

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  16. What a stunning redo. Can't tell you how many times I just knew a shortcut would be okay--NOT! Well, this was worth the extra effort!

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  17. I am soooo guilty of shortcuts- persistence paid off on the end-well done! Lynda

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  18. The dresser really came out great! I too have a great dislike for sanding...and should know better. Those paints that claim to stick to any surface sometimes just don't work in my favor ;-)

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  19. It looks beautiful! I love the scroll detail on the front--and you kept it just perfectly! Don't you hate it when you don't follow your intuition? I've learned to do that with my kids as well! (Like bringing extra diapers, etc.) Ha!

    I'm having a Shabby Apple dress giveaway---I'd love for you to check it out! www.alittleknickknack.com

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  20. Absolutely love this dresser. I just refinished some tables and wish I had thought of the different color top. Oh well! Thanks for sharing.

    Since you are into design and unique products, you might want to check out our company. http://www.denydesigns.com/

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  21. I love how the scrolling shows up! I've had a few of those laminate tops sneak in on me too. Beautiful job!

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  22. Beautiful job, Sandi. The scrolling and new knobs really make it look classy. :)

    xoxo laurie

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  23. Wow - great job. I think the dark top is perfect. And i love how the scroll works shows. I would be so happy if you shared this project on my Inspiration Board {link party}. I know my readers would really enjoy it. http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/2011/08/inspiration-board-link-party-12.html
    Hope to see you there.
    carolyn | homework

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  24. Just beautiful! Good eye to see this diamond in the rough! Thanks for linking to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!

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  25. It turned out great, lovely transformation. Thanks for sharing at Beach Cottage Good Life Wednesdays.

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  26. Having to redo the top was the best thing, as I think it looks much better with the dark top. The pulls you chose are are very nice too.

    Thanks so much for coming to my Bunny Hop Party and sharing this fantstic redo!

    xoxo Bunny Jean
    Home to Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party!

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  27. I love this. Great idea to leave the detail exposed like that. I have something similar in my garage awaiting some tlc.

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  28. in the end it ended up lovely, and you learned a valuable lesson! i think we all go through something like this at least once. :)

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  29. looks gorgeous! the contrasting color you used in the detail really makes it pop! great job.

    thanks for joining the party!

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  30. Sandi-great makeover! I've used that tip about a "wet cloth" on several different occasions. I'm a "soaker" !!
    I love the pulls and the colors together.
    gail

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  31. oooooh, love this! visiting from a beach cottage. bravo! come visit me anytime. :)

    michele

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  32. Wow! What a difference in the before and after! I really like it - the dark top turned out great. Love the new pulls, too. Big improvement. Just came over from Bunny Jean's - glad I did. Following you now...
    XoXoXo
    Joy

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  33. Great job...I can relate to the not sanding thing and regretting it later. It turned out really good in the end though. Thanks for sharing.

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  34. It turned out beautiful! I love how you brought out the detail with the darker colored paint.

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  35. So pretty!! Thanks for linking up!

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  36. This is beautiful! I LOVE the contrast between the light and dark and how it's all tied in with the design carved in the front. Thanks for linking up at DIY Thrifty Thursday, your project has been featured on this weeks party!
    Michelle
    www.thrifty101.blogspot.com

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