Dresser Make Over; Taking Chances

Ok, here’s a super quick tutorial on turning that old, clunky dresser into a piece you’d be proud to have in your house.

But first, let’s get one thing straight: THIS IS NOT YOUR NORMAL HOW TO. In fact, this should really showcase all of the things you are NOT SUPPOSED TO DO, but it doesn’t because it totally worked.

I had this dresser for the girls. They HATED IT. It was SO UGLY. So ugly that their clothes were constantly jumping out of the drawers and onto the floor. Seriously? Why else would the girls’ room be littered with clothes? [Face Palm]

I wasn’t sure what to do with this thing. I was working at the time and wedding season was in full swing; I did not have the time for a make-over, which is probably why I was comfortable taking so many chances with this piece.

One random afternoon, while everyone was at school, I decided to go for it. I had found some old paint in the garage; a turquoise color left over from an project years ago. When I opened the can, I should have stopped, packed up my shit, and called it a day. But, I didn’t. The paint was basically separated and the color pigment was pasty and gooey…. everything paint is not supposed to be. Looking at this can of paint, I realized it must have frozen and thawed a few times over the years. I also had a can of walnut stain.

I took a stick and poked my paint. There was no stirring it. This is when my brain remembered something about staining wood with shoe polish. Was this the texture of shoe polish? I didn’t know. I have never once polished my shoes. Fuck it, I thought and grabbed a rag. I then proceeded to rub that turquoise goop all over the dresser. Of course I had a technique; I dumped some of the walnut stain into the can of rotten paint and pressed down really hard to scoop out some of the pigment onto my rag. After rubbing it on the dresser, I took a second rag and wiped away any excess.

Guess what? I didn’t sand. Crap. Oh well, too late. I honestly didn’t care because I really thought this would never stick or it would look awful and I would end up repainting it anyhow.

But it didn’t look awful and it did stick. In fact, it kind of looked great.

The whole point of sharing this story is to show you that you CAN break the rules. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don’t. Here’s the thing: DON’T BE SCARED to try something because you don’t have the exact “Materials List.” I look at my projects like cooking; I know what I want the outcome to be, but sometimes you’ve got to substitute and that’s okay. Maybe you don’t end up liking the end result as much. No worries! It’s only paint. But, maybe you LOVE the end result better than your original idea. You won’t know unless you try.

**The not sanding part, though… Let’s just agree to always sand first. I was completely shocked that the color didn’t just wipe away. It more than likely has something to do with mixing in the stain and the dresser not having a thick finish on it. Regardless, I totally got lucky.

**Storing paint to use again on future projects is great! Make sure it’s stored according to it’s label.

QUICK REVIEW

• Find a Cheap Piece you can use in your life. Maybe you already own your piece. If this is your first project, start small. Or test a larger idea on a smaller piece. This makes it a bit easier if it ends up being a total fail or redo.
• Pick Your Finish. Paint, Stain… and get it. Also decide on if you are using a brush or a rag.
• SAND your piece. If you are painting, a light sanding will do. If you are staining, you may have to sand more, depending on your ideal final look. Check your product cans for their recommendations.
• Paint/Stain your piece. This is the fun part. Get crazy! Be Brave! This is Art; your art. I always remind myself: You Can Never Mess Up In Art. It Changes, But There’s never A Mistake.
• Let Your Piece Dry. You should let it cure for at very least 24 hours. Depending on how you plan to use it, maybe longer. Honestly, I have been known not to follow this step. That’s not the best choice. For example, our T.V. is “Stuck” to our current T.V. Stand. If we move our T.V. I will HAVE TO REDO the top. Try to be more patient than I am.
• Brag About Your Piece! You deserve it. If you happen to have a “fail”, do not worry about it; learn from it!