Thrift Store Find- Mini Dresser Refurbished

I love taking something ugly and turning it into something fabulous, and just this last weekend I had the opportunity to exercise my creative muscles. We have company coming to stay with us for the next ten days, and we I decided that we needed to have some kind of small dresser for storage, so our guests don't have to live out of their suitcases the entire time. Thus began the hunt! Maybe, I was just looking for an excuse to buy something to play with, but nevertheless, it worked. For a whopping $19.50, we found an old Ethan Allen three-drawer dresser. The piece was actually in great shape overall. The drawers pulled out nicely, and the finish was in good shape. Aside from the molding around the top, it wasn't very beat-up; it was just a little homely. The top had white plastic molding that was broken with pieces missing. Yuck. Why would you put plastic on a wood piece?! Shame on you, Ethan Allen! But, nevertheless, it was the perfect size and had potential. Here she be in all her whiteness..... 



The plastic molding has already been pulled off the edges in this pic. See below.



This is the plastic molding that was coming off

We pried the rest of the plastic crap off the sides, and then purchased at Lowe's some decorative molding in the lumber area to put around it. My husband used wood glue to attach it, followed by a few small nails.


Here is the unfinished wood molding replacing the plastic garbage

Now, you'll notice that the piece is an off-white color. Not horrible, but boring. The hardware just looked dated on it in that drab color. So, I purchased a can of spray paint in a creamy yellow color and went postal on that beezy. It took a couple coats to fully cover over the white, but there it was....yellow. Next came the fun part-Glazing. Using a single bottle of dark brown Americana paint (from Michael's for about $1) and a cheapo brush from Lowe's (for about $1.70), I got to work.


Painting sections of moulding with the brown

Using your brush, paint on the dark color, making sure to get it in all of the grooves. You want to glaze in small sections so the paint doesn't dry before you get a chance to wipe it off. Then take a large rag and wipe, wipe, wipe. You may want a dry rag and a damp one, to make sure you can get as much off as you want. I just played with it, wiping in various directions until I was happy.



Trim, painted in yellow and glazed

Once, I had the trim done, I started working on the drawer faces.

Going in the direction of the grain, I brushed on a few strokes of the brown. Then I wiped with my dry rag back and forth and in a circular motion.

Notice the color difference on this now, from the lighter yellow on the picture above. This is called "'I'm a woman now' Yellow".

Then I concentrated on the edges of the dresser, where I imagined their would be more "wear" and put more paint there, wiping it off. I did this all over the dresser until I was happy ;). Once the glazing was done, I added a couple thin coats of glaze in a semi-gloss from Minwax with a sponge brush (also from Lowe's).
And here she is in all her lovely, lady yellowness!



I ended up keeping the original hardware. It wasn't so bad once the color was different.



Side frofile, notice the glazing



Top- there were a couple spots I would have changed, but it dried too quickly. Gives it character though right?



Ta da! I'm uber happy with this dresser! I think it's one of my favorite pieces of furniture now. It's amazing how a $1 bottle of paint can make such a big difference too. I hope I've inspired you!