Dresser Made Over

About six weeks or so ago, I had a minor meltdown on a Saturday morning because we didn't even have a plan for the nursery furniture.  I was completely freaked out emotionally even though I knew logically we had months to get things together before Wolverina arrived.  We sort of had a loose plan - get a crib from a friend who no longer needed their crib and get a low dresser that could double as a changing table - but nothing really solid, and it was stressing me out.  Ray, always calm, suggested that we spend a few hours looking at our options.  My patient, patient husband spent about three solid hours driving me all over town to various Goodwill stores and other consignment shops trying to find a dresser that would work.  We had no luck at all.  I was on the verge of a complete meltdown when Ray finally just stepped in and took over.  He picked out a new crib that had an attached changing table and suggested we use a tall chest of drawers in the rented storage unit his parents had offered to us.  His ability to see when I'm overwhelmed to the point of not being able to manage it anymore and take over is just one more reason I'm so thankful for him.

Two weeks later, the crib arrived, and we got it assembled.

And then we began the long, laborious process of sanding down an old dresser and painting it bright white to match the crib.  To be honest, I think there was a part of both of us that really felt bad sanding the dresser to paint it.  It's an antique, and while neither of us is particularly into antiques, we both know that it's pretty much sacrilege to sand and paint one.  But, Annie assured us it was fine to do because the dresser was not one they had any intention of using and would probably just end up selling it at Pop's Attic in the near future.

First, Ray removed all the hardware and pulled out all the drawers.  He spent a few hours with wood putty, wood glue, clamps, and tiny nails repairing the drawers.  Then he spent several more hours sanding it all down and priming them.  Then, he had to leave town for about a week for work, so I picked up where he left off and decided I'd start painting them.

Small top drawers that have been repaired, sanded, and primed. 

Please note the open can of paint next to the various tools.  It took me thirty minutes to make that happen. And, no, I was not drinking a bottle of wine while I painted (even though by the time I got the paint can open, I could have).  I ended up using the wings of the wine opener to get the lid of the paint can off.  My sweet husband insists upon taking every tool we own with him when he travels ("just in case").  I couldn't put my hands on any of the 50 screwdrivers we have or any of the 12 paint keys I've gotten from Home Depot in the past several months.  The hammer and scraper he must have missed while hoarding the other tools couldn't get the lid off, and so my next choice was the wine opener.  It worked pretty well!

When Ray got back from his trip, I'd painted all of the drawers with about three thick coats of hi-gloss Pure Ultra White from Behr.  (I seriously love that paint.)  So Ray pulled out the dresser itself to begin work.

We forgot to take a picture before he started sanding the face and top.  Oops!

This low-quality cell phone picture is meant to show the difference between the sanded side and the unsanded legs.  Oh well.  We tried!

 After Ray had sanded all the major areas with the handheld sander, he went back with just pieces of sand paper and got all the little details.  Thankfully, this dresser was pretty plain and not some ornate piece that required too much sanding.

I think Ray probably spent a total of 10 - 12 hours sanding just the dresser (not including the drawers).  It is slow, tedious work that I simply don't have the patience for.  I love crafting, and I love details, but I do not love sanding tiny crevices.  Because he worked so hard on the parts of this project that would have broken me, I was happy to paint drawers, put on new hardware (that he picked out), lightly sand between paint coats on the dresser, and put the final coat on the big piece.

Small top drawers finally finished and with their new hardware

Two of the three large drawers finished and with their new hardware

And, the finished product in the nursery looks pretty good for our first-ever attempt at this kind of project.  At least, I think so!

Yay!

The drawers really are all the same color.  I'm not sure why the flash on my phone made it look like five of the six drawers are pink.  Everything's white.  And, thankfully, the dresser holds a lot of her things.  The next step is to get some drawer organizers, to wash all of her clothes, and to get everything put away.  I think that might be my project for Sunday.