24 Hour Dresser Flip

Oh what night !

Can you even believe that we’ve had this dresser in our house for 7 years ?! I purchased it years ago from the thrift store, for what was then Emma’s room, and I have absolutely no idea why I didn’t end up painting it all those years ago. It’s almost like it just became part of the bedroom, against the wall and forgotten … bizarre really !

Time passed and Emma moved out for university and Alex moved into her old bedroom as it was the bigger of the two, and the dresser was still there. I kept meaning to do it but obviously it was always filled with clothes and had knick knacks on top of it, so just got pushed to the back of the to do list … that is until now !

BEFORE

Alex went on a vacation for the last week of his Christmas break from school, and as soon as he left Em and I tackled his clothing situation. I call it a situation, as he LOVES clothes and has them everywhere. Tucked into every available spot in his room, and even some not so available !!

The good thing is that Alex doesn’t mind having things like this happen when he’s not home, i fact I think he secretly enjoys that she and I will go in and organize for him and then he comes back to a clean space 😉

Once we started, we couldn’t stop and even after Em headed back to Calgary, I continued to sort … and then I simply refused to put anything back into this disaster of a dresser without re-imagining it first !

The bones were SO good, which is why i bought it in the first place, so I was actually really excited to fix it all up !

Just look at the dovetail detail on those drawers … my absolute FAVE !!

Here is the kicker … Alex was coming home in 48 hours and I still needed to put everything away so I had to start ASAP !!

START HERE

I took all the hardware off and got right to work … Obviously my first step is ALWAYS CLEANING !! I use TSP Alternative for EVERYTHING. It is the best and non toxic so it can be used indoors and with pets around !!

Once I had scrubbed the entire piece twice, I pulled all the drawers out and gave them a little vacuum inside and a scuff sand on the outside !

TOOLS

This is the top … SO much damaged and I was really excited to see the wood underneath. Scott and I have really invested in the tools for my workshop over the last few years and one of my faves is my DeWalt HEPA Dust Collector for my sanding tools.

I have several sanders (including a great orbital etc …) BUT … my most fave is my Surfprep 3 x 4″ with sanding pads !! It truly is magical and worked wonders on the top of this dresser.

           

Because I have this dust collection system, I was able to bring this into the house and work directly in Alex’s room and not have to drag the dresser out to my shop (something that would have been A LOT of work for me by myself) …

I brought in some of my rolling risers to put the dresser on to make it easy to move around when working, and was able to get most of the sanding done AND the first coat of paint in the first 4 hours !

The top required A LOT of elbow grease. As fabulous as the sanding system is, it took time and there was quite a bit of green colored residue left over from the previous finish (see REEL on Instagram) … BUT I managed to get it off and have the surface ready for stain !

RESULTS

I used Driftwood Stain and Finishing Oil (SFO) by Fusion Mineral Paint and it was the perfect color. I added 2 coats and let it dry overnight … the result was gorgeous !

Did you know that the more layers of SFO you add, the higher the sheen ?! Once SFO is cured (30) days, it is the perfect protective finishing coat and can be applied over paint !!

I chose Fusion Soapstone for the base paint color as Alex’s bed frame is tufted charcoal and his curtains are graphite so this would be the most perfect complimentary color !

I had the first coat one night one and then second coat on by mid day the next afternoon. Fusion dries to the touch within the first hour and is ready for a second coat at 2 hours … so while this dresser would need to be used gently, I was able to add all the clothing back into the drawers no problem !!

COMPLETE

I did wait another 24 hours before adhering the new drawer pulls as I didn’t want to risk having to do any paint touch ups … Alex like clean and sleek, so I picked up these simple black drawer pulls at Home Depot … none of the gazillion (yes, that is an exaggeration) that I had in the shop were ‘manly’ enough for him 😉

Alex came home and walked into his room and immediately saw the dresser.  He LOVED it and has continued to tell me how much he loves it every day since he got home … I’d take that as a win from a 17 year old boy !!

I’ll be honest, I did think he might mention the curved bottom of the dresser, but he didn’t … though I may make a few cuts and give that a clean line before he heads off to university in the Fall !!

       

BUT … for now we are both thrilled with this 24 hour flip !! It’s proof that you really can re-imagine a piece in your home in a short amount of time if you’re using the right products !!

Fusion Mineral Paint is the best DIY paint on the market … i LOVE it and would love to help you fall in love with it too !!

Any Questions ?! Reach out … or if you would like me to work on your furniture, FILL OUT THIS FORM and we can make a plan. Thanks for stopping by …

Until Next Time … j. XOX