Who doesn't love a good ole DIY furniture project? This girl definitely does!
I was SO excited about redoing this dresser for our little boy's nursery. It was actually my husband's baby dresser that he used it up until the day we got married! It was originally a piece his parents purchased before they had kids, and then it became Samuel's baby dresser when he was born. When we started the hunt for baby furniture, they offered this dresser to us. It was perfect for the space we had to fill, so of course I jumped on it and started planning my big DIY project!
I knew I wanted this piece to be a dresser/changing table combo. I found several examples of what I liked on Pinterest and pinned them to my baby bedroom board, which you can peruse here. The plan is to make it a dresser with a changing pad, diapers and wipes in a cute little basket, and other decorations on top.
It's a super cute dresser even before fixing it up. Some of the drawer bottoms and pulls have seen better days, but it is solid wood, has a cute layout, and (most importantly) has sentimental value. And when you're pregnant and making big decisions, sentiment is a big deal. :)
MATERIALS
- Sander -Black and Decker electric sander
- Primer - Zinsser Cover Stain Primer
- Wood Filler - Durham's Rock Hard Water Putty
- Brush - Purdy XL Cub 2.0
- Paint - Behr Paint & Primer In One in"Niagara Mist" - Satin sheen
All of the materials I used were purchased from my local Home Depot, aside from the electric sander and wood filler that I borrowed from my dad. I am so in love with the paint color we picked out, you guys. So in love. This beautiful light blue shade is called "Niagara Mist" by Behr.
I did plenty-o-research before doing this project about DIYing furniture. Do I need to strip it first? Is primer necessary for painting furniture? What the heck is wood filler? The most helpful blog I read was this lady --> Addicted2Decorating. All of the products I used were because of her recommendation. If you're thinking about redoing any furniture soon, definitely check her blog out for easy steps and tips. She also had a really helpful post about why she doesn't use chalk paint. On top of the price for a small amount of product, chalk paint is mostly for distressing or antiquing furniture. I wasn't going for that look on this dresser so I decided to take the latex paint route. Possibly the most important step was using the wood filler. It TRANS. FORMED. the dresser in such a huge way. I am so glad I took the time to do this step. It works like a putty to fill in the dings, scratches, and missing chunks of wood to make a new smooth surface for the paint. (And for a dresser that has seen a lot of life, you're sure to have a surface full of that.) It was especially helpful on the top and edges, as well as on the drawers where the original drawer pulls had left rings in the wood. Being a newbie to this product I realize I could have done even more filling, but I am still happy with the results. It was so worth the extra work. Left is before any work, and right is after sanding, wood filler, and a coat of primer.
After taking the redo process super slow over the course of two weeks, it is finally finished! (Minus the new drawer knobs that I still need to go get.) I am so thrilled with how it turned out! It was really tough to capture this picture in true color, but take my word for it - it is exactly like the paint swatch in real life. And it's really a perfect, beautiful baby blue color. I've got a few more finishing touches to add before I show you this completed wall of the nursery. There's going to be wall art, storage, stuffed elephants, lamps, drawer knobs, a rocking chair and even more on the next post so be sure to check back! :)
T-minus 40 days until due date,
Emily
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