I know you all have been waiting quite some time for the reveal but you're going to have to wait until I finish writing this post. Sorry. On the last post I had just finished adding the hardware to add the furniture legs onto the bottom of the dressers. Once all of the wood had been in place, I stained them, and sealed them for good measure! I used Varathane's Stain + Polyurethane in American Walnut. I personally don't think my wood came out that dark but I ended up liking the lighter colored wood anyways.
This was the first time I used a two in one product, I liked how much less time I had to spend on staining and then sealing it. I also didn't have to rub out the stain - the liquid was more syrup in consistency. HOWEVER, after the wood was dried, I touched it and it still felt like raw wood. I'm not sure if I feel this way because oil based poly feels like a sort of plastic coating and this particular formula did not. Anyways... once I finished the bottom half of the dresser, I was able to flip it back to its upright position. Just a disclaimer, the wood planks that I had bought to be used for the top was in good condition but I left it in my garage for too long during a crazy and unsolicited rain season that Chicago was hit with. And so the wood was a bit warped from the humidity and the front edge bends forward. I couldn't really complain though because I bought it on sale AAAAAAAND it was my fault. The first thing I had to do was sand down all of the planks.
The middle plank is smaller in width because the wood was on sale so whatever. I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture, but you can see how the planks are not leveled. I measured out the distance between the edge of the dresser and the wood planks so that the screws would go into the dresser. I like the sound of a drill so I used way more wood screws than was necessary. I also added plywood using nails and a hammer to the sides of the dresser for a more #midcenturymodern feel.
After all of the woodworking, I wanted to start painting the dresser. I used chalk paint. It's literally what it sounds like. The Annie Sloan brand is the first chalk paint to hit the market in different colors besides the black and dark green that we remember from our childhoods. But, her line is only sold at boutique stores and can't be bought online. I'm super impatient, mostly because the nearest store was 20 minutes away, so I ordered chalk paint from Amazon. The bottle was much smaller than I thought but I was able to do about 3 coats onto the surfaces that would be most visible. I used a regular paint brush, but if you want to be fancy there are brushes made just for chalk paint. OH AND HERE IS A TIP! Depending on what you are painting be sure to buy the correct tools. The brush I had was great but the handle was too long, and it scratches the paint pretty easily. There are brushes out there was shorter handles! Or you can use one of those sponge type ones or a roller. Don't freak out though, there's a special wax you can seal it with. According to some Pinterest boards, LOL, I found conflicting information on whether or not you truly need wax. I used it because I scratched the paint from just trying to... paint it. My best friend doesn't use it but she might have bought a different brand plus she likes the distressed rustic farmhouse look. So who knows, I'm just here to let you know! Sheesh that was the longest off tangent rant thus far -- stay tuned for many more. The reason I tell you this is because I couldn't decide whether or not I should paint the black part of the dresser or add wood. Spoiler alert? I added wood and then stained that too.
I personally think the dresser looks way better with the wood trim on the bottom, and if you don't like it then oh well, it's not going to be sitting in your room. Haterz. I let everything dry and put up some decoration. I might change it though because my bf and I are going to hang a TV right above it. I'm trying to decide if I want to add dresser pulls, and if so, what kind. I was leaning more towards leather pulls but we'll see!
All in all, this dresser was a very easy one. I will say that it takes a very long time because you aren't thinking about the time it takes to prep something and then also letting a piece dry before moving forward. I really love how it turned out! Let me know what you guys think!
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