Upcycled Nursery Dresser

AFTER

BEFORE

Like I said in yesterday’s post, I’m a big fan of finding old pieces of furniture at yard sales and thrift shops, and then refinishing them for a new purpose in my home.  Yesterday, I shared how I refinished a $25 Goodwill dresser and re-purposed it for a changing station.  Today, I want to share with you the other dresser in the nursery. 

This dresser was also a Goodwill find.  I actually purchased it a few years ago for $20 and was utilizing it in the guest bedroom.  I moved it to the nursery, because it wasn't really getting used in the guest room.

I refinished this piece the exact same way that I refinished the other dresser…..

1)    I started by cleaning the dresser with TSP cleaner. It can be found at most hardware stores.  I buy mine in a powder and mix it in a spray bottle. 

2)    Using a foam roller I primed the dresser with Zinsser Cover Stain primer.  It took two coats to fully cover this piece of furniture.  I keep this paint on hand for when I find furniture to refinish.

3)    I had leftover navy blue paint (“seaworthy” by Sherwin Williams) from the accent wall in the nursery, and applied two coats of paint to the dresser for full coverage.

4)    I updated the hardware with nickel knobs from Lowes.  The hardware cost just about as much as the dresser, making this dresser cost about $50 when it was all said and done.

5)    Tip:  Always take out the drawers when painting and let paint dry completely before applying a new coat.    

The only problem that I ran into with this dresser is that it had a laminate finish.  This was the first piece I had ever tried to refinish with laminate.  I found it more difficult for the paint to stick to the laminate, but after taking my time and making sure each coat was dry before applying another coat, I finally finished this piece.  I will say, that unlike other pieces that I have done, the paint is more likely to peal off on laminate.  I haven’t had any problems so far, but my kids are still babies.  It will probably get more wear and tear as the boys get bigger.