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.

Re-purposed Goodwill Dresser - Nursery Changing Table

AFTER

BEFORE

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.  Take a look at my project page, and you’ll see that I accumulated a lot of the furniture in my home by doing just that.

Both dressers in the nursery were Goodwill finds.  Today, I want to share a dresser that I purchased from Goodwill for $25.  The dresser is solid wood, and it serves as a duel purpose in the nursery.  It not only stores the babies’ clothes, it also works as their changing table.  I bought a changing pad from Once Upon a Child and found a changing pad cover that I liked from Burlington Coat Factory.  I added a lamp from Goodwill and a cute bin from Home Goods, and I had myself an inexpensive changing station.   And the best part is that when I no longer need a changing table, I can still use the dresser in a little boys room for years to come.

The original dresser was in decent shape, but I really wanted a navy blue dresser.  And because I only spent $25 on this piece, I had no problem feeling bad for giving a perfectly fine dresser a new look.

I refinished this piece the way I refinish most pieces with no sanding required……

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 primer and the sponge roller are key to getting a streak free finish without needing to sand, so don't skip those steps.  

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Goodwill Barstools Painted Black

 

I’ve  been wanting a pair of barstools for the island in the kitchen since we moved into this house.  Not wanting to pay $20-40 for a nice bar stool, I knew I needed to get my thrift on and keep an eye out for a set that I could refinish.

I did eventually find something that I could work with.  That's how these barstools…..

…..turned into these barstools…..

…..using the same method that I used in “Refinishing CraigslistKitchen Table – No Streaks and No Sanding.”

The black barstools look great with my inexpensive placemats and napkins from World Market and my clearance dishes from Target.

 

I love them!  The black paint makes them look just like the barstools I’ve seen at Target, only I didn’t pay a Target price for them.  Which reminds me….. I almost forgot the best part:)  I scored these barstools at Goodwill.  They were $5.99 a piece, but…..wait for it…..I purchased the barstools on the first Saturday of the month, making them just $3 each! YES….definitely a GREAT BUY!

Refinished Craigslist Kitchen Table - No Streaks and No Sanding

Would you believe that this table….



….used to look like this?

 

Yep, when we bought this table and chairs off of Craigslist for $50 last summer, this is what I had to work with.  Many might have overlooked it, but I saw a diamond in the rough.  Who wouldn’t want a beautiful pedestal table and chairs that if purchased brand new, would cost anywhere from $500-1,000?

 

I was glad to finally replace our old table and chairs.  There was nothing wrong with the old one.  I've just  been wanting a black pedestal table for a long time, so I was very thankful to find such a great deal on Craigslist.

When it came time to refinish the table, I found myself in a dillema. I needed the finish to be smooth yet durable. I really wanted the finish to look sprayed, but I didn't want to purchase a paint sprayer.

 Because I was wanting a certain look, I knew I needed to find a different technique than the one I used in “Painted Furniture.”

 

Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for this project was also not gonna happen.  ASCP worked fine for “Craigslist Dining Room Table and Chairs

 Makeover”, because we rarely ever use our dining room table.  What I didn’t know about ACSP when I painted the dining room table was that it is not a very durable paint, even though it is very easy to work with.  Because we use the kitchen table on a regular basis, I needed to find a more durable paint.

While I love the technique that I used for the master bedroom furniture in "Trash to Treasure”….

….and in “Refinished Craigslist Armoire”, the finish was too glossy for what I was looking for when painting the kitchen table. 

That’s when I came across this post from Just A Girl.  Much of her technique was what I was already doing, but she used a black paint that was completely new to me.  As you can see, her technique paid off! My table ended up having exactly what I was looking for – a matte finish that looks sprayed without any streaks.  I have no idea what is in this paint to make it so special, but I can tell you that it is my new favorite paint for refinishing furniture with a clean modern finish.

 

Her method was pretty straight forward.  Start out by cleaning the furniture with TSP cleaner.  You can find it in a spray bottle or a powder at a local hardware store.  I buy the powder, add water and put it in my own spray bottle to make it last longer.

 

After cleaning the furniture, I applied one coat of Zinsser primer.   I love this stuff, simply because you can usually skip sanding when using it.  It comes in both oil base and water base.  Oil base was suggested for this project.

Then it came time to apply the black paint.  I called every paint store that carried Benjamin Moore asking for the paint that she used, only to be told that they didn’t make it???  I was completely bummed!  Fortunately while calling the last store on my list, a guy who had been working with Benjamin Moore paint for years answered the phone.  He said the paint is just called something different now, and he had it in stock.  I ended up driving out of my way to get this paint, but it was completely worth it!  The paint that I bought was Benjamin Moore’s DTM Acrylic Low Luster Black 25 80.  I used two coats for the table and chairs.

 

And of course I used the magic of the simple foam roller for this project.  It does really well preventing streaks.  Combine the roller with the paint, and my table was lookin’ pretty good.

Add a bouquet  of $4 flowers from Trader Joes and some pretty napkins from World Market, and I was in business! 

 

I really love the finish on this table!  The only thing that I noticed about this finish is that when we had kids over for the holidays, their greasy finger prints did not wipe off easily. Once I sprayed some citrus table cleaner on it, it came off just fine.

 

Overall, this was a great investment for us.  After a year of searching for a pedestal table and chairs at Goodwills, garage sales and Craigslist, I finally found one that I could work with.  My patience paid off!  Definitely $50 well spent:)

 

 

Upcycled Desk Organizers

Yesterday, I posted “Goodwill Desk Gets a Green Makeover”.  In that post I shared how a $25 desk would end up meeting all of our organizational needs for daily things like mail, coupons and bills.  Today, I want to share with you how I upcycled items that I had laying around the house to create desk organizers.  The best part is that this project didn’t cost me a thing!

I’ll start with my 1-2-3 jars.  These jars are just votive holders that I no longer used and had in a drawer labeled candles and candle holders.  Using chalkboard paint, a sponge brush, and a white painter marker (all of which
I already had in my craft drawer), I turned these votive holders into storage for items like paper clips, binder clips and push pins.  If you don’t have votive holders on hand, they are really inexpensive and can be found for less than $1 just about anywhere.  Underneath the votive holders is a note pad and a piece of cut scrapbook paper.  The polka dot scrapbook paper is just for looks.  I thought it accented the desk nicely.

I often purchase fresh flowers every few weeks for my kitchen table and coffee table.  I happened to have this small vase from a garage sale. I think I paid a quarter for it and knew I’d eventually have a use for it.  When I tied a black ribbon around it and added a flower or two from my kitchen table, it became a lovely accent for the kitchen desk.  The ribbon was actually salvaged from a gift set that someone got me at Christmas.  I always try to save stuff like that and put it in my craft drawer until I find a use for it.

An empty pickle jar and some twine from my craft drawer was all it took to create this storage for my basic house items like scissors, tape measure, hammer, screw driver and flash light. 

 

In case you are wondering, a while back I purchased my black and green girl tools at Stein Mart;)  I just thought they were super cute!

To hold pens and pencils, I used an empty corn can, some scrap burlap and more of that black ribbon  I saved from a gift set someone got me for Christmas.

Lastly, I used a container that I’ve had for years to hold the excess change we have when we empty our pockets.

There ya have it!  Simple ways to organize and upcycle in a beautiful way, and you don’t even have to spend very much to do it!

I wont’ show you inside the desk drawer;) That’s my husband’s domain.  I told him that as Iong as I don’t have to look at it, I don’t care.  This desk helped solve all of our problems, and we no longer argue about something as simple as mail on the kitchen counter.

Goodwill Desk Gets a Green Makeover

 

I’m trying to catch up on the blog this moth by posting projects that I’ve completed over the past year, but for whatever reason never made it to the blog until now. 

 

Last spring, I purchased this desk from Goodwill for $25 and gave it a fresh look with some green paint.

 

 

I purchased the desk, because I was getting sick of the hubs leaving the mail or the bills all over the kitchen counter.  Apparently, the cute red mail organizer wasn’t working for him, so I knew I needed a desk with at least one drawer for our organizational needs.

 

I wish I had a before picture of this desk, but I don’t.  Basically, it looked like a paint job gone bad when I purchased it.  Someone probably didn’t know what they were doing when trying to give it a new look, got frustrated, and then chose to donate it.  Their misfortune was my luck, because I really love this piece.

This refinish was really easy.  1) I cleaned the surface.  2) I lightly sanded it to give it to smooth out the surface.  Had someone else not tried to paint it, I probably could have skipped this step.  3) I painted on one coat of Zinsser 123 Primer.  This stuff is the best primer, and you can usually skip  sanding when you prime with it.  For this piece of furniture I chose to use and angled brush rather than my trusty sponge roller, simply because there were a lot of nooks and crannies to paint on this particular piece.  4) Lastly, I painted on two coats of Sherwin Williams Jalapeño Pepper.  I happened to have a sample of this color in satin finish from when we were choosing colors for our downstairs powder room.   
 

 

Samples cost around $6 at Sherwin Williams. The color didn’t work for the powder room, but I think it made a great color for this desk.


 

I think this desk turned out great, and has been a nice pop of color in the kitchen for about a year now.

 

Tomorrow I’ll post about the up-cycled desk organizers I used for this green beauty.

A Red Front Door....

 

          Now that October is here, I plan on getting my porch all decked out for the fall season this week.  Before I do that, I wanted to take a few pictures of a few recent updates we did to the exterior of our home.  This past summer, we updated the exterior light fixtures and hardware, had our shutters painted black and my favorite thing….had our front door painted red.  I love a red front door!  A friend of mine gave me the color (red rose bouquet) that she used on her front door ( you can find her blog here.)  While the painters only used Sherwin Williams paints, they did agree to match the color up for me, and I think that it turned out great!  Along with painting the door, we replaced the builder-grade brass fixtures and hardware to make the exterior look even better!  And of course we painted over the green shutters with black, which made a world of difference in my opinion.  To give the door a little more character, I bought number decals for the door from an Etsy shop.  I have to say that the decals did not go on like a normal decal.  They went on like stickers and made it rather difficult to get it to look straight and perfect on the door. While the price was good, I don’t know that I would buy that kind again.

            Most home projects we do ourselves, but once in awhile we hire someone to do the job for us.  Painting the shutters and door was one of those times.  We found a local company who gave us a really good deal.  In the end, I was pleased with the results, but I will say that the process was rather frustrating and took a total of three weeks to get finished.  It was really a miscommunication with the company.  If you live in the Indy area and would like their contact info, message me and I can get it to you. 
      
          In the future, we would like to paint the exterior siding and put a fence up.  Both of those are expensive, so I'm not sure when in the future we will get that done.  And of course we have some minor landscaping to do.   I am happy to say that we are getting a start on that this week.  The giant bushes are getting ripped out, and a new bed is getting cut out for spring.  I'm really excited to work on my green thumb skills this next year.  In the mean time, I'm just happy that we conquered the door, the shutters and light fixtures:)

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