The Nursery - Step 2: The Dresser

Ever since we found out we were pregnant, I've been searching the local thrift store looking for a dresser for our baby's room. I was looking for something long enough that I could also use as a changing table and with enough drawers to store all those wonderful baby items. I found a few dressers here and there but nothing that ever seemed to be the one. Thankfully in December I came across this.

It's a little hard to see in the picture but the dresser has 6 large drawers and 3 small drawers down the middle and was painted sage-ish green with gold accents. What I loved about it was the routing details on the drawers and also that the entire thing was made out of real wood. So I quickly texted Marc to make sure that he was okay with it and stood there eyeing anyone else who even turned an eye towards my dresser. Thankfully Marc responded that he liked it, I was able to purchase it and then returned later in the evening with the truck to pick it up. What made a good deal even better is that when I arrived to pick it up the thrift store employees informed me that it came with a matching framed mirror. I was beyond excited!

Once we got it home I took to giving it a makeover. I removed the handles and, after testing the paint to make sure it wasn't lead based, I started to sand down the top of the dresser. The plan was to stain the top of the dresser a dark wood color and have the base of the dresser and drawers painted white. Let me just tell you the sanding took forever.

But I ended up with this beautiful sanded wooden top with a beautiful wood grain pattern.

The next step was painting the drawers white. Since I don't have a spray gun for paint I used a combination of paint brush and roller. I used the brush to put paint into the detailed routing on the front of the drawers and to spread the paint across the front of the drawer. I then used a roller over the top of the wet paint to give it the texture I wanted.

The outsides and insides of the drawers each got two coats using this technique.

The fronts of the drawers each got four coats, just to make sure it was as uniform as I could possibly make it.

It's a bummer I didn't find this dresser earlier in the summer because now that the weather's been cold we've been limited in where we can work on the dresser. I have been painting the drawers in the living room but I have had to leave the staining to someone else because it has to be done in the garage downstairs and to be honest, it's not something a pregnant woman should be handling. Thankfully my mom agreed to stain the top of the dresser for me.

She did an absolutely amazing job of staining the top and then coating it with a clear top coat. I couldn't be more excited with how it has turned out. I was also able to convince her to spray paint the handles for the dresser with Rustoleum's Oil Rubbed Bronze.

The last step was to get one of our friends in town to come over and help Marc move the dresser base from the basement up into the baby's room. Being made from solid wood the dresser was a bit heavy to move but I think it will last us a very long time. Here it is in the baby's room.

And because I love before and afters here's a side by side comparison so you don't have to scroll through the post to compare the pictures.

Next step, hanging some things on the walls.