From a Dresser to a Chest of Drawers

I have to start this by screaming,

"YAY IT'S FINISHED!!!!"

WARNING : this post is picture HEAVY but welllll worth it : )

 Let me first take you to the beginning ...

 About 3 weeks ago a friend contacted me asking if I would be interested in

 a chest of drawers (I was school'd on the REAL name by a GOOD friend, you know who you are ; ) )

 that was set out for the trash across from her house.

 I said, "Send me a picture and I'll let ya know"

 This is what she sent me

YES, OF COURSE I WANTED IT !!!

Looks good from the picture right?

When I got my first glance at the piece I KNEW I was going to have a challenge on my hands.

My friend, who helped me pick it up, kept asking me if I was sure I was willing to take it on.

I thought if I didn't feel confident it could go out with MY trash but I was up for the challenge.

We hauled it home (it was HEAVY) and

I got started creating a master piece

 I started by removing the back which basically fell off

Now, I must say, that I have picked up MANY things off the side of the road

 to work on and have NEVER come across anything this scary.

 I warn you, this is BAD!!!

I had to bang the drawers out. They were SO stuck due to a HORRIBLE paint job.

There was a stamp of "Dixie" in the top drawer.

 The piece was LOADED with mud daubers nests, wasps nest, roach eggs, dead bugs and 

 HUGE dead spiders (which I am HIGHLY afraid of as is).

It was NASTY !!!

Let me tell ya, it took me a GOOD 4 hours to just clean the inside of this puppy.

 Vacuuming. Scrubbing. Vacuuming again. Scrubbing some more.

 I really felt like Billy the Exterminator.

 I pulled out the TSP and scrubbed away.

Then I started on the drawers.

 They weren't much better

Don't cha' just LOOVVEEE the red liner?

I was happy to see that the original hardware was still there

 (with a friend .... EWWWW. He was dead - thank goodness! )

After removing 2 completely different sheets of liner paper, I scrubbed EVERY drawer.

I started stripping the drawers. The first product I used was this Klean Strip Stripper

 which you just spray on and leave for 15min. 

**Make sure to use outside though and wear gloves!!!**

 

I realized I had a Mahogany Dresser.

What a nice surprise. I KNEW I had to refinish it.

 It bothered me that someone was going to toss it out.

 I then started to strip the body. It was too big to haul in and out

 (we don't have basements here in Florida so I'm usually working in my garage

 but this piece was WAY to big to keep in the garage and still park our 2 cars inside).

 So, I decided to use a Citristrip Stripping Gel in a can.

SO easy to use. Just spray on, leave for an hour and you'll see how the paint just peels off.

I then moved the whole piece to our patio where I used a toothbrush and acetone

 and scrubbed out ALL paint left in all the little nook and crannies

(took me HOURS).

  I sanded everything really well. 

Stained the top with Minwax Dark Walnut.

Brought it BACK into the house

 and started painting.

 I used Sherwin Williams Aqueduct in flat mixed with Plaster of Paris and a lil water.

Then a lil distressing. I used the Dark Walnut and some q-tips to stain where I distressed.

Then a lil' Ralph Lauren Glaze in Tobacco all over the whole piece

Did ya see the handles? Here's what they looked like when I took them out of the drawer.

I soaked em' in white vinegar and dried em'. I believe they're brass.

Here's the piece after waxing the whole piece with an ebony colored paste wax

and poly'd top with ALL the handles attached

 Ahhhhhhh LOVE !!!!!

 Amazing that he ALMOST ended up at the landfill but now he's

 HOME !!!!
: )
My entry into Domestically Speaking’s Power of Paint Party is sponsored by Appliances Online and the Bosch Washing Machine.
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