Ugly Dresser Turned Swan

Julia Fabens
by Julia Fabens
I am back! I may have been silent, but I have been busy and I am excited to share what I have been up to. Since I last blogged I found a really cool new job, which has really cut into my project time, but I suppoooose it’s a good thing.
We have been slowly but surely working on turning our bedroom into a place we actually like, instead of a perfectly fine, but not super functional spot. Part of that process (which I will share in upcoming posts) was finding a bureau that fit in the nook to the right of the fireplace. A simple task you might think, but no. I was even willing to buy something new! (Gasp) But alas, nothing I could find fit the dimensions. I wanted to get the largest bureau that would fit, and the deck was stacked against me, until I came across this monstrosity beauty at the Eastern Market flea market. In all her orange glory. Woof.:
This was going to require some major surgery. I gathered my arsenal and got to work. Here is what I used.


Random orbital sander and tons of discs


Paint stripper


Gloves


Chip brushes


Scrapers


Empty paint can for nasty chemicals


Mask (no really, USE IT)


White paint/brushes


Stain/Brushes


Fine grit sandpaper – I like 220


New knobs


Jigsaw


First I took out all of the drawers and removed and chucked the knobs. Then I stripped the orange finish off, following the instructions on the can. Basically glop a good layer on, let it sit BUT NOT DRY and then scrape off the gunk. I let it dry by accident because I am a dummy and it was a whooooole thing. After a couple of rounds of stripping (breezing over what was a fairly laborious process) I sanded the whole thing down. I planned to stain the drawers and top, so I made sure no hint of the orange remained on those.
Once I recovered and my nostrils stopped stinging, I used a large oval platter to trace an arc around all of the scrolly-business at the bottom. I jigsawed out the scrolly-pieces and sanded down the edges, leaving a pretty good looking bottom, if I do say so myself.
And with that, I was down to “blank slate” status. I painted the frame part with a couple of coats of regular Benjamin Moore Ultra White, sanding between coats. I stained the top and fronts of the drawers with several coats of MinWax in Special Walnut. Brush on, let sit, wipe off. Repeat. I may seal it with paste wax at some point, but it has a been a few months and so far it is holding up well.


The bureau needed 12 knobs and trying to find cool ones that didn’t break the bank was tricky. I found a few candidates at the usual sources, but the thought of putting over $100 in knobs on a $60 dresser just hurt. I finally found these at D. Lawless. They are actually my favorite and somehow they were on sale for $.50 each at the time (down from a whopping $1).
So, all put back together, here she is!
Not bad, eh? Here is a side-by-side for your viewing pleasure.
I hope you like it!


XO, Julia
Julia Fabens
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  2 questions
  • Millie Millie on Jan 04, 2016
    Very nice job! I often wonder, since I am not a furniture refinisher, just what that orange coloration is? Varnish, a stain that has changed color, or what? Anyone that can satisfy my curiosity?
  • Susan Susan on Jan 05, 2016
    I love what you did. How difficult is it to use a jigsaw?
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