Entry Way and Dresser Makeover

Cristina Addie
by Cristina Addie
2 Materials
$60
6 Hours
Easy
Entry way makeover from 80's hot mess to warm and inviting.

My before and after...upcycled dresser.
Have no idea of what to call this shelf, other than a "lobster claw". This was how our entryway looked before with floor to ceiling mirrors. The entry way wasn't warm and inviting and I hated the 80's mirrors in the worst way. ( I sold the "lobster claw" for $100 on craigslist)


Bought this off of Craigslist for $60.00. It took me a little while to find exactly what I wanted. Wanted real wood, not the pressed wood.


After doing a lot of research on how to take down the floor to ceiling mirrors, I decided to call in the professionals. (Thanks Port St. Lucie Glass & Mirror Inc.) My house was built in the 80's, so a lot of rooms had these mirrors. It was well worth it to bring in the pros. This is the mess that was left behind. The mastic glue had to be scrapped and then I primed the areas. My husband did the drywall repair. (thanks honey!) Then I painted the wall in a light gray to match the rest of the house.


I took out all the drawers. Removed the wood that held the bottom drawers. Filed some cracks with wood filler, then sanded and primed it using Zinsser .


Cut wood to use as the bottom shelf. Attached it using wood glue and my nail gun. Primed and painted the wood. After the primer dried I painted the entire dresser with Behr interior semi gloss enamel in ultra pure white (which also has paint & primer in one) I also had to purchase some wood trim to fill in the area in the front of where I added the new wood. I didn't want to see the line in between the new wood. (Sorry don't have that picture was too excited and forgot)


I painted the top with a light gray to use as my undercoat (same colors as the walls). Started with a sea sponge and acrylic paint that I bought at Joann Fabrics to create a faux granite top. I used the acrylic paint, one at a time. Do not mix the colors. ( I went to Home Depot and found the granite countertop that I liked. They gave me a 2x2 sample.)


These are the four colors that were closest to the 2 x 2 granite sample from Home Depot. Yes, you see glitter.


Here is the 2 x 2 sample up against my completed top. After completing the sea sponge painting, I allowed it to dry. Then I used 7 coats of polycrylic. This was time consuming. Between each coat, you have to allow it to dry for 2 hours. In between each coat, you have to lightly sand it. I used extra fine 400 sandpaper.


This is the completed entry way table. Look at the shine!! It's just as smooth as granite and even shines like granite.
This is the entire makeover completed. The whole project costed me $60.00 I sold the "lobster claw" for a $100, bought the dresser for $60.00 and then purchased the primer, paint, wood, acrylic paint and the polycrylic.


Project completed! Now onto the next project. I hope everyone found this useful. Please check out my other projects. Thanks! 😋
Project completed! Now onto the next project. I hope everyone found this useful. Please check out my other projects. Thanks! 😋



Suggested materials:
  • Old dresser   (Habitat for Humanity)
  • Acrylic Paint   (Joann Fabrics)
Frequently asked questions
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  3 questions
  • Terri T Terri T on Mar 15, 2016
    what lobster claw?
  • Kelley MacKay Kelley MacKay on Mar 17, 2016
    could i get a pic the back?
  • Jackie Jackie on Sep 17, 2017

    Did you mix the colors or put them on one at a time. Please show how you did this

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