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A Friend’s Dresser Makeover {Dramatic Before & After}

May 10, 2012 By Erin Spain 11 Comments

My friend, Tiffany, recently found a large dresser on Craigslist and asked me to help her refinish it. She wanted it to be stained dark on top, with the base painted a coraly-pink color to match her living room decor. Of course I was happy to help out. I can’t take much credit though; Tiffany and her husband did most of the work. But I helped out a little here and there, and consulted them on technique and products to use. Check out her dresser makeover!

Here is her dresser before:

Sorry for the photo quality! I only had my phone handy. Here’s the dresser after it had been stripped, sanded and primed. I wasn’t able to get a photo before this was done.

And here it is now! A very dramatic change:

Tiffany opted to keep the original hardware (good call, in my opinion!). The top was a bit of a trial and error process. We started with Minwax Ebony stain. It was soaking up the stain a little unevenly, and really absorbing it fast even after a few coats. Finally, we opted to try a gel stain (Minwax brand Walnut stain) on top of the Ebony, which gave us the perfect coverage and color Tiffany was looking for.

For the base, it was sanded and primed, then painted with a Behr semi-gloss paint (not sure of color name). The whole dresser was sealed with wipe-on satin poly.

It looks very pretty in her home, and I’m glad it turned out to be exactly what she wanted!

Linking this post to:
Miss Mustard Seed: Furniture Feature Friday
Serenity Now: Weekend Bloggy Reading

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Filed Under: DIY, Furniture, Furniture Makeovers

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Comments

  1. Lindsey Nickens says

    May 10, 2012 at 5:27 pm

    I loveeeeee this!!

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 10, 2012 at 7:51 pm

      Thanks, Lindsey! This was a really fun project to help with. I loved using a bright color!

      Reply
  2. michele says

    May 12, 2012 at 3:23 pm

    simply fabulous! i am also a mom of two boys! we’re queens of our castles, yes?

    i am your newest follower and hope you’re following back!

    http://hellolovelyinc.blogspot.com

    have a wonderful weekend.

    michele

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      May 13, 2012 at 10:52 pm

      Thanks, Michele! And yes, we are definitely queens of our castles!!

      Reply
  3. Kayleen Babel says

    November 25, 2012 at 3:52 am

    Hi again! A few minutes ago I commented on your “How to Paint Furniture: A beginners guide” this is about the size of the dresser I was talking about…! Do you think it’s worth it? Thanks a bunch! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Net Curtains says

    January 4, 2013 at 3:38 am

    I love the color for that cabinet and perfect to put on your bedroom or in your kitchen.

    Reply
  5. [email protected] says

    June 27, 2013 at 3:27 pm

    What kind of stain is on the top of the dresser? Or if it’s in another blog please let me know. Thanks

    Reply
    • Erin Spain says

      June 27, 2013 at 5:01 pm

      Hello! It is Minwax Dark Walnut gel stain.

      Reply
  6. Miss Charming says

    August 19, 2013 at 1:42 pm

    The bright pop of color is fantastic! (I would love to see how they styled it in their home.)

    Reply
  7. Nicole Lovin says

    August 24, 2013 at 3:14 am

    I am new to painting furniture. How did they sand the carved area on the cabinet doors?

    Reply
    • Erin @ DIY on the Cheap says

      August 25, 2013 at 2:19 pm

      Hi Nicole! You can use a sheet of sandpaper to carefully rub inside the crevices, but don’t stress too much about that. Some of the carved areas just can’t be sanded and that’s ok.

      Reply

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