One of the things on my list for Lexi's room was a dresser! We knew exactly where it was going to go, so that gave me a specific idea of the size that it needed to be. I had been looking on the internet many times and we visited many stores searching for a good compromise between cost and function. We wanted something that would be decent quality without breaking the bank! When we were clearing out the nursery, we needed to get rid of the bed that was in there originally. My parents agreed to take the bed and then my mom asked if we wanted a dresser. At first, I was pretty sure it wouldn't fit into our specific space, but after measuring it was perfect! The only thing was that it wasn't white...which was what I wanted for our baby girl. I set out to remedy that problem and the end result is actually pretty good!
The dresser before...a solid wood dresser covered with a wood veneer
The drawers before
The very first thing I did was consult the internet and my friend Nicole for advice. Nicole is a master painter and she had just painted a dresser in Emerson's room! We took a decent amount of time preparing the dresser for paint. We weren't sure about sanding the rather thin veneer with a palm sander, but decided to try it. It worked fine! Bryan did that job and he just made sure to not hold the sander in one place for too long. After he used the palm sander, he went over the veneer again with 220 sandpaper by hand. I wiped down all of the veneer with a damp cloth to remove all of the dust and dirt that accumulated during the sanding process.
Then it was time for primer! We bought a good brand of white primer and applied it with a foam roller and a brush.
We had to give our baby girl some love during the process!:)
After one coat of primer, I let the dresser and the drawers sit overnight to allow the primer to harden and cure. I decided to do another coat of primer the next day and that ended up being a great choice! I waited another day after that before I did the finishing coat of paint. I had planned to do two coats of white semi-gloss paint, but after one it looked great! I decided to stop there and not add unnecessary layers of paint. I think 2 layers of primer was a good idea and it was enough coverage for this light wood dresser that it worked fine! If the dresser had been darker wood, it probably would have needed two coats of paint, as well.
And here's the finished product! I couldn't find inexpensive 5" drawer pulls for the big drawers so I decided to take a chance and put knobs in all of the spots. I think it turned out well! I am very anxious to see how the paint finish holds up to daily use. We plan to put a changing pad on the left side and use it as her changing table while she's a little baby. I love that this dresser belonged to my great grandparents and now it is in my baby's room. I also love that it was practically free and much better quality than anything we would have purchased!
Dresser...check! Next up, paint for the walls!
