Dressing Up a Dresser: The Details

      
After several weeks of pulling together outfits from a heap of clothes on her floor, my four-year-old is excited that I finally finished her dresser.  I shopped my dad's storage building while we were visiting at Christmas and found this:

    

I couldn't be happier with how it turned out:

    

    


Last month, I posted about Sara's makeover of a similar piece and had planned to follow her instructions and use primer and oil-based paint.  However, when I went to Lowe's to pick up my supplies, the lady there informed me that Lowe's no longer carries oil-based paint and suggested I use a primer and paint all-in-one.  I ended going with Valpar's "City Storm". 

I knew I wanted a really glossy finish and since it only came in semi-gloss, I decided to also try Valspar's clear gloss spray paint as a top coat.  The dresser does have a glossy sheen, but I'm not sure the spray paint made that much of a difference over the semi-gloss paint.

I'm curious about some of these other clear finishes and may try to use them on other projects. . .

I started the makeover by giving it a good cleaning--my least favorite, but most necessary, part of the process. I just sprayed it down with Windex and wiped every corner and detail.
    

My parents lucked out and just happened to be visiting the weekend that I decided to paint.  It was a group endeavor.  My dad and I painted while my mom watched the kids.  It also helped the process go much quicker with my dad brushing the details and me going behind him with a roller.

    

    

     

    

Any project that requires new hardware can quickly become pricey, if you need multiple knobs and pulls.  I decided to shop the clearance hardware at Lowe's and found these for $2.89 and $1.79 each. 

  

    

I think hardware can really make or break a piece.  Pairing this curvy piece with straighter, more modern pulls gives it a completely different feel.

    

   

We finished up by lining the drawers with scrapbook paper:

   

I'm doing a little more tweaking to her room (because that's what I do--I tweak things that are already finished instead of tackling rooms that haven't been touched!).  I'll be sharing some updates with you in the coming weeks. . .