50 + Years~ Dresser: Before and After

I wish I had the original photo of my {first} husband’s childhood dresser. My mother-in-law could not get this out of her basement fast enough when we bought our first house. It was a piece of my husband’s childhood, made by his grandfather ( born and raised in a small farming town in Nebraska). It was painted a deep, blood red think Carrie movie era (I am assuming it was lead paint- eek) and covered with stickers of every interest of my husband’s 13 year old self. Do I dare say this was his first venture into DIY décor! It had every ski resort and skateboard sticker that was produced in the mid- 1970′s. I don’t have the original photo. This dresser has a painted past: neutrals, black, shades of green, but this most recent paint transformation was for my son’s room. I guess bright colors and tweens never go out of style.

This photo was taken last summer before I finally FINISHED his bedroom. Stay tuned for that transformation! Here’s a peak into the after:

After trying to sand the top and realizing the top was just too worn, I decided to add a new solid piece of wood and trim. This saved hours of sanding and gave some “heft” to this dresser. I primed and painted the sides and drawers and mixed it up with a dark (black) stain on top! I love the stain!!!

Used this to glue to secure the top to the base.

Let it sit overnight. You can see the black paint from 2 years ago along the drawer slides. Yes, this dresser has a checkered past!

The rest of this project was just primer, paint and new pulls. Scroll down to see my oops on the “pulls.”

The photos look a little streaky with the paint job! But, I think it is the lighting! I originally ordered a couple different styles from ebay and then when I chose this pull, I ordered 5 additional pulls. The only problem is I ordered 5 pulls of a slightly different style.

Seriously, I love this makeover and I love that this is a family heirloom restored by our own hands!

By Laura

I am a housewife living in the countryside, with a love for butter, German Shepherds, and Mary Martin.

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