Raise your hand if you've ever finished a project you've had on your to-do list for months, maybe years, and after finally cleaning up the makeover mess and getting your new project nestled into place, it feels so fresh and exciting that you reprimand yourself for not having tackled it sooner! Yes! Over here!
I have had that feeling so many times that I should know better by now but sometimes it just takes someone else getting the ball rolling to find that motivation to get started. Enter our mid-century Lane dresser with beautiful dovetail woodwork and dresser handles that made perfect sense when we first found it on Craigslist. When Brett brought it home, though, we realized the place we thought was a watermark on one of the drawers was actually some sort of nail-polish spill. It ended up as one of those things you become blind to as the to-do lists only grow longer!
Then we moved it with us to Colorado and one of the handles snapped in half (see below) on the delivery truck. After searching for replacement handles for weeks, I decided to remove them and the dresser just became something utilitarian and practical. I couldn't in my right mind toss it to the curb knowing full well it was a keeper that just needed a little elbow grease.
Fast forward another move and another child needing a dresser and this little Lane number's number finally got called when Glidden paint asked if I had any projects that needed a coat or two. Yes! Yes, I did! It was time to bump this thing up the list and put some energy into making it beautiful again.
While I fully appreciate the beauty of those dovetail edges, the stains on the front of two drawers were too much for me to tackle without covering them up. I did keep the rest of the wood showing as I love the contrast of the two and knew I could fix my handle sizing problem by adding leather straps. I've currently got this dresser in my studio to corral projects but it might end up in either of my sons' rooms soon so it was important to me that it fit in with more than one spot in the house.
I chose the Glidden High Endurance Grab-n-Go paint in white because it claimed to be good for high traffic areas and had a low odor. Since this dresser will get used at least once a day, I knew it would need to stand up to lots of opening and closing, grubby hands, etc. I'm also pretty sensitive to strong chemical odors so I wanted to avoid high VOC's. I chose the white because it's such a clean, modern contrast to the warmth of the wood I was going to leave bare.
I prepped my drawers by using a power sander and fine grit sandpaper to get the finish off of the top and then wiped them down with a damp cloth. I was able to remove most of the nail polish that had made a stain on the surface with the light sanding. Then I used a soft roller brush to add my first thin coat and let it dry for the recommended amount of time before adding another coat. It is SO hard to wait in between coats when you want to finish your project but I knew it would look so much better if I left it alone!
I battled all the mosquitos the next morning with a second coat after giving it a good stir. I was sure to add thin coats as I've rushed paint jobs in the past with thick layers and have ended up with wonky lines in all the wrong places. Since I was covering such a dark underlayer, I ended up adding a third thin coat just to be safe and I am so happy with how it turned out. It was worth going with a third coat since it was such a small project and it looks as smooth as butter. It even wipes down well as I had some sort of bug leave it's mark when I left it out to dry after that last coat. I just used a baby wipe and it was as good as new. Perfect for all of the smudgy fingerprints it's sure to get when moved to one of the boys' rooms!
After my drawers were put back in place I decided it really did need handles to make it easy to use. I got some cowhide leather I have had since the days I made leather journals in college and picked up some brass screws and nuts from the local hardware store. Then I cut my leather down to size to about 2.5" longer than the distance between the holes, measured about 1" from each short end, and carefully poked a hole with my awl for the screw posts. They're thick enough that they won't tear or stretch out and have just enough of that oiled leather finish to feel exciting.
I've used several brands of paint for projects I've repurposed in the many years we've moved houses and needed something to work hard for us on a modest budget and was really pleased with the outcome of this project. The paint did its job and went on smoothly and there was no strong paint odor at all! I've become sensitive to strong chemical smells over the years and knew I didn't want to bring something into the house during the summertime when we wouldn't be able to air out the room with open windows so that was a huge bonus.
This dresser suddenly has so much more to offer than it did in its shabby state and feels like a new piece of furniture altogether. It really is amazing what a little paint can do for a space whether that be a vintage dresser, an accent wall, or an entire floor of your house. I've got so much paint left from the gallon that I had available that I'm ready to give our huge white cabinet that has served as both Ruby's wardrobe and our home office a fresh coat!
I know I'm not the only one with a project that has been waiting ages for a little facelift! The good news is that I've partnered with Glidden to offer one lucky Smile and Wave reader a $50 gift card to Walmart so you can pick your paint and finally check that project off your list and refresh your own space.
To enter to win:
* Check out Glidden's paint colors.
* Share in the comments what kind of project you'd love to tackle with $50 worth of Glidden paint.
* For an additional entry, write a review for Glidden here if you've used any of their paints in a home project and then leave another comment here to share that you have.
I'll be choosing a winner by Friday afternoon so be sure to leave your comment soon as well as an e-mail address or way to get in touch with you! Thanks so much for stopping by and catching up on another project over here. I'm so thankful for the chance to partner with companies and products I feel good about sharing with you so that we can all create a space we love!
-Rachel
* This post was created in partnership with Glidden. I received compensation for my review but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Sorry, open to U.S. readers only. $50 USD total value. Winner will be contacted by email once comments close and announced at the bottom of this post.
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EDITED: AND THE WINNER IS.....
Isn't it amazing what some paint can do?? So fortunate that that handle broke! I love your solution. You have such an eye! I have a dresser very similar to this that I got from our neighbors when they were preparing to move. They were going to toss it out. It's a nice color, but a bit beat up, so it needs a fresh coat or two. The handles are the one thing I don't love about it, so now I'm picturing some leather there instead. Thanks so much for some inspiration! (I've had the dresser in our guest room for the last two years or so, so yes, my projects often...marinate...in my mind for a long time, too).
It's a toss up, though. I've been putting off painting our kitchen island for a year now. It's a hutch that we repurposed and it works great but I'm tired of the color, and it's also a little beat up now. It would get the 'blue-grey slate' I think. :)
CONGRATULATIONS, BROOKE! I'll be in touch with details. I want to extend a giant THANK YOU to everyone else that took the time to comment. I wish I could send each of you a gallon of paint!
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