Steal of a deal...

So a while back (like in October) I posted this picture in a Facebook album promising a post with the details off my purchase and makeover soon.

Well enter a cold weather snap (snow on Halloween!) preventing me from painting and the craziness of the holidays and I am just now getting it done.

I found this beauty at my local Salvation Army Family Store. I was heading to Costco and missed my turn (again) and decided it was meant to be and pulled in. I walked directly to the furniture section and saw several that I thought would work and then I saw it. Now let me start by saying our bedroom has this strange indention in the wall that is about 3 inches deep and 66 inches long. That is where I wanted my dresser to go. Not only did it have to be mid-century but it had to be a nine-drawer, 65 inches long and cheap! I don't ask for much do I?

Anyway it was priced at $70 and I wasn't too sure if it would fit. I wanted to run home and measure again just to make sure and asked the guy if they would hold it for me. He replied "we don't hold on-sale merchandise." On Sale?!?!? It just so happened that it was 50% off! Needless to say I skipped to the cash register (praying it would not only fit in the tight space in the bedroom but also in the even tighter space in my CRV).

I then drove to Home Depot to grab my lazy primer and other items I needed. Here's the how-I-did-it, but if you just want to see the finished product scroll to the bottom.

Step 1: I cleaned it with a vinegar and water mixture really, really well.
I then sanded down just a couple of rough spots and wiped it down again really, really well.

Step 2: Out comes the lazy man's primer. I LOVE this stuff! No sanding required, goes on great and is just all around awesome.

 I used this sponge brush to apply it around the handles and tight spaces.

 After that I used these foam rollers to apply it to the rest of the dresser. 

Step #3: I then went on the long hunt for a specific paint that I really wanted but was impossible to find. I finally went to a specialty (= expensive) paint store to get it. I wanted this type of paint in the Low Lustre because I did not want a shiny piece of furniture.

I used this in a nice soft midnight black. I then freaked out because after the first coat, it looked blue. I then thought "great midnight means blue even tho the sample was not blue at ALL!" Enter panic mode. As it dried it turned into the black color I was wanted...whew! I once again used the foam rollers to apply the paint in several light coats for a super-smooth finish.

Everything was going pretty smoothly until I got to these drawers.

I could not get the primer to go on smooth because of all the surface changes. I was so frustrated. Then a friend of mine came over one evening and suggested removing the front and keeping it smooth.

So that explains why I was sitting in the garage floor at 10 PM with a rubber mallet, putty knife and chisel. (you can tell I had already begun to paint the drawers black before I did this. After I started to apply the paint you could really see the imperfections).

Success! 

I then stripped the paint and primer off (sorry forgot to take pictures of this part) I used this stripper and it worked great.

I then basically started over on the drawers. It was annoying to undo work I had already done but I was so pleased with how they turned out it was worth it.

See how must better it looks? Actually I don't know if you can see or not but trust me it was smooth like butter.

Step Whatever: I took one of my favorite things:

and did this to the legs. They were a little beat up so I actually sanded them a little bit before I started. 

 Another Step: I used this is a satin finish (again I did not want a shiny piece of furniture). I just applied it with a clean paintbrush in light coats allowing for the looooooong drying time between each coat. After the first coat I allowed it to totally dry and sanded it a little and wiped clean before I added the other coats.

 There is another step that I took no pictures of (sorry) where I drilled holes to put on the new handles for the top three drawers. Just picture me in the garage with a drill freaking out every time I drilled a hole because I was worried I had put it in the wrong place. I did make a template with a piece of cardboard so all the holes were drilled in the exact same place on all three drawers.

And here she is.

 I love her. I don't have an exact cost breakdown but I know I spend less than $100 on the dresser and supplies. Oh and I should mention that there is less than a quarter-inch gap on either side of the dresser.

I have had it up in our room now for a couple of months and have no dings or scratches so the paint is holding up well.

Stay tuned for my next project. I will give you a hint. It includes using this fabric: