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Thrift Store Dresser Makeover

July 8, 2013 by Crafty Teacher Lady +

Summer vacation means lots of time for DIY projects! I’ve been slowly giving my living room a makeover and part of the transformation included finding a new focal point for my television wall. Instead of the TV ‘hutch’ that I bought a couple years ago, I wanted to find a long dresser, over which I would wall mount my flat screen. After finding a couple options at big-box furniture stores for close to $300, I stumbled upon the perfect piece to transform (only $90 at Salvation Army)…

Thriftstore Dresser Makeover Tutorial

I love the curved lines of the piece as well as the 9 drawers for storage purposes. After removing the old hardware and sanding the entire piece with a medium grit paper, I used a good quality Purdy brush to paint on all the curved edges and used a small foam roller to paint the top, sides, and drawer fronts. I had to go back and use a large foam roller for the top, however, because the small roller kept giving me stroke lines!

 The paint color I used is called Birds Egg by Benjamin Moore and is the perfect shade of aqua/pale blue. It reads a bit more aqua in real life than in these photos, however, and I LOVE it! I had it mixed in a quart of Benjamin Moore Super Spec D.T.M. Acrylic Low Lustre paint, which provided the perfect amount of sheen (not too flat, not too glossy). It was close to $20 for a quart, however, I’ve used inexpensive paints on other furniture painting projects and boy did splurging on the good stuff make a difference!

I wanted to add more modern brushed nickel handles to contrast with the vintage curves of the dresser. The rectangle cup pulls were purchased for $4.50 a piece at Home Depot. I would recommend letting your piece dry for a good solid 4 days before putting on hardware or placing anything on top…waiting was the WORST part because I just wanted to see her in all her glory!

Dresser Makeover Benjamin Moore paint in Birds Egg blue

I’ve used painters tape to mark where I plan to wall mount the TV! The new color of the piece plays nicely with the blue accents in the chair I just picked up at Target as well as the light celadon green in the new rug! To see more pieces for my living room design, check out my Pinterest board! I’m THRILLED with how it’s all coming together so far! The overall cost of the dresser (including paint and new hardware) was $150…a super bargain for a unique piece with character!

Sharing My Project With:
Between Naps on the Porch

Filed Under: decor, DIY, living room, Uncategorized

Comments

  1. Amy says

    February 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    What a cute make over! Love the shade of blue and the dresser is amazing! Thanks for sharing!

    • Crafty Teacher Lady says

      February 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

      Thanks, Amy! I was pretty thrilled to find this awesome dresser at the thrift store! 🙂

  2. Abby C says

    February 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    Hi Amy, I'm painting a dresser this shade now. Did you happen to use a poly finish on it?

    • Crafty Teacher Lady says

      February 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

      Hi Amy! No, I didn't use any sort of finish/top coat. I think the paint itself has a really nice finish to it! Good luck with your project!

  3. Treana says

    February 9, 2022 at 5:31 pm

    I have this same dresser in my home. It was my first large purchase in my 20's. FYI: I bought it for $850 in 1982. 🙂

Hello! I’m Kelly-Anne!

I’m an avid DIY and home decor enthusiast, wife and new mom, teacher of 15 years, and a Mainer now living on a farm in Virginia. Here you’ll find creative endeavors of all sorts!

Now offering Interior Decorating Services at  Dirigo & Dogwood

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Little glimpses of pattern mixing around our home! Little glimpses of pattern mixing around our home! 😍💗

Please don’t be fooled, though…these are close up shots for a reason- the house is FULL of moving boxes, piles of stuff to be organized and put away, and the DIY project list is LONG! 

But finding small little pretty corners is bringing me a little bit of joy and I hope they do the same for you, friend! 💗🙂#
I’m nowhere near unpacked or ready to “properly” d I’m nowhere near unpacked or ready to “properly” decorate,  but we needed some functional storage and a “drop zone” near the entrance we most use so I threw together this little area with things I already had…and the best part is, everything is thrifted! 😍 

Eventually, I’ll put wallpaper above the beadboard and will give the fireplace a makeover. But for now, just trying to tackle the endless boxes to unpack and breakdown (peep that pile of cardboard at the end of the video)!!
Life Update: I bought a house! This has been in th Life Update: I bought a house! This has been in the works for a while but I wasn’t quite sure how/when/what I wanted to share. If you’ve been here since my Maine days, you know just how much I enjoy sharing all things DIY and home decor and I’m looking forward to doing just that. 

I know questions will inevitably arise about the circumstances of this move but I will likely keep those details private. We are still in Virginia, not too far from the farm, and are settling into our new routine. 

In true ‘Crafty Teacher Lady’ style, this house is a fixer upper, just like most of my previous homes. It’s in a lovely neighborhood in an adorable town and I’m excited to make some happy memories here as I turn this little house into our home! 
 
C requested pink walls (which I obliged) and Stanley has also already come to visit a few times during family movie nights and he has given his ‘seal of approval’ to the fenced-in backyard! 🤣🥰🐕 

More to share soon (likely in stories) as I continue to tackle my very long list of home projects! 💗
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I’m so grateful she gets to experience the magic t I’m so grateful she gets to experience the magic that is Maine at Christmastime, just like I did growing up! ❄️❤️🌲
She’s doing it! 🥹🥹🥹 If you’ve been following our She’s doing it! 🥹🥹🥹 

If you’ve been following our journey since the beginning, you know just how much time, effort, dedication, sacrifice, prayers, cost, and hard work has gone in to getting her here. 

There’s still a lot of work to be done but I cannot believe the progress she has made and that we’ve gotten to this point! We are so very hopeful for her future as an independent walker!! 💗💗💗

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