Furniture Re-do

This is my first Metamorphosis Monday post. To see more inspirational before and after projects, visit Between Naps on the Porch.

Several months ago I picked up this little dresser at the Goodwill store. I wasn't sure what I wanted it for, but for $11 dollars, something could be figured out. What I did figure out first thing, though, was the mint green paint color had to go. Oh, and the knobs. Those are the same style knobs that were on Grace's cupboard. They must've been quite popular in the 70's. It sat in the garage while I worked intermittently on Taylor's desk and Grace's cupboard. Another flat surface to stack stuff on top of.

Then it came to me that this would fit in the dining room and be a good place to store table linens, napkins and napkin rings, and doilies. It's big enough to store my few tablecloths and place mats, too.

It still sat. Procrastination should be an Olympic sport - I'd be first on the team...

One lovely Autumn day I started in with some stripper. There were several spots where the paint had peeled and left a glimpse of varnish underneath. I started with those.

Then it sat awhile longer.

On another nice Autumn day, I pulled it out onto the sidewalk and got out the hand sander. The stripping was slow and tedious. The sanding went quickly. Turns out there was a layer of white paint under the mint green, but no one had sanded the varnish, so the two layers of paint were coming off in big chunks. The hand sander took care of all paint and varnish and didn't take long to strip the piece completely.

Then it got put back in the garage and sat some more.

After the New Year, I promised myself I'd get those garage projects finished, even though the weather outside was frightful. The dresser came inside and I took my time cleaning it up and primed it with Zinsser Bin 1-2-3. Then a couple of coats of satin enamel, and I had my linen storage.

Then knobs are a brushed nickel finish. I was hoping for decorative glass, but couldn't bring myself to pay more for a couple of knobs than I did for the entire piece of furniture.

I may still do something more decorative to the drawer fronts. Perhaps some wooden embellishments or some decoupage, but for now I'm enjoying the simplicity.