The 1158 Spot: The Leaf Dresser

So this little guy was a curbside pick up.

It was FREE but boy oh boy was it in horrible shape!

In fact when I brought it home my husband was really upset and said I need to be pickier with the things I'm picking up. It had a hole on top of it...no lie! It was dark when I picked it up in my defense...

I secretly agreed with him but didn't let him see me sweat!

Instead I stood up nice and tall and told him I had big plans for this piece and you just wait till I'm done....

Sometimes a little challenge is just what I need to get motivated. I'm stubborn that way! His words lit a fire under me and I got to work...

I had no idea what direction I wanted to go with this piece. I knew I wanted to take a more masculine approach. I've been painting a lot of things pink lately and was wanting to switch it up!

I came across this picture on Pinterest and inspiration struck!

Source

Isn't that beautiful?

The first thing I did was clean the dresser.

Then I painted it with a blue chalk paint I had on hand.

I did two coats of paint.

I lightly distressed it and then applied a dark wax all over it to make the color deeper and richer.

I love how it turned out.

Next a field trip was in order...

well, to Home Depot! :)

I picked up a 1x4 and had it cut down to fit the dresser.

They'll cut it for you for FREE! :)

I sanded each plank, wiped it clean and stained it with Java Gel Stain.

I let it sit for a few days and worked on other projects.

A few days later I applied some wood glue and layed each plank down. I didn't want to use nails or screws so I looked at several different tutorials on YouTube until I found one that looked like it would work.

I used all of the clamps I could find to hold them in place. I put all sorts of heavy things on the planks to keep them in place also. That can is full of BB ammunition so it's super heavy.

After a few days, I lightly sanded the planks and applied 3 coats of miniwax polycrylic to seal and protect the wood.

I let that cure for 24 hours and then delivered this little guy to the Co-Op!

I LOVE how it turned out! And what's even more fun is it's my husband's new favorite piece of furniture I've done. He and my son asked to keep it but we just don't have a spot for it so hopefully it finds a good home soon!