Before and After: A Goodwill Dresser Makeover!

                                            Before                                                                         After

I’m still a newbie to this the world of second-hand treasures, but when I spotted this beauty of a dresser at my local Goodwill a few weeks ago, I knew it was a hidden gem. It was hiding behind a few broken bookshelves, filthy and covered in stickers, scratches and dents…but it had such gorgeous details that it was practically screaming at me: “make me over, make me over!”!!! How could I refuse?! It had me at those legs.

 

I had absolutely no need for it, and no place I could even justify putting it. Our apartment is spacious but cozy, and it’ll feel more like a store than a home if I overstuff it with all the beautiful things I fall in love with :) Which are many :)

It took an exorbitant amount of willpower to leave the store without the dresser. But I eventually went back for it :) It was like a bad itch, I couldn’t stop thinking about it! The hallway table was my first major furniture makeover, but after that project I was hooked. I prayed for guidance and decided to refinish the dresser to resell. It would be a ton of fun and a great way to practice and develop our DIY skills :)

Because I impatiently waited a few days before buying the dresser it got marked down. Plus I ended up buying it on Goodwill’s 50% off Friday sale, so we got it for the super cheap price of $10.01 – a deal on a deal?! I don’t think I’ve ever felt more amazing.  

I started the makeover with a good cleaning and scraping off all the stickers and congealed grime. The veneer was bubbling a little in some parts so I only lightly sanded a few areas I couldn't clean well.

Then my husband and I got to work on all the chips and dents. 

I did some research on repairing the chipped corners with hard wax and veneer tape, but I decided to try wood filler first since I had some on hand. It may not be the easiest way to do it but it worked! With some patience we were able to reshape all of the broken corners and edges, and patch up some of the dents.

All of the drawers were functional, but one of the sliders was broken. It was an older design so it wasn't a standard size I could replace easily, but I eventually found an adjustable slide at Canadian Tire! That made my day :) 

For primer I chose Zinsser’s Cover Stain – after reading Centsational Girl’s recommendation as the best primer for laminate furniture.

It was amazing, no issues adhering to the glossy veneer at all. Plus it dried so fast, perfect for impatient DIYers like me :) But it does stink up a storm…and we’re in an apartment, in COLD weather, and I like me my heat! We had all the windows open and I was walking around in a hideous number of layers. Washing up for prayers in the morning was brutal!
 

For the paint we wanted to go with a nice bright shade of white. I’ve never bought white paint before, so I almost went nuts with all the shades! We were in the store forEVER and a day, but we finally chose a lovely shade of creamy white in a semi gloss. I love it!!

 

Super-duper love it : )

We thought about outlining the detailing on the drawer-fronts in black for a really bold look, but it took away from the depth of the detail and looked more like a stenciled-on rectangle, so we scrapped that. I also tried a high-sheen gloss to add a bit more drama with a glossier finish, but the product created a yellowish tinge that we weren’t loving, so we scrapped that too.   

I replaced the hardware with a simple black knob (on clearance for $1.43 a piece!). I chose black because of the black outlines we originally planned, but I still loved the bold knobs without it.

I am head.over.heels in LOVE with these legs. Can't get over the gorgeousness! A designer look for less if there ever was one :)

I couldn't be happier with the finished product!! Goodwill is my new favourite place, and it's amazing that by shopping there you're also supporting your community.

It was so much fun working on this makeover and transforming this $10 dresser into something so beautiful. It still has some little imperfections but they add to the dresser's charm :)

Here's another shot of the before and after:
 

Love it! What do you think? Any tips for future projects?

Linking up at:

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Good Life Wednesdays

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Trash to Treasure Tuesdays

Tuesday's Treasures
Show and Share 
Piece of Work Wednesday
One Project At A Time
L'il Luna Link Party
Transformation Thursday
Coffee & Conversation Thursday  
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December Before and After Party