This dresser I picked up from a woman who was down on her luck. The dresser was in horrible shape. It looked like someone used cheap spray paint in a white gloss which had a greenish cast to it, so it looked like puce and there were about 5 layers of it on the dresser. The paint was bubbling and chipping so I knew I had to use a stripper on it before I did any priming and painting. Also the top of the dresser came off on the left side and the drawers bled tannin. The woman asked $20.00 for it and that is what I brought. Had I known her circumstance, I would have paid her more. I called the dresser "Marla".
First I repaired the top-someone tried to drive a nail into the frame and where the top meet , but missed. I also found the original screw in it. After I removed them, I then used my drill and counter sinked a screw into the frame and top. Then I used Citri-Strip to remove all of the old spray paint. I had to do this 4 times to remove all of the spray paint. I washed the dresser down with TSP and then used wood filler in the screw holes and other areas where there were gouges. I sanded her down with my sander-top, sides, and drawer fronts. I then used Kilz primer on the entire dresser including the inside of the drawers. The tannin in the drawers still bled through so I primed them again. Since she looked so plain, I bought wood appliques for her drawer fronts and new handles.
Marla was painted in Sherwin Williams color 6479 Drizzle homemade chalk paint on her body and the wood appliques before afixing them to the dresser. I painted the drawer fronts in Sherwin Williams 6119 Antique White homemade chalk paint twice (sanding in between) and I painted in random areas on parts of the dresser body to give a beach worn look to her. I painted the sides and inside of the drawers in Sherwin Williams 6326 Henna Shade homemade chalk paint. I used a pencil to find the center for each of the drawers and used contact cement to afix the appliques. Afterward, I used General Finishes Arm R Seal in satin for the body and drawers and used semi gloss on the top. I had some leftover Gila window film in a floral pattern and cut them to size in each of the drawers to protect clothing from any further wood tannin bleed through.
Marla is dedicated to all single moms out there trying their best for themselves and their children. They may bend, they may bleed and look worn, but underneath they are all beautiful.
