Dressed Up Dresser Upcycling Thrift Store Furniture

Nothing is more fun than fixing up an underdog, they are always my favorite. Finding that ugly piece of furniture is like that sad faced overlooked puppy at the pet store. It may be ugly, but underneath is the same skin and bones.

I found this small dresser and it looked like it used to belong in a child's bedroom. Spiderman stickers, gum, and well...lets just stop there. I knew it needed saved and I was the one that would do it! Of course there was prettier dressers, even for a thrift store, but this dresser kept tugging at my "underdog heart strings".



First make sure that you remove all paint, stickers, gum etc. Especially the loose paint like this one had. It had spray paint over the base paint. I do believe spray paint has a purpose on base wood at times, but not visa versa. It just doesn't stick well over latex.

I even left some of the base paint on because it allows a "bleed" through with the top layer of paint after sanding. As you can see I even left the colors just the way they were as well.

After the sanding is complete. Choose your paint color. I am using some surplus mismatched mismatched-paint (basically mismatched paint from Lowe's I remixed with other mismatched paint). Since I have such a surplus and it doesn't like the cold weather that's headed our way I chose this color. So this way, I don't have to drag as many paint buckets back into the house over winter.

Then to add interest and more "bleeding"  I poured a small amount of a darker blue into the paint WITHOUT mixing. Jut leave it in a swirl pattern. When ready to paint dip your brush straight up and down into the paint to keep the swirled paint on your brush just like it is. Then apply to your project thin coats at a time allowing each layer to dry before adding the next.

While waiting on the paint to dry, this gives you time to take care of the hardware that was on your project. The knobs I had were white and I opted for a nickel color instead. So I spray painted these with a can of Dupont Spray paint in nickel.

After all paint has been applied to your taste, then take a sander with small grit sandpaper and just add your distressing to it. If you are not into the "distressed" look, then leave as is. You now have a custom styled dresser you can proudly display. No one will ever believe it was that sad puppy in the store!

• Paint onhand                                    $.00
• dresser (thrift store)                          $.09
• included                                           $.00

----------------------------------------------------------------------

TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT     $.09

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

Uptown Farm Table

Nothing is more important than the dining room table. It is a place that we are supposed to come together, communicate, share and listen.

 Here are some dinner statistics to chew on:

• Children not eating dinner with their families are 61 percent more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs;
• Children who eat dinner with their families nightly are 20 percent less likely to drink, smoke, or use illegal drugs;
• Teens who share frequent family dinners are less likely to have sex at young ages, participate in fights, or be suspended from school;
• Teens who eat dinner with their families are at lower risk for thoughts of suicide;
• Children who eat with their families are more likely to eat healthier foods and more balanced meals; and
• Family dining improves communication and family connections.

So even though my blog is not about statistics, it is astounding that the table is more than just important. But, the dining room table doesn't have to be expensive to achieve the above results.

Our furniture is an expression of our family. There is so many different types of looks and decor and for each family it is different. I want to share with you a table that I found at the local thrift store and refurbished for my daughter. It just goes to show you, a lot of cash doesn't have to be spent to get the look that your family desires.

I will never understand why anyone would give up a solid wood piece of furniture. Yes, its definitely seen better days, but there is a beautiful surface under those years of abuse. So I guess I am thankful to those who don't choose to redo their wood treasures, or I wouldn't have anything to blog about. 

I basically started with alot of sanding. The tabletop did not take too long and the legs thankfully had not much lacquer still remaining. Even so, I took  a shortcut to sanding and spray painted the legs with basic white spray paint. The spray paint seems to stick easier to the lacquer and  the latex paint adheres to the spray paint very well.

The chairs were leftover from my next door neighbor's yard sale. She had them stored in the garage for years. They are solid early 1950's chairs that like the table, were stored and just forgotten about. 

As sometimes I do when I am so into a project I did not take pictures of every step. But here is one I took only minutes after sanding the tabletop. Within a few minutes you begin to see the raw wood that is just waiting to come out.

After much deliberation with a another daughter, who always helps me out on paint choices. We searched the internet for the right color's and decided on a nice "green distressed" farm table with black accent to set it off. We then added a provincial stain to keep it authentic to a Farm Style Table.

We then painted the chairs with the same black accent. This allowed the dark maple color on the back of the chairs to stay their original color and give them a nice contrast with the table.  

All in all, this was a  a large project that I enjoyed seeing the final result. It's also very satisfying knowing that while my daughter and her family sit at their custom made table that I had a hand in, they can share their day as they come together and I can somehow be part of that. 

• Thrift Store Table                     $11.00
• Spray Paint (dollar store)            $1.00
• Project Paint (on hand)                  .00
• 4 Chairs (leftover yardsale)            .00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT     $12.00

JUNKIN4HUMANITY.COM

#J4H

#REPURPOSEDONPURPOSE

New View For Vintage Windows

I recently came across some old windows for a great deal. I drove 2 hours with my grandson to pick them up and drag all 35 of them home. When I arrived I was looking at some small town history right in front of me. The stories those windows could have told. Some were in bad shape, others not as bad. But what they all had was character. I couldn't wait to bring them home and begin to let my imagination run wild. Here are some of the windows and the pictures of my creativity for a few of them.

Many looked like this, a little run down, It just needed some TLC and to be Reloved.

Window Board for Photos & Chalkboard

Vintage Broyhill married to Vintage Window to give a new interesting look for both.

At Fourth of July I was inspired and made an outdoor flag Wall Art for the Front Porch. I used the handle from the flag as a decoration down the left side and added some stars to the outer part of the window.

Vintage window with legs from a thrift store table give this vintage window a leg up.

I love stained glass, but it is so expensive. I decided to use stain paint and made my own faux stained glass and added vintage hardware for effect. 

More Stained Glass effect.

I had several of these size windows they were perfect for making chalkboards. With available photo holders for the top or your favorite picture.

More chalkboards.

Wipe Off / Corkboard Vintage Window

After many projects I decided to use up the leftover windows that I had and made a greenhouse that I plan on utilizing next summer to start plants and for an herb garden.

• 35 windows                                     $50.00
• Hardware from flea markets appx       $1.00 ea                
• Various thrift store end tables            $2.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

•  TOTAL OF TODAY’S PROJECT     appx $8.00 each