New Dresser

So the nursery is starting to come together - and I can't be more excited. Our favorite piece so far is the dresser. Andrew and I had been looking for a Mid-Century Modern piece on Craigslist and thrift stores but they were either too expensive, in horrible shape, or Victorian style (less is more as Andrew says!) Andrew really wanted something that he could refinish (since he had never done that before he of course wanted to learn!) but we weren't having any luck. We thought we should just order the dresser that matched the crib - but the reviews online kept saying it was really cheap and falls apart. Then one night we decided to check out a local thrift store that we hadn't been to for a while. We didn't see much but Andrew got to talking with the owner about what we were looking for and played the baby card ("It's our first baby and we are really excited and we want this dresser as a changing table") Lucky for us, the guy was "goo-goo ga-ga" over babies and showed us a dresser he bought to refinish himself. He said he bought it for $25 and would be willing to sell it for that. We were in love and were sold!

But this is what it looked like... (The lighter color drawer had been sanded - got a little "sand happy" before I could get a picture taken!) So this weekend Andrew and his dad got to work on making this piece in to a modern baby changing station. Andrew is now dictating the process for me.

1. Sanded down everything - including the laminate top. The handles are mahogany and the drawers are walnut. Power sanded with his new random orbital sander. Hand sanded the finer details.

2. Once sanding was complete, they bought a water based walnut stain. Water based dries fast and has less nasty fumes (thoughtfully thinking of the pregnant lady in the house!) They used walnut so the mahogany would have the same color as the walnut.

3. They brushed on the stain, wiped it off, and waited 3 hours. (cleaned the garage while they waited!)

4. After the 3 hours, they put on 3 coats of polyurethane (clear coat) using Andrew's dad's sweet sprayer. In between coats they wet sanded it to get a super smooth finish.

5. Dresser dried overnight and *poof* - a "new" beautiful dresser/changing station for baby v! And here are some fun detail shots Andrew took for your enjoyment! "Check out the piloti on that thing" as Andrew says. Architect humor... Solid wood construction and dovetail joints...they don't make them like they used to! Andrew's first "purchase" for the baby... (ball was free) And a little sneak preview of our nursery fabric theme...stay tuned for the updates!