How to Make a Midcentury Modern Inspired Two Tone Dresser

When we last left my DIY midcentury modern inspired dresser, my husband Tom (who built this dresser from scratch) handed it over to me for finishing.  When he left for work the next morning, he said, “Don’t ruin it.”  Oh, great.  Thanks for the vote of confidence!  I think he was only half joking.

I wanted to paint the box of the dresser in a bright white gloss and stain the drawer fronts in a medium brown for a two tone look.  I love this look, and it will be perfect in Emma’s bedroom.

I sanded the entire piece with a 220-grit sandpaper.  Then, I primed the box (inside and out) with a good oil-based primer.   Once the primer was dry, I used Glidden Trim and Door extra high gloss paint in bright white.  This is a thick, gel paint that doesn’t show brush marks and drips like traditional paint.  Glidden sent me some of this paint to try out on this dresser, and I think it was definitely the right choice for this project.

The recommended method for applying this paint is with a brush, but Glidden says that a high density foam roller can also be used.  I went the roller route since I was painting a surface that was large, flat and smooth.  It covered wonderfully in two coats.  Although the finish isn’t as perfect as I get from my paint sprayer, it still looks a lot better than I would have gotten with traditional latex or oil-based paint. Glidden Trim and Door paint is an aklyd and dries really hard – which makes it great for not only trim and doors but for a piece of furniture in a child’s room.  I used it on the trim in our powder room, and it has held up perfectly.

While the paint was drying, I stained the drawer fronts with American Walnut from Rustoleum (same paint I used for my CB2 clock project) and waxed the fronts and drawer sides with Miss Mustard Seed soft wax (my favorite top coat product right now).

The finished dresser is exactly what I had pictured in my mind when I dreamt this whole thing up in the first place.  EXACTLY.  It’s so nice when that happens!

And look at that super high gloss paint.  It’s so shiny that it reflects my upcycled Elvis artwork!

(Just for the record, Emma doesn’t keep to keep my Elvis in her room.  She may get him in my Will one day, but she’ll have to earn him.  I love him that much.  She does, however, get another super special project that I can’t reveal yet.)

And Jack (white) and Duke (brown).  They were so happy to come in while I was shooting the dresser. Look at Jack’s face!  He’s so proud of himself.

Again, I want to give a HUGE thank you to my friend Rayan for designing the plan for this dresser and to my husband Tom for building it (I didn’t ruin it!).  I am in awe of you both and would like to be you when I grow up.

Are you inspired?  Who says you can’t have a $1600 dresser for 1/5 of the price?  I sure don’t!

This is a sponsored post from Glidden.  All opinions – and Elvis artworks – are my own.