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Mastering the Master Bedroom {the Miss Matched Dresser}

by on 93 Comments

Once upon a time, there was a well-loved dresser who was destined for a new home.  My friend had gotten it from her mother, who had purchased it second hand.  The dresser was headed to a thrift store, but my friend asked if I would like it instead to practice some different refinishing techniques.  But, of course I would!

Once I had the dresser in my garage, I realized that she would be a beaut if my husband and I tightened it up.  Experiment?  No way!  This practice piece was going to find a new home in my master bedroom redo.

I sanded, and sanded, and sanded.  There were probably 3 different shades of paint, a few coats of primer, and the original varnish.  I spent about three days over different weekends trying to get down to the bare wood, since the paint was in such bad condition.  Luckily, I had a sweet little helper.

The paint eventually began peeling off in sheets – which was great for me, but is a testament as to why it’s so important to do the grunt work to properly prepare any furniture piece you are refinishing – you don’t want that to be YOUR hard work peeling off!  Once it began peeling, I was able to scrape it with a paint scraper and then run my sander over it with a medium grade sandpaper.

Using the techniques detailed in Mandie’s fantastic e-books on refinishing furniture, I primed and painted the dresser in (Behr paint tinted to) the Sherwin-Williams Decisive Yellow I previously shared with you as part of my inspiration.

I did try to use the Behr Ultra Plus paint and primer in one, but I had horrible results with it on bare wood.  I have heard great things about it, but after three coats, the wood was still sucking up the paint.  I would try it again on walls or previously painted wood, but never again on completely bare wood.  After priming it with Kilz and painting it with regular Behr paint, I couldn’t believe the difference in the results.

After the yellow paint was dry, I glazed it with Ralph Lauren glaze tinted to RL Black Silk.  This was my first attempt in glazing, and it went pretty well.  Again, I used Mandie’s glazing techniques from her e-book and also a little try and error myself.  As with any new technique, you should practice on a piece of wood before you work on your own piece.  I was a little heavy handed because I wanted it to look more “urban” and less “French-y”, but I’m very happy with the results.

The last step was to add pulls to my dresser.  I bought an assortment of vintage pulls off of Etsy, cleaned of the tarnish with steel wool, and spray painted them flat black.  I love that every pull is different, and I have named her Miss Matched.

Sure, she’s the only part of my master bedroom redo actually completed, but you have to start somewhere!

And, now for a bunch of photos of my new beauty (which I know will drive my friend Emily crazy):

I would marry Miss Matched if I wasn’t already married.  Plus, I guess if I was married to a dresser, my first born wouldn’t be that darn cute.

P.S. I am an affiliate for Mandie’s e-books, so I get a couple of bucks when you buy one from my link.  In turn, I use those few bucks to buy more paint and glue sticks.  It’s a vicious cycle, but someone has to do it!

P.P.S. I linked this post up to Gina’s Transformation Thursday party over at The Shabby Chic Cottage.

About Lindsay Ballard

Lindsay Ballard is a former college mascot turned political geek turned roller derby playing, DIY fanatic.

Lindsay chronicles her projects, design ideas, and lifestyle tips here at Makely, where she shares tutorials and inspiration. Her DIY designs are bold and graphic, while her spirit is fun and full of color.

Lindsay lives outside of Austin, Texas with her husband (Tom), children (Zack and Emma), and dogs (Duke and Jill). She plays roller derby for the Rockin' City Rollergirls out of Round Rock, Texas.

Comments

  6. Kim says

    Wow, you did an amazing job! I love the way it turned out. It’s such a great piece and I’m glad you were able to give it a home. The mismatched handles are a great touch.

    Reply

  13. Ashley Ez says

    Oh My Goodness.
    This dresser is the most AH-mazing thing ever. LOVE the grunginess and the gorgeous feminine pulls. I’m trying to figure out what I can do this to in my house!!

    Reply

  14. SewTara says

    This is gorgeous! At the top of the post I was thinking ‘wow that colour is great!’ then it just kept getting better and better. The mismatched hardware is a big win!

    Reply

  23. Leahw says

    My brother has a dresser exactly like that. I have been begging him for years to let me have he but he won’t give it up. You did a wonderful job on yours.

    Reply

  24. Fred @ One Project Closer says

    I love that color, Lindsay. It’s an interesting mix of retro and bold combined! Kim and I are just so traditional when it comes to furnishings that we don’t usually branch out into those colors… This post is inspiring on that front.

    Reply

  28. Stephanie W says

    I love what you did with the dresser!

    I just recently recieved a dresser as well and it too has been painted, possibly a few times, what did you use to sand it down to the bare wood? And if you used a sander what kind of sander would you recomend?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  30. heidi @ wonder woman wannabe says

    oohh-la-la! well done! i’m growing quite the collection of furniture to paint – – two end tables, a headboard (most recent, yippie!!) and i’m on the prowl for some small dressers to use as night stands as well. now, all i need is some SUNSHINE!! 🙂

    Reply

  31. bella says

    Two thumbs up for that! That’s an excellent diy! I love it. I really love the outcome of the dresser, i love the color, artistic design and creativity. Excellent work! Looking forward to see more of your great work 🙂

    Reply

  33. Tryinginpittsburgh says

    This is so gorgeous – and I have just figured out what I’m doing to my dining room table when my hubby and I get to redo-ing it this summer. Thanks for the pictures and the inspiration!

    Reply

  34. Lisa says

    How did you paint the pulls without them sticking?? I have some of those on my dresser that I want to redo but I’m afraid they will stick, please help

    Reply

    • Lindsay says

      Hey Lisa-

      Here are the steps I followed to paint those pulls:

      1) They were tarnished brass, so I cleaned them the best I could with steel wool.
      2) I spray primed them, painting them first with the pull up and then with the pull down (after the first coat was dry).
      3) I spray painted them with flat paint in the same way I primed them – with the pull up and then with the pull down.

      I’m not sure if the primer, the flat paint or making sure they were good and dry in between coats made the difference. My instinct tells me that it’s the flat paint, but I’m really not sure.

      Good luck!

      Reply

  37. Kathy, Petticoat Junktion says

    Hi Lindsay, I just found this magnificent piece of furniture through pinterest. I am in awe. I would never have thought to put the different hardware on her. Miss Matched is my new love. Kathy, Petticoat Junktion p.s. thanks for the inspiration

    Reply

  38. laine says

    i just found your site today and its packed with great information, thanks for sharing.
    i have to say i am impressed with your work and its takes a lot to impress me as i have have been a collector of vintage and retro furniture since the 80s (way before it was cool and no one was into it). your an artist. keep it going! i am inspired by all the new techniques being used, it seems what they were doing with walls 10 yrs ago (crackle, glazing, suede, distressing, and bold colors) has now come to furniture. go figure. i have a few techniques of my own i have been perfecting but mostly i operate as vintage dealer not an artist (like you). have a nice day.

    Reply

  39. Brooke says

    Love this dresser! Thanks so much for sharing. This inspired me to refinish two nightstands for my bedroom.

    Reply

  40. Nichole says

    Oh my goodness, this dresser is absolutely stunning! I have been craving to do something like this, but I always feel like I won’t have enough patience or it will turn out horrible and I’ll be discouraged to do future projects. But holy moley this peice is amazing, you must be quite proud of yourself!

    Reply

  41. Bin says

    That dresser screams classy, elegant, but totally fun! I never though much about yellow furniture and would never think of mismatched pulls (I’m a matchymatchy kinda person)–but I totally love this. What inspiration you have given me. I actually have a similar piece I am picking up this week…..now…..picking the color. I’m gonna check your site for the rest of the bedroom redo…have you done it yet? If not, hurry up, I’m hanging on the edge of my seat to see it! Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  42. Olivia says

    I love the mismatched pulls. I’m so happy you shared that idea. Since I paint custome furniture, mostly in the French-Nordic style , it’s exciting to see something entirely different that I genuinely favor. Not being a color enthusiast either, I really like your green choice. Since you use acrylic paint, try Valspar if you have not already. It works well on primed furniture. Behr I am not a fan of….

    Happy New Year!
    Olivia

    Reply

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    This type of message always inspiring and I prefer to read quality content, so happy to find good place to many here in the post, the writing is just great, thanks for the post.

    Reply

  66. Balmond says

    Excellent information on your blog, thank you for taking the time to share with us. Amazing insight you have on this, it’s nice to find a website that details so much information about different artists. waterproofing

    Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] paint it black, then glaze it with a dark brown or bronze glaze (like Lindsay‘s awesome Miss Matched makeover) and last modge podge the chinoiserie scenes on.  Goodbye 1970′s end table smushed […]

    Reply

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