A while back my pal Cathy texted and said she picked up a FREE dresser for me!
Woo hoo! Free!
Then she dropped it off.
Yikes. No wonder it was free. It came complete with a horrible paint job and some half removed stickers.
Then I got the brilliant idea that this would be a good candidate for attempting to strip paint. You may remember that learning how to strip was my goal for this summer (not that kind of stripping, get your mind out of the gutter). So far I have mainly just stripped varnish and stain, not paint.
After all, this dresser has decent bones, and those knobs are rather fab so why not give it a go?
All I can say is, wow, what a mess. I didn’t take photos because it was so disgusting and messy, I didn’t want to go anywhere near it with a camera. It took three passes with the stripper to get the paint off. Everything was covered in paint/stripper goo. My tools, my driveway, my apron, my shoes, my legs. Egads! And after all of that, the stain underneath that paint was one of those horrible red bleeding stains. No amount of paint will cover that stuff.
Well, when you can’t beat ’em, you just paint ’em red.
This is Miss Mustard Seed milk paint in Tricycle. I waxed with a custom blend of clear wax and dark wax.
There are still shadowy areas in the finish that are a result of that stain bleeding through mostly on the top drawer front.
But that just adds to the character of this one.
Those knobs are pretty cute, and the base definitely has some charm.
This dresser would be great in a kids room, or maybe in a mudroom or laundry room for a pop of color.
I’m passing the savings on to the buyer with this one and pricing it at a mere $125. If you need a cute red dresser, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you with an email.
P.S. After a very productive weekend, the finished pieces are piled up like cord wood. I’ll be posting something fab every day this week. Stay tuned!
q is for quandie 
Red is my favorite color and the perfect choice for this little number. She is darling. The knobs just make this piece. Love the photo styling here with the tin and vintage tablecloths.
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Thanks Victoria. That tablecloth I used is one of my favorites with its bright red geraniums.
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LOVE the dresser and the red-the knobs are perfect!
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I knew those knobs had to go back on, they sort of make the dresser. And I have to give kudos to nnK for helping me strip them, even though she did ruin a patch of my grass in the process. I wasn’t going to do it, but she convinced me that it wouldn’t be that hard and she was right.
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Love the red!!!!! You have great taste! Love this BLOG! You have gone up my list to #1 spot!
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Woo hoo! I’m #1. I am doing a little chair dance now. Thanks Cheryl!
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LOL OMG I have so been there with paint stripper. I’m working on a piece now that I do a little bit, get frustrated, put it aside… start again, repeat. I found that the more layers you put on the more liquid-y it starts to get so I like to let it sit on for a few hours and really sink down in. The stripping process is tedious, dirty, stinky and sometimes painful but the juice is almost always worth the squeeze! Another great piece here – and loving your new photo studio, too! xo Lindsey
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That’s awesome … ‘the juice is almost always worth the squeeze’! I’ve never heard that one before. Love it.
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I like the red and I think your new photo studio is working out grreat. This picture is terrific. The tablecloth and basket go great in that picture. You may have to sell them as a package.
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Hey, good idea sis!
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Well, Linda, you learned the number one lesson of paint stripping. If the first coat was red…forget about going back to wood. It is the most difficult color to remove. Good save with painting it red.
I wanted to tell you, that I bought an alabaster old clock the other day that was really dirty. It came out beautiful using Dawn dishwashing detergent on a squeezed out wet cloth.
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Hey, good to know about the alabaster! I still have to get to those lamps I purchased.
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