Dressing Table Makeover

Things are starting to get back to normal around here.  After a long bout with vertigo, followed by a virus, this gal is ready to get back to her projects.  I'm waaay behind, but I've been meaning to share this project for a while, so grab your favorite beverage and settle-in for this makeover.

Last August my husband asked me what I wanted to do for my birthday.  My answer?  Go to the ReStore!  We weren't in the door for 2 minutes when I spotted this dressing table - something I've always wanted!  

Happy Birthday to Me.....everything was there:  the wheels, hardware, the mirror, and it wasn't in bad shape at all.  It came home with me and the makeover began. 

The mirror didn't need any work at all, even the silver was good.  

A bit of cleaning with Murphy's Oil Soap and it was done.

I fell in love with the details:

The mirror took about 15 minutes to be done, so I set it aside and got to work on the rest.  
The top had some damage:

In addition to scratches, there were marks from bottles and/or glasses sitting on it.  I used Citristrip to strip off the finish and then some fine sandpaper.  All of the damage came off and I finished it with several coats of tung oil.

The drawers were another story.  The pulls had come loose and were spinning around, carving themselves into the wood.

The outer edges were in good shape, so I taped them off and gave the centers a sanding.

The marks were not going away, so it was time  for Plan B.  I decoupaged napkins on them and touched-up the black paint in the carved edge.

For a tutorial on how I decoupage furniture, click HERE.  

With the mirror, top, and drawers all done, it was time to look at the body of the dressing table.  The front and sides were in pretty good shape, so I gave them a good cleaning and some tung oil. The grooves that were cut into the front were painted black to match the drawers.

The legs were another story.  They were chipped, scratched and a funny gold/orange color.  I knew I couldn't live with that.

My first plan was to strip them, thinking they'd turn out like the top did.  No such luck.  I was looking at poplar.  Poplar is an inexpensive hardwood that is notorious for being 'blotchy' when stained.  I knew they wouldn't look anything like the top, so, once again, Plan B.  I decided to paint them black (chalk paint) to match the grooves on the upper legs and drawers.  I added some gold paint to match the 'gold' drawer pulls and sealed them with polycrylic.

All of the hardware was polished with metal polish and reattached to the drawers.

My antique dressing table was done and just in time.  The nights were getting cooler and I was getting tired of bringing it from the back porch into the kitchen each night!

I saved as much of the wood as possible, while making it into a piece that blended in with the other bedroom furniture I've made over. The only thing that was missing, was a chair or bench.  Have no fear....I found one that fits perfectly!  I'm waiting for the weather to warm up so I can strip the old paint off of it.  Rest assured, that will be a future post.  
To see the new bench, click HERE.

I'm so glad you stopped by and if you'd like to see the other pieces of furniture I have in the bedroom, here are the links:

The Poplar Chest of Drawers

Humidor Upcycle

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