If I can impart only one piece of knowledge today, I want it to be this: When you find a piece in a thrift store that is exactly what you are looking for and the price is right, purchase it immediately. Should you give yourself time to “sleep on it,” you will obsess about it and then run the possibility of it not being there when you go back bright and early the next morning. This very scenario has happened to me on numerous occasions.
Luckily, this is not the story of one of those times. Instead, I obsessed about this thrift store dresser for about 29 hours before I called my husband at work and asked if he’d go buy it if it was still there when he got of off work. It was.
When we went to pick it up, we promptly donated the mirror back to the thrift store (I did not feel like I could repurpose it because of the way it was made) and brought the dresser back to our garage. There it sat while I finished this dresser and these walls.
I would normally hand roll a huge piece of furniture like this, but for the sake of time (and laziness), I decided to spray paint it. I used Kilz spray primer on a whim (which I learned I do not prefer over my beloved Zinsser spray primer), and then painted it with Krylon Classic Gray. After it dried, I glazed it with my Ralph Lauren glaze tinted in Black Silk and applied 2 coats of wipe-on polyurethane. I spray painted the original brass handles, lined the drawers with Contact paper, and moved the wavy dresser into the master bedroom.
I get the greatest pleasure from seeing a thrift store cast-off become my new favorite piece of furniture. I can’t believe I didn’t immediately claim it in the store by licking it or something. That would have been pretty gross, huh? Anyway, I’m glad no one else in those 29 hours we were apart saw it for the jewel that it was to become.
If you would have seen this dresser at the thrift store, would you have tried to fight me for it?
Joining Motivated Monday at Be Colorful.
{ 79 comments… read them below or add one }
I would’ve gone all ninja on you for that baby. That’s the best looking piece of thrift furniture i’ve seen on any blog. All I ever seem to find is 80′s kmart pressboard furniture. One day i’ll find something like that.
No way. That is awesome. And spray paint? How’d you get it so nice? When ever I try to spray paint furniture it gets all streaky on me.
I have a vanity table I am itching to paint…time to bust out the supplies.
It looks amazing. I think spray paint is a better option with a piece like this. Great job!!
Ruth
I would have walked right past it in the thrift store. I absolutley love what you did with it!
danielle
No I wouldn’t have fought you for it at the thrift store Lindsay but I’d for sure fight you for it now! What a great job! I love the color and the design is amazing, I’m not sure I’d have the insight to see it for what it could be, though I try to imagine everything white or in a color. You did a great job!
Question: I have a piece of furniture I want to paint but I think it has a heavy varnish because it is quite shiny (like the top of yours looks). Do you think the Zinsser would work or do you need to sand the whole thing first?
Thanks! Susan @ homeroad
Oh my goodness Lindsay, I love it! I was laughing when I read your post. Just yesterday as I was dropping off my son’s saxophone at his school, I drove past a pile of “FREE” furniture – mostly bureaus and beautiful, frenchy, curvy kind! It was early so I thought “I’ll just stop AFTER I drop off the sax”. I was kicking myself when I pulled up and saw all the bureaus being piled into the back of a pick up truck. So, I get it and agree, you can’t wait! Awesome job!!
DOH! What a bummer!
Can’t say that I would, but then that’s why you find the great pieces and I’m still searching. No foresight. It’s lovely.
Cool! Restoration Hardware could sell that!
That turned out amazing! I have some kind of handicap where I can’t imagine something in a new state. Oh I wish I had your vision!
It looks really great in that room. Wonderful choice of furniture and color!
Nice work! That is amazing!
LOVELY!!!!!!
I’m going to all the wrong thrift stores. That piece is amazing. I really want a dresser to serve as a TV stand. Yours looks fantabulous.
That is gorgeous Lindsay!!
Looove the color!!
Just about the most awesome thing I’ve ever seen.
I love the fun lines on that sucker!! xoxo
Looks awesome!!! Great job!!!
Completely in awe, this looks fantastic! I can imagine people reaching very deep in their pockets for this piece.
wow Lindsay! it looks beautiful!! You did a great job!
I’ve never spray painted anything but I’ve been wanting to spray paint our bedside tables! I hope I don’t end up ruining them! They’re not real wood so what would you recommend? They’re cheap Ikea tables but not the glossy kind.
Hey Cindy- If I were you, I’d give them a really good coat of primer first and let it “cure” according to the can. They should be fine after that. I’m one of those people who thinks that primer solves all problems or problems-to-be.
Love it!! I would have totally laid on it while I waited for my husband to come and pick it up in his truck. (Not overly better than licking it). Also – thanks for the tip about donating things right back… seems obvious, but I have never done that, and then pieces sit in my garage forever!
Love the final outcome!
Beautiful, just beautiful! The lines on that piece are fab and how perfect is that color too? LOVE!
xo
Kate
It looks very art deco now! I LOVE IT! Great find and great redo.
This looks amazing! I love love love how it turned out! Nothing like this at my thrift stores…lucky you! I am your newest follower & was letting you know I am finally doing my post linking to the tile coasters on your blog like I asked a couple of months back. Thanks so much for your inspiration!!! I would love for you to link this up to my linky party going on all week(It will be up later today.
I love it!
Great find, Lindsay! It looks amazing.
Gorgeous job Lindsay! I would have foregone the mirror too… I love the finish and how it creates depth. TOO COOL!
Question… do you think that’s the orignal position of the drawers or were you just keeping it funky… I feel like the bottom drawers should be the top and vice versa. I like the effect it gives, but I was just wondering…
Thanks for sharing ANOTHER great re-do!
Ha! Katy, you are SO RIGHT! I just switched out the drawers and I think the top and bottom drawers are switched around from the intended locations. I spent so much time trying to figure out how they went right to left (they were wrong at the store), that I didn’t even think about top to bottom.
At any rate, I think I’m going to leave them the “wrong” way. When they are the right way, there’s a lot of blank space going on and I like the busy look of the wrong way. I guess I’ll just say that I am keeping funky.
Thanks for pointing it out! LOL
This is exactly what I was thinking! I can’t imagine the headache of figuring out where all of those drawers went!
I do think that I personally would flip flop the top and bottoms. But who knows.
Gorgeous and simply wonderful transformation!
Oh wow!!!!! I would LOVE to get rid of my crappy dresser for something like that! How on earth do you refinish it? Do you have to sand it? How much was it from the thrift store?
I cleaned it, primed it, spray painted it, glazed it, and polyurethaned it. Sounds way more complicated than it is! I probably should have sanded the top, but I didn’t sand any of it. I bought it for $125 at Salvation Army – more than I wanted to spend on a dresser, but this one was special.
Great job. But I think I would have gone right by it. When I see the veneer finish I cringe. So much work. You did a fabulous job. Hugs!
Love that! If I had a place for it in my home, I definitely would have fought you for it. On another note, I love how the chevron pattern is reflected in your t.v. in the last picture
Thanks! I love that, too. I’ve been known to sit on my bed with the TV turned off just to look at the reflection of the wall.
I had the same question about the drawers, if they were backwards or upside down or whatever… anywho.. I think it looks great in grey! I bought an awesome dresser recently… repainted it… but i could not get the smell out of the drawers
I live in a walkout basement that is not the driest part of the house, so I think the moisture just won’t fully get out of the wood, causing the funky old musty smell to stick around. I tried it all to get rid of it too.. I’m bummed though, because it only cost $12 at the thrift store!!! Nice job on yours!
someone did a post recently on getting the “thrift store smell” out of drawers. You may want to google it – I can’t remember who it was… But there was something about vinegar maybe???
LOL I did a post on that about a week ago – maybe it was me?
oh wow! Can you say Katy is a DORK!
Well at least you know I’m listening but not categorizing information very well! heehee Have a great Sunday!!
Ha!
that is incredible. i wish i had your eye for design. i esp. love that you can see your the reflection of your cool paint design in the tv!
Love it Lindsay! I have been “burned” so many times by not buying on the spot…grrrr. I love thrift store finds and have ton’s of them in my house. Question: why to you prefer Zinsser primer over Kilz? I use Kilz and it I always have to sand it some, is this better with the Zinsser? Does it cover better? I would love to know being I go through about 4 cans of Kilz a week! Thank you!
I have a dresser almost like that! It has been sitting in my basement for ten years. The previous owners left it. I love what you have done! Thank you for the painting tips. I have been inspired!
That sure was a find, Lindsay! I wouldn’t have seen the potential in it at all. We are currently painting our bedroom furniture white and have had no luck with two different brands of spray paint. I’m switching to Krylon. Thanks for the inspiration!
Lindsay – It is beautiful!
Did you sand it down before you primed and painted it? And if so, how do you sand all those curvy trim pieces without rounding off the edges???
Blessings,
Adrienne
What a breathtaking statement this piece makes in the room!
I’ve been in the process of refinishing a simple, round table. However, after seeing your wonderful results, I think next time I’ll paint
Btw, I’m also curious to know how you tackled the trim.
Spray paint!
I knew that painting all of that trim by hand was going to take forever.
Good eye. I think I have vision but I think I might have walked right past this one. I really like the gray for something different. Very sophisticated. I would love it if you wanted to link it up to Motivated Monday at BeColorful
Pam
Thank you Lindsay, for having taken the time to share the spray paint tip—it’s much appreciated!
I LOVE IT! I am always intimidated at spray painting furniture that’ll be used a lot bc I feel it’ll be sticky/tacky. Is that not the case? How many bottles of spray paint did it take ya?
-Monica
Hey Monica!
No, it’s not sticky or tacky. I make sure I paint in the very early morning where there’s not much humidity. Works great!
That looks amazing Lindsay! I love your site
I am in the midst of my own refinishing project, and can’t seem to locate any Ralph Lauren glaze. It seems that the Home Depot is no longer carrying the RL brand. Do you know of any other comparable products that achieve the same effect?
Thanks!
Hi Laura! Where do you live? Put it into the RL Paint Store Locator and see what comes up: http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/stores/results.aspx#type=19,33 I bought it at a small, local Benjamin Moore paint store. It’s the only product I’ve used, so I can’t recommend anything else – but I really love it.
Thanks Lindsay! I’m in Scranton, PA. Nothing came up in the store locator, but I’m going to travel this summer, so hopefully I’ll find it somewhere!
Absolutely magnificent! I love that piece too.
Hi! Love ur dresser!! I have been searching for the PERFECT COLOR for mine. Could you please tell me what color you used and what glaze? I would appreicate it soo much.
Depends on the price. How much did you pay for it? I might have snatched it up!
I purchased an item similar in style to your and I am SO excited to make it beautiful
I want to make sure I buy the right materials. Kinsser spray primer cover-stain flat white primer? Krylon classic gray flat, glossy, indoor/outdoor, not sure exactly which is the right one to buy. Lastly, what brand and type of polyurethane do you use. I found the ralph lauren glaze and tinted it black silk…that was the easy part. I get my furniture on Wednesday. Can’t wait to start cleaning and turn my find into a treasure. Thanks 
Fun, fun, fun! Yes, Zinsser spray primer. I think my Krylon was glossy, but I was going to use a semi-gloss poly, so it didn’t really matter. I like the Minwax Wipe-On poly – it comes in matte and semi-gloss.
Be sure to show me your new treasure when it’s finished, and let me know if you run in to questions. So excited for you!
I will definately show you my pieces. I will be doing the same effect to a dresser, night stand, and headboard. I am so excited to begin! However, I got to get the smell out first…:(
I DIE over this dresser! I actually picked up something kind of similar. I just painted it this weekend. I’m busy, and impatient, so I spray primed (zinsser) and spray painted it glossy white. Only problem is, even though I lightly hand sanded it with 400 grit after the primer, It still looks a little “rough”. It’s not the high gloss finish I wanted. I have spray painted other furniture and it has done the same thing….it does not look smooth or glossy at all! What am I doing wrong? HELP!
OMG…I did the same thing, although I used the Kilz primer. I haven’t painted over it yet because it looks so rough. The primer did not go on well at all and is so rough that I am afraid to spray paint over it. If I do paint over it I know it won’t have the glossy look like yours. Do I need to sand it? Or did I apply the paint wrong?
Hey Girls! I’d definitely sand and then roll on primer. I had issues with my spray primer on this dresser, too. What’s the deal? I have no idea why, as I’ve never had that problem before. I actually need to sand and redo the top of my dresser because it has that rough feel to it, too.
I sanded last night with a very light sand paper, then dusted with an old make up brush to get all the particles off. Spray painted two coats last night. I will be needing one more coat tonight and then will apply the glaze. I can’t wait to get off work to finish! Thanks Linsay
I can’t believe I missed this post of yours because I love to keep up with your blog. But, now I am working on our master bedroom and came across this dresser and I am truly inspired. Love it! And I am SOOOO thankful for your wonderful advice on repainting furniture. Thank you!
Hi Lindsay,
I’m new to your Blog. Love your style and helpful tips. I am a professional Decorative Artist and think you did a wonderful job on your thrift shop dresser. I was wondering about the drawer positions . . . do you believe that there is a chance that the thrift store got the top and bottom drawers switched? I noticed the raised design/molding and thought that if the TOP drawer were moved to the bottom position and the BOTTOM drawer placed in the top slot, the raised design might line up better. Just an observation.
Thanks for sharing your ideas and creativity.
Susan
Hi Susan! You are definitely right. A few other readers pointed that out to me, too. I changed the drawers around to the right way, but I don’t love it as much. LOL Maybe I’m just weird – or maybe I have a dresser I can change around on a whim.
Thanks for your note! All the best!
Love Love Love your blog!!!! Thanks so much for posting! I am working on an old dresser this weekend( can’t wait) wondering how to you apply the glaze?
Thanks so much!!!
Hi Becca! The glaze is super easy. Use a cheap chip brush from Home Depot and dab the glaze into your detailing in small sections – like 2 ft by 2 ft. Then, quickly wipe it off from everywhere but the details with a wet cloth. Wipe with a dry cloth and then wipe again (lightly) with another white cloth.
Hi. Love your site. I am in the process of aquiring furniture for my college age daughter. I have hit Craigslist in my area, I scored big, for her and our house at the beach. Ok. I have a oak top table with 4 chairs. They are painted white on the bottom. The buffet has alot of the “fake” wood. Hate it, but, I got it ALL for 200.00. ANYWAY, any suggestions for the fake stuff. I figure that it is laminate on the sideboard. I have refinished sooo much wooden furniture, just never any of this stuff. I told her that when she finished school, she could have a curb alert and buy her own. If wishes had horses, all beggars would ride, ha ha! My great grandmother always said that. Ada Armstrong.
Yes! Try my laminate tutorial (http://livingwithlindsay.com/2009/05/how-to-paint-laminate-furniture.html) or Rustoleum’s Cabinet Transformations product. Both will work! Good for you for scoring so much stuff for free!
WOW, you did a fantastic job!!! I just stumbled upon your site while looking for a way to paint a laminate bookshelf I have. Anyway, I really like all your DIY projects…
You’ve def given me something to think about.
Check out my blog~
Hi Lindsay, I lucked out on a dresser and night stand so similar to the design of yours.. For only $40 (what a steal).. I was looking for a way to redo it and I hate to steal your idea but I am planning on doing EXACTLY what you did.. Yours turned out so wonderfully.. I am new to your blog and cannot wait to check out the rest of it.. You are fabulous!!
That is one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen – retail or second-hand. Great job on the glazing, adds that special touch! And those pulls are to die for, so unique!
Lindsay, Love this dresser! May I ask how much you spent on the original dresser at the thrift store? What a bargain! I find our thrift stores where I live to be a bit pricey.
I recently got a $10 coffee table (craigslist) and first applied a product called “STIX” a “waterborne bonding primer”. The guy at the paint store recommended it for any project that requires a primer. Just one coat and then I painted over with the color I wanted, I don’t have a pic but it worked really well:)
P.s. I love, love, love the inspiration fabric in Lindsay’s inspiration photo!
Laura
Very cool! I’ve never heard of Stix, but I just googled it. I found a few places nearby that sell it, so I’m definitely going to have to give it a try the next time I paint furniture. Did you have to sand with this product?
Did you have to sand the dresser before primer? If so, what grit did you use?
Hi Bobby- Yes, I lightly sanded the dresser before the primer, primarily to remove the shine and years of grime. I don’t recall the exact grit, but I would think I would have used something like a 120.
Before you “saved” it , ugh! No! I would not have fought you. I would now! Amazing job! You make me want to head over to the local Good Will. Nicely done.
p.s. I love the walls too!
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