Monday, October 26, 2009

Before & After: Faux Bamboo Dresser



It's been so busy around here, this project has taken months to complete!  You might remember this piece, I've mentioned it before.  I found this yellow "tiki special" dresser at a thrift store last spring...  it sat in our guest room until Labor Day Weekend, when my husband and I finally carried it outside for a new paint job.  And now, months later, I installed new hardware and snapped some "after" pictures to share with you.  Finally, it's done!

The lovely dresser before:




Outside, we sanded it and primed it (our primer has a grey tint, which made it a bit more tedious to cover with white paint)...  filled the holes in the drawers with wood filler, and secured some loose pieces.  After all that, it was ready for glossy white paint!

  



Here is how it looks now.  It sits in our small guest room, at the edge of the bed, and I love seeing it when I come up the stairs.  It took me forever to commit to any hardware, but finally settled on simple brass pieces from Restoration Hardware.  We bought the small "adeline" knob in antique brass, and the 6" pull from the same collection.  I actually love how the simple hardware works with the room.
















UPDATE:  Thank you for the emails about the dresser and mirror!  The mirror was a (cheap!) DIY from Pier 1 Imports for $40.00.  It had a horrendous "southwestern" painted finish when I bought it.  All it needed was a coat of champagne metallic paint!


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No Comments Yet, Leave Yours!

Danielle said...

Nice! Love the hardware choice too. Where did you find the beautiful mirror?

Kelly Robson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
bryn alexandra said...

I looooove it!!! Wow... you should take pics of the finished room when you are done :)

Jennifer said...

looks great! love the hardware. and still love your crewel beadspread!

MK said...

Well done! (And there's that bedspread again. Sigh.)

Megan said...

Beautifully done, love this upcycle. Your hardware perfectly complements this piece, love it!

Peggy P said...

I am about to paint an old dresser that I have. This is my first time trying something like this. What color and brand of paint did you use to paint the dresser? Do use a roller or paint brush, or spray paint like I've seen others use? I want to get the smooth finish I see on your dresser. I'm so glad I stumbled across your blog - it's on my bookmarks and I plan on checking in every day. I love it!

Kelly Robson said...

Hi Peggy!

My husband and I have repainted a few pieces of furniture, and if we've learned anything it's sand and prime it first! This is so important. Sanding gives you a smooth finish and primer only gives you a smoother finish (and if you don't use primer, you WILL have flaking paint, trust me). I highly recommend using a spray can. For this dresser, we used Krylon "Dover White - Gloss" paint and Krylon primer. If you would rather choose a custom color from a paint swatch (we used a custom color on one piece of furniture in our house), I recommend using a spray attachment that you can fill with your choice of paint. You can get this at your paint store, or hardware store. We've had good luck with spraying our furniture, and I don't think I would use a roller (however, I know some people DO use this and get good results).

Thanks for the email, Peggy, and good luck with your project!!!

xx
Kelly

Magchunk said...

You should submit this to Design Sponge for the new book. I think I just saw today that they are still taking a few submissions. Because this turned out beautifully!

Found the blog via the etsy shop, which I've been lurking around for months!

Maggie

the gardener's cottage said...

hi,

just found you via a country farmhouse. i just love what you did with this dresser. great job.

~janet

Trove Interiors said...

I love the dresser makeover and the mirror! I'm always a sucker for faux bamboo and sunbursts. You are so fortunate to live somewhere where you can find treasures like this for a reasonable price. As you know they are harder to find on the West Coast. Love your blog. Looking forward to more great transformations.

Eclectic said...

Hey Kelly-just found your blog via D*S and had to learn more about this project because I recently bought the exact same dresser! It needs some repair work but these images gave me inspiration to get moving on it. Thanks! And I look forward to reading more on your blog.

Anonymous said...

Where did you get the duvet/blanket? It's so pretty!

Anne K. in L.A. said...

I found your blog via Design*Sponge. I received two dressers that are very, very similar to these. I was debating on whether or not to junk them or keep them. You've inspired me to keep them.

I want to attempt this, but I am a bit nervous. Out of curiosity, did you hand sand your dresser? Or did you a power sander? Any tips you may provide are appreciated.

Thanks,
Anne

Boo said...

i just bought a similar dresser off of craigslist and you have inspired to refinish it. it's not in horrible shape now, but the crisp white paint and new knobs would look fabulous. can i ask you the paint color on the walls? so serene and lovely and fresh.

pammyg said...

My daughter has similar looking nightstands to your dresser chest but they have laminate tops. Just wondering if yours did and how you dealt with getting the paint to stick.

I'm forwarding this before and after so she can see how pretty hers can be.

Thanks!

Alison said...

Hi - I have the same question about the laminate top?! I inquired about getting the laminate taking off of a bamboo dresser of mine but it sounds like an exceptionally expensive proposition. Please tell us if this was all wood or if you defeated veneer!

Thanks.

Kelly Robson said...

Thanks for the wonderful comments!

Paint color-- I don't know what it is! I'm sorry! These images were shot in our previous townhouse (which we rented) and this was the color of the guest room when we moved in. I didn't paint the room. I think that the landlord was shooting for "tan" and ending up with the most pale ballet pink.

Sanding-- we used both a power sanding and good old fashioned elbow grease.

Laminate top-- the top of this dresser had a glossy top, but it wasn't laminate. We sanded it with a power sander, and then primed it like the rest of the piece. It turned out great. No problems.

Hope this helps!

xx
Kelly

hello gorgeous said...

This is really beautiful - both the dresser and the mirror! I love your redos and your blog.

A House and Home said...

I love it. I am just about to start a dresser project...any words of wisdom?

ahouseandhome.blogspot.com

Thanks in advance.

navypolkadots said...

Hello! I was so excited to find this post - I recently acquired a six-drawer Bali Hai dresser and was desperately seeking guidance on during it from it's unfortunate cream color to bright white! Lucky for me, the hardware on my piece is still all in tact - just needed some brass cleaner and serious elbow grease. My brother and I followed your lead, first sanding (combo of power and hand), and then spray painting. We used a grey Krlyon primer followed by the same Krylon Dover White Gloss spray paint (in bottles). Unfortunately, six bottles in we're still seeing a greyish/blueish tint through the paint. Did you find it took you much more than six cans worth of paint to finish/cover the darker primer? Any other recommendations to get the brightest white we can?

Kelly Robson said...

navypolkadots-- keep painting. that's all I can say. Looking back, we would have rather used a white primer (instead of the grey), but we're hasty, and the grey primer is what we had on hand. I can't remember how many cans of white paint we went through. But, if you're still seeing the dark primer, I would buy a few more cans.

Good luck! Sounds like you're well on your way!

xoxo
Kelly

Tcobb said...

Lo9ve, love, love this blog. Your post on this dresser was a big inspiration for me to search for a Bali Hai triple dresser. Found one on Craigslist but I am desperately searching for a replacement drawer pull as the owner sold item "as is". would you be willing to sell a couple of the drawer pulls? They are the smaller ones that are on the left and right side drawers.

Thanks so much for your time!

Anonymous said...

This is gorgeous!!! What kind of seal did you use? Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Love it!! What seal/finish did you use?

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