Barn Doors and Lace: Dresser Flip

On New Years Day, I was blessed to have a Thursday off work- it was glorious. I had been wanting to redo my drew dresser but I just hadn't had the time; but more importunately I needed help moving it out side!
(Side note, only 2 more weeks until I kick this knee scooter aside and can slowly start walking again- EEK!)

Here is the dresser-free 99! Thanks Erick!

So this post is going to walk you through how I did this particular dresser flip.

Materials:
Annie Sloan Chalk Paint
Paint Roller
Paint Brushes
Tape
Sander with a low grit and a high grit sandpaper
Wood Stain
Staining sponge
Gloves
Annie Sloan Dark Wax
Annie Sloan Clear Wax

Prep:
The best part of the Annie Sloan Paint is that is adheres to almost any surface and does not need to be pre-sanded. But I would take a damp towel and wipe down the surface to clean off any dust or messes that you wouldn't want to just cover with paint.

Instructions:
1.So first, after wiping down the surfaces, I pulled out the drawers and started painting with the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. I made sure to get all the sides of the front of the drawer and that's it. I did not go back onto the walls of the drawers. (It is okay if the paint looks a little patchy, this is just your first coat!)

2. While the drawers were drying with their first coat, I moved onto the body of the dresser. Since I am going to be staining the top, I taped off the top and started painting the sides with rollers and the front with a paint brush.

3. Time for a second coat!
(Luckily with chalk paint, it dries fairly quickly and since we are sanding it down after, it will sand out a lot of the paint brush strokes.)

Here is my sister, Kirstin, helping me sand!

4. Next I sanded the top of the dresser.(Note: I did this when the paint was already dried, I took a long lunch break.) I used my new Ryobi Corner Cat Sander (Thanks Mom and Dad!) and used the low grit first to smooth out the knicks and discolorations. (The dresser is over 20 years old, schweet!) After I got the dirty work done, I switched to the finer grit and finished off the top. I wiped that puppy down with a damp cloth, let it dry, then it was time to stain!

This is 3 coats of stain (and 3 days) later!

5. This is my first time staining with a staining pad, and let me tell ya- It made my life so much easier. I am starting to like staining more than painting! I dipped the corner of the staining pad into the stain just enough to get the corner of the pad to have some stain. I realized after that it might have been easier if I stained first then painted, buuuut I didn't so I did it this way. After I went around and stained the corners and the overhang, I stained the top. I let it dry for 5 minutes, then I wiped up the remaining stain. I let the stain dry over night in the garage.

6. After a few additional layers of stain had been added and dried, I got out my sander again so I could easily buff out the sides of the drawers and the drawer fronts. The next part, distressing, is your own personal preference! I usually do the all the edges and some random spots on the front here and there. After all the sanding that I want done is done, I wipe her down again.

7. After all the distressing is done with the sander, I wiped down all the surfaces and wiped out the drawers. You want everything to be cleaned of dust before you wax the surfaces! Start with the clear wax and apply to a sock (what I used) or to a rag or something similar. I went over all the surfaces with the clear wax, focusing on the spots that would be touched a lot or where it could be dinged or scratched. After I covered the entire surface with the clear wax I took the dark wax and applied a very small amount to the spots where I had already distressed with the sander. (Be careful, if you use too much of it, it can make the surface appear dirty)
The rest is up to your own discretion. Let the wax absorb and you're done! So thankful the rain subsided for just enough time for me to finish this bad boy!