before & after: elegant dresser redo

Furniture pieces like this dresser redo make me think there are tons of you out there who could live double lives running successful furniture design or restoration businesses. I’m still sort of amazed that Renee saw the “before” dresser above and had the vision to create the stunning two-tone piece below. I adore that dark sage-gray green she’s chosen, and the finish on the wood is the perfect tone. Truly wonderful job, Renee . . . can you come fix up my furniture? :) — Kate

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Read more after the jump!

Time: 7 hours

Cost: $200 (including dresser, hardware and supplies)

Basic Steps: To start, I removed the hardware and gave the dresser a good sanding. I wanted to keep some of the natural wood, so I stained three of the drawers. For the remaining two drawers and dresser, I put on two coats of latex paint and allowed it to fully dry. I then gave the painted parts a light sanding in the areas that would naturally wear out over time and applied a coat of stain on top of the paint. This gave the dresser an old and distressed look. Once everything dried, I put two protective coats of poly on the entire dresser. My advice would be to take your time and to be sure to allow everything to dry between coats. Be creative and have fun with it! — Renee