Turning a Dresser into a Bar Part 1

I recently inherited an old dresser from my Mom. It was actually part of a set handed down from my grandparents (it was their wedding bedroom set from the thirties!) After many moves and changes of hand/ paint, it had certainly seen better days. 

It was originally a cream color with brass fixtures but, as you can see by the photos, that had changed to an awful uneven orangey brown. I can honestly say I wasn't wild about the set, but the potential was certainly there. I loved the structure of it and knew I could refurbish it to something better and beautiful again. 

Hubby and I have been tossing around the idea of making our own bar for the dining room and this seemed like kismet almost. With a few changes, this could be perfect!

What You Will Need:

• Old Dresser
• Drop Cloth
• Sandpaper
• Screwdriver
• Paint (I used Valspar Paint and Primer in Eggshell White) but whichever color you prefer works
• Wood Stain (Mine was Minwax in Special Walnut which I LOVE and have had for years)
• Wood Seal (Again I used Minwax which I cannot recommend enough)
• Stencil
• Black Paint
• Paint brushes 
• Paint Sponge

First and foremost, lay your drop cloth out underneath of your dresser. Trust me on this one, many a stain later and I always start with the drop cloth. Your floors will thank me later. 

Since I would be using this as a bar and not to hold clothes, I wanted a space for my glasses and bottles instead of drawers. What I really needed was shelf space. I pulled out the top two levels of drawers but left the bottom since I did want a little bit of storage space.Then I got to working on the slats. 

All I needed was a little bit of prying with a screwdriver and they popped right out leaving me with a perfect shelf in their place. 

Like I said, I was not wild about the color at all (orange and brown? check. Splotchy paint job? Check. Eyesore? Double Check.) I wanted to bring it back to the creamy aged color that it had started with and I wanted to showcase the beautiful antique that it truly was.

I used a paint and primer combo so after sanding down all of the surfaces. I went heavier on certain places to make sure the paint would adhere to the wood. The previous finish was kind of glossy and I wanted to "olden" up the wood.

I painted inside of the two shelves that I would be using but  left the bottom because the drawers would cover the paint job. 

I left my paint to dry over night and came back the next day to stain.

Like I said in the supplies list, I used Minwax stain in Special Walnut which I have used on several projects before (hence the super messy can...) The Special Walnut gives the wood a really dark stain, so if you want something lighter by all means.

Brush on a heavy amount of stain to a 1/3 a section of your space (I started on the top).

Then  wipe off immeadietly with paper towels. 

I was going for an imperfect worn wood look which came out amazing! Continue doing this until your surface is covered. Use the paper towels to blend each section into the other.  

Repeat on the sides, being sure not to miss the top corners or along edges. 

I also stained my shelves to create a uniform look.

My "finished" product came out exactly as I was hoping. Worn and aged and well on its way to being my beautiful bar already.

I left this to dry overnight in preparation for the next part of the process:

Stenciling and The Finishing Touches!