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Wow, this piece was fully on the struggle bus when it arrived! This beautiful yellow dresser came to me as a cherished antique that had been in the family for a long time, but unfortunately fell off of a moving vehicle at one point and needed lots of help. As soon as I saw it, I knew it had to stay yellow. Doesn’t it just make you happy in yellow??

After some consideration and evaluating the lack of pieces left, I decided to make a cubby in the center for records, baskets, storage, etc. since otherwise I would have to completely re-create two of the drawers.

It’s also worth mentioning that the yellow is the original color, which means it was most likely lead paint. This makes things a bit more tricky, but we’ll get there in a moment.

Here’s a before photo:

After deciding to make a cubby, I used my handy jigsaw to cut out the crossbar in between where the drawers would normally go, then sanded down the 2 spots where I made my cuts with a power sander.

Next up was creating a box inside to frame out the cubby. For this project, I used some pieces of cut MDF board that I got at the hardware store. They were already cut down into workable sizes that fit easily in my car (I can’t buy full 4x8’ boards- they won’t fit!). Then, I carefully measured each dimension and used my jigsaw once again to cut each board. I did them in sequence, not all at once, because I wanted to be sure each measurement was correct. To apply them, I used wood glue on the backsides and some regular screws that I went back and covered over with caulk. I also caulked around each edge, making sure to wipe off the excess. I think I caulked a few times, building up the layers to form a good seal and fill the gaps in all the crevices.

After I caulked, it was time to sand. However, because of the probable lead paint, I decided to sand as minimally as possible to reduce my exposure to lead dust. I did use 220 grit paper to smooth out some of the chipped areas, and then filled in the deeper ones with wood filler. I also filled in the arch on the top drawer with wood filler, since it didn’t make sense without the coordinating drawer underneath it. After sanding, I primed the entire piece, both inside the cabinet and the body of the dresser. Then, more sanding and filling, then priming again. After that, even more sanding and filling! It took a lot of work to get the surface smooth because of all the wear over the years. If I could have stripped or sanded it down, it would have been A LOT easier, but I didn't feel like shortening my lifespan to save a couple hours of work. After all the sanding/priming/filling adventures, I used Annie Sloan’s Tilton chalk paint, which is a beautiful, bright yellow, and painted the piece and drawer fronts. Then I painted the inside of the cabinet with some leftover Benjamin Moore Decorator’s White I already had, which worked great on the MDF. I also spray painted the hardware in gold to bring them back to life a bit. After a few coats of paint and a couple coats of Minwax Paste Finishing Wax to get that rich hand-rubbed look with some added protection, the piece was done!

Here it is in its final form: 💛

What do you think?? Can you see this as an option for a damaged piece you might have? Or better yet, would you use this in your home? It’s a great solution for helping pieces that need to be re-worked, and I love the idea of using some pretty baskets inside or using it as a record stand and storing your records in the cabinet. Whatever its function turns out to be, I’m just happy that it’s been restored and will continue to brighten someone’s day ☀️

And that’s all, folks! ✌🏻

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to check back here for a new blog post each and every Friday! Stay tuned into fun updates, resource guides, the blog, and more by subscribing to my email list! Also, make sure you’ve joined the REAL party on Instagram, because I post even more beautiful transformations, tips, behind the scenes, and fun vintage finds almost every day! I’d love to see you over there ❤️ 

-Austin