From $0 to $450 in a Few Days (How a simple coat of paint sold a Mid Century dresser that Goodwill wouldn't take)

Sorry for the long title, especially since this is going to be a very short post. But today I am writing about how finding someone's "junk" can sometimes require very little work to find the treasure hidden inside.

I know in my last post I promised that I would be writing several DIY home makeover posts in a row, but this dresser project got in the way of all of them, so it's post is going to do the same. I had just finished installing the bikes on our new wood bike wall and was getting ready to re-do our garage, when my husband came home from a neighborhood walk. Never are his walks exciting, but he said he found something he thought I would like. The thought of a project interrupting my plans did not excite me, but when he took me to see a mid-century dresser sitting on the side of the road with a FREE sign on it, I was excited. 

It was in almost impeccable condition, only a few water stains on the top of the dresser. That's it. Dovetailed drawers were in brand new condition, and it didn't even stink or have a speck of a dust! The homeowner came out when he saw us looking at it, and said his neighbor tried giving it to Goodwill who didn't want it!! He said he was trying to help him unload it, and then proceeded to help us load it into our car. It was literally around the corner from our home. (Note: I have found that the best deals are often nearby and convenient if you're just willing to look for them and get them.)

I wasn't sure what to do, but decided that since the frame of the dresser had the water stains, and didn't appear to be solid wood, I decided to only paint the frame, and keep the beautiful wood grain drawers as is. 

All I had to do was:

1. Sand using 220 grit in the direction of the grain, and wipe clean.

2. Prime

Because I had a gallon of Zinsser Bullseye primer on hand that was too old and lumpy to put into my paint sprayer, I used a roller and rolled the primer on to the frame of the dresser. When it dried I used a 220 grit sanding sponge to lightly sand off any rough patches.

3. Prep & Paint

I had a gallon of SW6258 Tricorn Black paint that I wanted to use in my sprayer, so I cut up some trash bags, used painters tape to close off the areas I didn't want painted, and sprayed using my Wagner sprayer. 

In this picture the paint looks black...like I had hoped...but when it dried it looked...

BLUE

I had forgotten that Tricorn black often resembles more of a navy color when dry. I went onto Instagram to ask my followers if they thought the blue looked ok, and they put my mind at ease. Many of them even said they preferred the blue hue.

4. Stage & Sell

Although I loved this dresser, and even my boys loved this 9 drawer dresser, I knew it was too cool for our decor and would sell well. Hubby and I lugged it inside and upstairs, and I took pictures of all of it's lovely angles. I then posted it on Craigslist and within the week it sold for $450.

 

For what didn't cost me a dime in supplies, and only a few hours of work, $450 was an exciting profit. 

The moral of the story is: Keep your eyes opened for a piece of furniture that has good bones, and snatch it up. Think of what is good about it, and keep and highlight those aspects, and disguise, change, and improve the bad. Stage it and sell it (or keep it and enjoy it). There's a lot of treasure out there for those willing to find it and improve it.

I know many of you have turned trash into treasure. Please comment below what were your awesome finds, and even send pictures. I'd love to share your successes!

Happy Hunting!