The Rat Dresser Makeover

This is where it all began... The story of Dumped and Discovered.  This is the first piece of furniture that I purchased for our business.

Meet "The Rat Dresser."  (Note: This piece was named before I started giving my treasures more glamorous names like Bertha, Bernadette, and Denny). 

Two years ago, Lola and I went to an antique store in a small town near our house.  While there, the sweet lady at the counter handed us a flier.  It advertised a "yard sale" in an old warehouse.  This was before our thrifting days "officially" started, but we decided to give it a try.  Needless to say... WE WENT CRAZY!  It took three car loads to bring all of our treasures home, and Mr. Dump threatened to call the producers of "Hoarders." 

Most of the pieces have been re-vamped and sold.  But this one.... This one almost didn't make it to the transformation stage.  This one almost got re-dumped.  I just couldn't bring myself to tackle it...  Until now...

This is what it looked like when I bought it...  I turned the top into a chalkboard long ago!  Click here to check it out...

This piece became "The Rat Dresser" for the furry creature that once called the bottom drawer home.  GROSS!!!  Like I said, we didn't know what we were doing back then, so I didn't think to check the drawers first.  All I saw was the $20 price tag!

Mr. Dump fixed this problem pretty quickly by cutting new bases for the drawers.  He didn't mind the task because he got a new jigsaw out of the deal.  While he was having fun, I tackled the sides with every cleaning product I could find.  Then I added a little color by painting the inserts.

You know I love paintable wallpaper.  Since there wasn't enough wood filler in the world to fix the drawer fronts, I decided to use this magical invention. (Again!)

This is what it looked like after a newly sanded top, painted drawer inserts, and my own special chalk paint recipe.  Click here to read about it!

Mr. Dump stained the top and added a few coats of Polyurethane.

The difference between the before and after stages were so insane that we had to take an in-between picture.

And now for the dramatic after...  Here she is sitting beautifully in our foyer.  Mr. Dump and Lola found the cool metal containers during a thrifting excursion while I was teaching - Thanks, guys!

No more furry creatures living here...

 

A close-up for your viewing pleasure...

This is the beautiful distressing on the sides of the piece.

I am officially in love!  This one is going to stay with me for a very long time.

Happy Junkin'!

Sarah