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Hello and Happy Monday to you. I am slowly making progress on my new house. The carpet is being installed in our family room today (I ripped up laminate flooring to do it) which will make it so much more cozy for our family. The Air Stone fireplace is done (see Instagram for a picture) and I am now working on making the IKEA Billy Bookcases one either side of the fireplace look built-in. It will be nice to have just one room in our house complete other than the garage and mudroom, since those aren’t rooms you want to hang out in. Anyway on to today’s post. I had a friend give me a dresser she was ready to toss out months and months ago (thanks Dalia!). I actually moved it from Indiana to Ohio because I had a plan for it. It was in pretty rough shape but I immediately knew what I wanted to do with it since it has these nice insets drawers. While it isn’t real wood I knew some paint and paint sticks would make this gorgeous!

I originally wanted to do the outside a crisp white but the dresser was in rough shape and wasn’t real wood for me to sand down to get a better finish. It would have taken some serious work to make the surface look smooth and nice for a stark white gloss finish.

So I went to plan B and decided a chalky finish would look the best and make the already weathered piece look at home.

So I painted it with some Folkart Home Decor Chalk that you can get at Joann Fabric and Crafts. I first painted it in the Nautical and once dry I covered that with the Parisian Gray. I am loving how chalk finish paints are becoming more readily available and affordable.

I then distressed it by using a 3M sanding sponge to rub away some of the gray paint to reveal the blue and a little of the previous brown paint.

I then started on the cutting the paint sticks. I accumulated a box of 5 gallon paint sticks from a friend and I have been loving all the uses I have found for them. If you don’t have any you can also buy 1/4” luan in the lumber section at Lowes.

Click here for more paint stick projects

I made a jig to make it easier to cut them. All I did was cut a 45 degree angle and then clamp that piece in place. Then like an assembly line, I just cut all the pieces I needed by making a quick 45 degree cut and then pushing that edge into the jig and cutting again. In order to make the herringbone pattern I cut one and then flipped the paint stick over to cut the other angle.

When all of my pieces were cut I applied some Gorilla Wood Glue and pressed them in place and let them dry overnight.

I cut most of the angles perfect for the dresser. However the tiny pieces on the edge I just let overhang and once dry I used a jigsaw to cut them off.

I debated on what to stain the herringbone pattern in. I thought of doing an ombre, doing three different stains, doing the top and bottom one color and the middle another. I took it to Instagram to ask your opinion.

Instagram peeps I need your instapinion! Here is the dresser I am working in. Squuueeeeall I am so in love. My question is should I stain the wood darker and all one color? Or the top and bottom drawer one stain and the middle a different? Three different shades of stain? Something completely different? Weigh in folks!

One follower said something that helped seal my decision to stick with one color. She said to keep it classic. When I was defining my style for a post I did for Dutch Boy I said I was “Fresh Classic”. The meaning I gave it was that “I love classic pieces with pops of color and on trend patterns.”

So I decided to go with a Minwax Dark Walnut after I used the Pre-Wood Conditioner.

And I am so happy with my decision! Once dry I used Minwax Wipe-On Poly in Satin to seal it.

I redrilled holes and added some gold knobs from D. Lawless Hardware that I picked up when I visited their store. (If you are ever in Olney, IL I suggest you stop, they have tons more to choose from in store)!

I also spray painted the metal tips of the legs with Krylon Brass Metallic Spray Paint as well.

And now I am using it as my nightstand. It is a bit oversized which is great since my bed is super high. I need to find another smaller dresser for my husband’s side still.

Check out the details on my wood shim sunburst mirror post here.

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