Marvelous Monday (now Tuesday) & a kitchen island

I have to say today is a great day! It’s Monday and here at our humble abode, we are all smiles as III just got a job promotion. We put this decision in God’s hands & he truly blessed us! We’re about to go out and celebrate!!

But, before dinner…the island!

One of my amazing aunts owns a furniture store and this little beauty had been sitting in storage for awhile. She graciously donated it to our first home. For a while we used it as a TV stand, see below (it’s a lot fuzzy…apologies)

But once the TV was mounted….

The dresser began it’s transformation into our kitchen island. Here’s the step by step.

Step 1:

After removing the hardware, I used this fabulous sander my dad gave me for Christmas to strip it down {almost} to the bare wood.

Step 2:

Then, I primed. I used Kilz that we had left over from refinishing the cabinets in the kitchen.

I love this detail…

Step 3:

After a 2nd coat of primer it was time to paint. I’m a lover of the miss tints at Home Depot/Lowes/etc. So when I saw this grey for only $3.00 I had to pick it up. I mixed it with a sample brown I had to create a deep taupe color. (It looks different in every picture based on the lighting & the time of day the picture was taken. Sorry!)

Step 4:

I used a brush for the painting because I wanted a brushed look. After drying, I coated it again!

Step 5:

Then, I added a little gray to my mixture. I wanted to make the drawers slightly lighter than the rest of the island, turned dresser. I would later paint the darker taupe & then sand away to let the light color show through.

Step 6:

I put the handles back on during the in between working time so it would still be usable. I’m sticking with the original. What do yall think? Maybe I should see what else it out there?

Step 7:

A few days later I went back over the drawers with the frame color & then sanded them (with sandpaper) to give a distressed look.

Step 8:

On to the backside. The original back of the dresser was not for show, but more to be pressed up against the wall. So we pulled off the piece of plywood (III was a big help from this part forward!) & attached beadboard with finishing nails to give a cleaner look. We then painted to match the rest of the island.

Step 9:

Now, for the top. I first tried sealing the top with Polyurethane, but I wasn’t sure if that was food safe. Plus, anything that dripped ended up staining the wood. We ventured to our favorite, and bought Super Glaze.

This glaze ended up being just what we needed. It was a tedious task, but work the work. III helped to mix, stir, and pour the resin & activator.

Then we poured it on top & spread it out smoothly (it dripped over the masking tape we had attached to the edge of the top). The glaze had to cure over 8 hours, without collecting dust….so, this was our solution. (Max’s dog gate covered with a fitted sheet, quite ingenuitive if I do say so myself. I wish I could take credit.)

Step 10:

Finally, the next morning we were able to remove the covering & are loving the results. It appears as if it is covered in a thick glass.

We ended up letting it set for about 4 days before placing anything on top.

A new kitchen island for a grand total of:

dresser – free

paint – $3.00

beadboard – $10.00

glaze – $20.00

$33.00!!!

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