March 04, 2012

TV Stand Reveal

My client Shelby wanted to turn a dresser into a TV stand. I did a post a few weeks back that showed the inspiration for what she wanted. If you missed that post you can click here.

I usually show the before picture first but I'm gonna change things up with this post.
Here is the after.....

This looks SO splotchy...but it's just the below grade photos. Note to Self: Stop Rushing!!!
Moving on....

The dresser was part MDF and part wood. Well.... the drawer fronts and bottom trim were real wood. I usually work with solid wood pieces so I was a little out of my element but in the end it all came together.

The first challenge was the top which was bubbling, peeling and had a large area covered with sticky stuff. Ewww. Plus the overall look of the dresser was not working! Here's a visual of the overall ugliness!


I sanded the top down in hopes to get a smooth(er) surface. I primed the whole piece and then painted two coats of Swiss Coffee by Bher but even after all of that the reddish brown was bleeding through the top. This is where my second challenge came into play. I sanded...AGAIN... and then decided to paint with homemade chalk paint. (My homemade chalk paint recipe is 1 cup latex paint to 1/4 cup baking soda but now I just pour out some paint onto a paper plate and sprinkle in some baking soda and mix until its a medium thick consistency. After the second time making a batch I quit measuring)! The chalk paint did the trick and stopped the bleeding through!!


I took out the two middle drawers and cut birch plywood to make cubbies. Well, my husband cut the wood but I made sure to tell him how to do it!


If it wasn't for my husband I would have forgotten to add holes for the electronic cords. And that's why I call him Dan the Man....seriously, that's his name in my phone!

I distressed the whole thing, spray painted the brass pulls black (which were $1 a piece at Restore) and then added a coat of wax. I think it turned out great for not being all wood. Shelby and her husband picked up their new TV stand today and they loved it. Shelby was a great client to work with and made my job super easy!


Here is a side by side because nobody likes scrolling up and down really fast!!



BEFORE  &  AFTER
Again, I rushed my staging so I apologize for the somewhat blurry photos.


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27 comments:

  1. This turned out sooo great Helen!! I'll bet they love it now!!
    Thanks for sharing your chalk paint recipe, we can't get it here in Oz and I've wondered about making my own. i usually spray though...the thought of hand painting again kinda makes me feel tired :) I'm lazy aren't i?!!
    Do you think your recipe would go through a sprayer?

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    1. Chalk paint is really super easy to make. I used to use unsanded grout but when I would sand it would leave small white flecks from the grout. I found the baking soda recipe and ran with it!! If you do make it and it's too thick then add a little water. If you think it is too watery then add more baking soda. Like I said...SUPER EASY and you can't mess it up!
      I don't have a sprayer so and I can't say for sure if it would work or not. I know I saw on someone's blog that they used a sprayer with homemade chalk paint. If I can recall the blog I will let you know.
      You are SO not lazy. My hands have been killing me lately, like making a fist really hurts, and I blame having to use brushes and rollers!! HAHA.
      Good Luck!

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  2. You did a great. job. Looks very pretty. Good paint job.

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  3. Oh my - love this! I'm working on a TV console too and this is great inspiration. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I want one for my self now. Good luck with yours and I would love to see how it turns out!

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  4. whoa! What a difference... I love it!

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  5. This is absolutely fantastic!! I LOVE how it turned out-I'm looking for a dresser to use as a t.v. stand as well and I am so inspired by this. I found you via Tip Junkie and I would love it if you came and shared this on my weekly linky party Tutorial Tuesday

    Kari
    Newlyweds on a Budget

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    1. Thank you! I linked up to your Turtorial Tuesday. I love your blog by the way.

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  6. I love everything you touch! I have chosen you to receive the Liebster Blog Award. Check out my page for more details :)
    xo- Chris {aka Freckle Face Girl}

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words and for thinking of me! I'll go check it out : )

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  7. what a difference !! it looks amazing- the change of hardware is perfect!

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  8. Wow that looks great. I love seeing these old pieces being brought back to life. You made it look fantastic. Thanks for sharing, Lori

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  9. It looks gorgeous Helen! You did a beautiful job once again :) I have yet to try out the wax like you suggested, it looks amazing on this piece though!

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  10. BIG transformation, Helen! I love it!

    Found you through Miss Mustard Seed, btw!

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  11. It turned out great! I'm keeping an eye open for a similar dresser to use as a TV console in our basement TV room. Thanks for the reminder to make the hole for wires.

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  12. Helen, this is such a beautiful piece! I love that you made your own chalk paint. Great job!

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  13. Super cute! New follower...come and visit us at shabbygals.blogspot.com!

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  14. Nice job. I love making old pieces look new and have a whole new use. What great storage this piece will have for your customer.
    I featured you this week on Restyled Sundays. Be sure to check it out.

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  15. Wow! What a huge difference! I really love this. I think you have a touch of magic. Is there any way to "pin" this? Cashel1916@yahoo.com

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    1. Thank you! The only way I know how to pin is to download it to your toolbar. If you see a picture you like online you click "pin it" which will be on your toolbar and select which board to but it on. Or you can click on my Pinterest tab (which is on the top right of my blog) and you can find it there and repin it. I have it pinned under white furniure. Hope this helps and thanks for you sweet words!!

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  16. I was wondering about the durability of the homemade chalk paint. The real thing is so expensive but I have heard it works great for kitchen remodels because it paints cabinets so well. Have you used it in a high traffic area and, if so, would you suggest sealing it in some way? I really, really want to paint my cabinets!

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    1. Hi Shawna,
      Homemade chalk paint is pretty durable but I haven't used the real stuff yet. I have only used my homemade chalk paint on dressers and side tables and I haven't haven't any problems. I would recommend trying it on a small piece of furniture first to see if you like the look. It has a chalk,distressed matte look to it and I'm not sure if you want your cabinets to look that way.
      I always use wax to seal mine but I literally rub in on and then wipe it off within a minute or two. Good Luck!

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  17. My client Shelby wanted to turn a dresser into a TV stand. ... rtvstands.blogspot.com

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