The First DIY project I did by myself was when I refinished a dresser in the spring of 2012. The dresser was from my crib set and I transformed it from stained wood to a gray lacquered piece. It took a lot of work. There were several coats of stain blocking primer and sanding in between each coat. Then a couple coats of paint followed by several layers of poly to give it a high gloss finish.

I still have the dresser, above; it’s in my master bedroom. But I need another dresser, so I can do my hair in front of a mirror versus standing in the bathroom. My bathroom is TINY and there is very little counter space or storage space. So my first solution is to move some stuff out of the bathroom, like my hair dryer and curling iron. My plan was to drill a hole through the back of the dresser and put a power strip in the top drawer to plug in my hair dryer and curling iron.

This dresser is a hand-me-down piece. My Granny gifted me this dresser when she moved out of her house this summer. It’s solid maple, but the white paint was chipping. Here’s a “before” picture. (I forgot to take pictures before I started trying out paint samples.)

While taking the drawers out and cleaning the dresser so it could be painted, I discovered this dresser was made in 1956! I’m assuming it was made in 1956 based on the date stamp I found.

The dresser required some sanding to remove the chipping paint. I probably should have sanded it more than I did, but it all worked out okay. I reused the hardware and spray painted it a bright gold. I settled on the color Quartz Blush, by Sherwin Williams. I fell in love with this picture I found online of a vanity painted Quartz Blush with gold hardware (see below). I used a water based polycrylic in semi-gloss to add a lacquered look and durability.

I used a hole saw to drill a hole in the back big enough for an electric plug. I pulled out the top drawer to measure where the hole needed to go and found a hole saw big enough to accommodate the plug.

Now all I need is a mirror and I’ll be all set! Here’s a side by side of the before and after.