Reid's "Big Boy" Room Makeover
I have been on a mission to turn my son Reid's room into a functional and stylish "big boy" room on a budget. His room is the smallest of all the bedrooms, (sorry dude you got the shaft being the youngest and a boy) so function is of the utmost importance. I plan on furnishing the room with mostly craigslist finds and maybe a few ikea items as well. Here is a before photo of the dresser the Mr. Found at Spags (a local antique market in Shrewbury, Ma). Snatched this puppy up for $40 bucks!
I liked the simplicity of the mid century modern lines. I also liked that I could restore the brass hardware to its original glory. We did this by using Bar Keepers friend which we found Here.
.The only disclaimer when using this stuff is it took a lot of time and elbow grease to
scrub off all the tarnish. I used a stiff plastic bristle brush and a tooth brush to get all the nooks and crannies. There may be an easier way, so please let me know if you have found one.
I think they turned out cool, plus it saves me some money on having to buy new hardware.
For the outside of the piece, I decided to make my own chalk paint because I am too cheap to pay for the real stuff and I wanted a specific color that is only found in latex paint. I decided to go with Chelsea Gray which I had mixed up at Home Depot for about 8 bucks a quart.
{ Homemade Chalk Paint }
I used this recipe from How To Distress Furniture
- 1 cup latex paint (not with primer)
-2 1/2 Tablespoons Plaster of Paris
-1 1/2 Tablespoons Cool water
The only issue with the homemade version compared with the pricier premixed stuff, I noticed little white dots in the paint after sanding. I usually sand the piece between coats to get a nice smooth finish. The good news is the white dots disappeared with a final coat of paint.
Here is the finished result
We removed the plastic fretwork, painted it and then reattached it. I think the fretwork makes the piece extra special.
We sanded down and restained the front of the drawers in a dark walnut stain. Finished it off with Annie Sloans clear wax on the paint and spray poly on the drawers. I am pleased with how it turned out! I really like the two toned look. I hope Reid digs it.
