Ikea Hemnes dresser makeover

I purchased this dresser from Ikea about two years ago and I absolutely love it. Ive seen a bunch of Ikea hacks on Pinterest lately and decided it might be time for me to finally change this one. Orgionally when we went to our Ikea [over and hour away] I went with the idea Id be leaving with the white one they sell but when we got there all they had left were the dark brown ones. I was a little bummed but I figured that later on down the road I could paint it, but I never got around to it. Lately, I dont know why, but I have been really itching to do projects and after I finished with the mini bathroom makeover this week I thought maybe it was time to tackle the dresser. At first I thought I'd do it all white, then stripped and stained, which would be a ton of work and be a ton of wood so I decided why not do white with a wood top? I knew that the stripping would be a pain but I also knew it would be worth it so I went to Lowes and gathered up my supplies ...

Sherwin Williams white paint sample
plaster of paris [to make my own chalk paint using this recipe]
Minwx finishing wax
Minwax english chestnut
Valspar white sample can [for white washing the wood]
50 grit sandpaper [for stripping]
120 grit sandpaper
Black and Decker mouse sander
paint brush
wash cloths

First thing I did was give the entire dresser a quick wipe down with a soapy wash cloth to get off any dust or dirt and removed the hardware.

Next I slapped a piece of 50 grit on the mouse and went to town. This part took FOREVER but you have to get the clear finish off before the dark stain will start coming off. I started on the sides then did the top in sections. [It took a total of six 50-grit pages to finish the entire top. ] I vacuumed the dust and wiped it down again then moved on to the 120-grit and did a quick once over to smooth things out.

After that I took a damp cloth and wiped it all down again and started staining. I wiped on the stain and immediately wiped off the excess.

 When the entire piece was stained I grabbed clean, damp wash cloth and dipped it [lightly] into the Valspar sample and wiped it onto the stain, immediately wiping the excess. This is how I white wash all the wood in my house and i love the hazy effect it gives. When the entire piece is covered in the white wash I usually go over it with a 120 grit sanding block in a few spots to make the white wash look more imperfect, and then the top was done! Now onto the painting!

According to the chalk paint recipe I linked above I mixed 5 tbsp of Plaster of Paris into 2 tbsp water then poured that directly into my sample pot and stirred well. After that I just applied a thin layer all over. As you can see I didn't remove the drawers, instead I painted around them and then went back and removed them all and did one coat on the inside so you wouldn't see the dark brown poking through. It honestly would have been a lot easier to remove the drawers first but apparently I like to do things the hard way. Anyway, I did thin coats all over the dresser and then immediately started a second coat, then a third. I left no drying time other than the time it took to paint the other parts of the dresser, if that makes any sense. 

After 3 coats of paint I applied the wax. Just dipped a dry cloth into the wax and rubbed it all over. After letting the piece set for about 15 minutes I went back with a clean cloth and buffed it, put the handles back on and voila! 

I really like the way it turned out in general except the color of the stain. I really wanted a lighter finish. I talked to Zack about it and told him I really, REALLY don't want to have to strip it again and he suggested that we remove the top all together and replace it with planks of more rustic wood. We will see if I ever get around to doing that but if I do I'm sure I'll love it even more.

xoxo,

Jackie