Thank you all for the kind words and well wishes after my son’s appendicitis. It’s amazing how fast kids bounce back. Just a few ibuprofen and he’s healing nicely and sleeping lots. This left some time for me to install the handles on this tall Abyss blue dresser and snap a few pics to show you.
The dresser was purchased from a CraigsList post from a local family for just $15. They kept apologizing for the scratches and stickers all over the back of the dresser. So sweet. But I assured them it was no problem and I’d be sanding it down from top to bottom.
Honestly, when I find a dresser like this, all I see is the solid wood. I’m able to look right past all of the surface imperfections.
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More than an hour of sanding with my rotary sander and the beautiful wood was revealed. I would have considered staining it, but the top had a very shiny laminate that wouldn’t accept stain. Paint was a better option.
After the sanding, then came the primer. The original plan was to paint the dresser a Woodlawn blue — a very light, almost white blue like this 3-drawer dresser — so I used BIN primer to prevent any bleed through of the old wood stain.
In the end, I opted for a dark navy blue though. The color is Benjamin Moore’s Abyss blue. The paint is Benjamin Moore’s Impervex gloss enamel – one of Ben’s more durable finishes!
I really wanted an updated modern look for this dresser so the old hardware was set aside and the holes filled with wood filler.
New modern, brushed nickel hardware replaced the old gold colored metal. Love this new hardware and at $8.00 per handle from Lowes, it really adds a distinct style to this tall dresser.
The five large drawers were also clear-coated inside and out. I like to be able to tell my buyers that the drawers are clean enough for my own kids’ clothes.
Navy blue and silver truly is a classic, don’t you think?
This tall Abyss blue dresser is now for sale in the Entri Ways’ online Shop.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to product I love and use myself.
Your tall dresser is a highboy as they used to be called. It is a very durable heavy piece. We had one just like it for my two boys, 16 months apart. Boy do I know how boys are on furniture. That stuff held up under some pretty hard use. Their beds were in same style and we had a double dresser for years. Wish I’d known about re-doing furniture then, might still have it. Once in awhile will see piece like it in thrift store. We bought ours in late 60’s after hubs and I married.
You sure modernized that piece, gave it new life, will last another 40 years or so. It looks very handsome.
Thank you JaneEllen. Yes, I wish I held onto some of my own solid wood furniture from years ago too. They are so much more durable than most furniture made today.