ThatsLoverly: Baby Dresser/Changing Table Transformation!

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The room we’re using as a nursery is our smallest bedroom. It has the best arrangement of doors and windows for a crib, dresser, and glider. We figure when the baby gets older and ready for a big boy/girl room, we’ll move the child to a different bedroom to continue using this one as a nursery.

In adjusting to the small space, we really needed to have some multi-tasking furniture. So… we decided to find a dresser that could double as a changing table. From talking to friends and family with babies, it seems that the changing table gets the most use during the late night changes and is less of a benefit during the day when the couch/bed/floor is closer and easier to use for diaper changes. Why invest in a piece of furniture for such a singular use? Didn’t make sense for us.

So… off to Craigslist! I found this “beauty” about 20 miles away for $75. Here’s the original Craigslist picture.

We were thrilled to get there and see that this thing was solid wood with beautiful dove-tailed drawers. Perfect! And $75? Yes!!

It sat in the garage for a while (okay, for months) before I started working on it. First step… remove the old, dated hardware and fill the holes. This took a few coats and a lot of sanding.

When it was all set, I began priming. Our favorite primer is Zinssers Cover Stain – no sanding required! It sticks like glue to any surface and levels out beautifully so you get a smooth finish everytime.

Again, I wore my fancy mask for this project since I was preggo (about 30 weeks at this point).

(In that picture I’m actually painting a side table… more about that table later).

One coat of primer done! Check out that mirror, too. That might be my favorite part. It’s easily 3’x4’ – worth the $75 cost on its own. So beautiful! It attaches to the back on those brackets you can just barely see sticking up from the back of the dresser.

Soooo many coats of paint. When I was done with the white paint (we used Behr Ultra paint in a flat finish – I had the paint tinted a soft white color), we applied a layer of Polycrylic. I did a bunch of research on the right sealer to use and decided on this product. Polycrylic is a water-based clearcoat (Polyurethane is oil-based) and a little less durable than its oil-based cousin. However, the Polycrylic product is supposed to cover better over white and yellow less. Over time Polyurethane will yellow on white paint and I really wanted to avoid this. I applied it with a small foam roller but after each drawer/dresser side was covered I used a fine paintbrush to run over the top coat and smooth out any bubbles.

I also ordered some cute orange ceramic knobs online to replace the old, dated hardware that came with the dresser. Here it is in the nursery!