Remember this u.g.l.y dresser?
(Ok, not this actual one, I stole this picture from ebay, but it’s the exact same dresser I bought from ReSource York, except mine didn’t come with the hutch.)
This was the best before picture I could get of our actual dresser in the awful light in our garage.
I wanted to turn it into a kitchen island like I saw Jonni do at House of Johns.
Eddie wanted to make it a little more elaborate so that it looked as much like a piece of kitchen cabinetry as possible.
That’s my handy man at work 🙂
He added bead board to the back and a little overhang/bar area (The top is two pine board panels from Lowes glued together with liquid nails and trimmed out with decorative molding, doing it that way was half the price of buying butcher block from Ikea plus we didn’t have to rip it down like we would have the Ikea top.) and I sanded and stained and primed and painted my little heart out and a month later we now have…
Still sitting in the garage waiting for the last few steps to be completed, but once we break out the drill for new holes for hardware in the top drawers (they are spaced differently than the lower drawers, bummer) and put a coat of polyurethane on top, she is done!!
The total came in around $300, which is more than I thought I would spend (and was due in large part to the fact that I splurged on really expensive hardware) but totally worth it.
Estimated costs break down:
dresser & delivery fee: $75
paint: $30 I bought a gallon because I’m going to use the rest for something else, you really only need a quart. You can get a quart of Oops paint for $2.50
beadboard: $20
decorative posts: $60 not really necessary, but I love them
Top:$70 You could cut that in half by just buying one panel, but I wanted the height so that island was the same height as the other kitchen counters.
Hardware: $65 again, not really necessary, I could have spray painted the old ones, but I splurged and I LOVE the new ones
Stain, sandpaper, nails, trim, caulk, primer: already on hand $0
Total: $315 (ish)
I’m SO excited to get it into the kitchen this weekend!!
Update: DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Click here to see it in the kitchen and see how we used Craigslist to remodel the whole room.
Tips if you want to try this yourself:
1. Try to find a dresser with a combination of wide and narrow drawers. The wide ones are great for things like baking sheets and table linens. The narrow ones are good for cookbooks and cooking utensils.
2. Check the height of your counters. I know that my counters hit me right at my hip bone so when I was out looking for dressers it was easy to tell if they were going to be a good counter top height even if I didn’t have a tape measure.
3. Paint. Don’t try to stain anything but the top because it is made of so many different kinds of materials by the time it all comes together paint is the best bet. 2 coats of primer and 3 or 4 coats of a semi-gloss. Maybe even a clear coat on top of that. (Don’t forget to sand first!)
4. If you can find a dresser with a door in it scoop it up! I really think this helps it look less like a dresser and more like a piece intended for a kitchen. That was the main reason I chose this piece. (plus it’s a great place to keep a mixer or a bread machine)
Let me know if you try it!
I love it! What a great idea. The hardware is great – worth the splurge.
That is going to be one fabulous island!! I’m bookmarking this page for reference later 🙂 You did a great job on it, the beadboard & posts really make it look extra special!
Wow! What an amazing transformation! You did a great job!
Beautiful! I’m so impressed and inspired when someone can look at something and imagine changing it into something else like this – well done!
Hot diggety dog! What a wonderful project and how well it turned out!
Looks like it will be soo lovely in your kitchen! I am hoping to finish our transformed island soon. Great job!
That is ingenious! I would never have thought to turn that into an island!! Kudos!
Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. I will definitely have to borrow this idea for my kitchen. It turned out wonderfully well!
That came out amazing. My man made me a island using nice oak from Home Depot for a top. It was easy and cheap.
Holy cow! What an amazing transformation! Great job!
Shellagh
That is an awesome transformation! Great job. Visiting from Sassy Sites.
What a fantastic idea! It looks amazing!! I am tucking this one away in my file of genius ideas!
That is fantastic! To think I just spent the last 2 months building an island for my craft room and I could have just looked for an old dresser to transform in half the time! Drat!!! Well, great job on this transformation. I think it is a fantastic idea!
I totally love it! Lucky you to have a handy man! This is really a great idea. Thanks, have a lovely week.
WOW! So impressive. I love this, you’re doing such a great job!
I hope you can join my giveaway going on now! alittleknickknack.blogspot.com
I’m so glad you linked up. This is a really awesome project. Thanks for using my button too. Hheee, even if it doesn’t make a bit of sense. Halloween. 🙂 I really need to make a new one!
WOW, just WOW.
This island is absolutely amazing! Talk about the ultimate “look for less”. And, you’re right, it’s much better than your original inspiration piece.
You did such a fabulous job of imagining this and making it a reality.
So glad I found you at MMS. Count me in as one of your followers : )
Cori
Starview Sonnet
Great job!! I love this, this sort of thing is what I like to do in my free time. What is that (: Looks awesome
That is a terrific transformation. Great job!
Love it! Awesome job!!
Wowzah!!! Talk about a transformation. 🙂 This is a great makeover post! Thanks for linking up with me. 🙂
What a great idea for repurposing a piece of furniture. I’m wondering if this piece is the same height as your counters or if you somehow altered it to raise the height. You should be super proud of this project!
Thanks so much for all of your kind comments, ladies!! @ Paula, it is almost the exact height of the counters now. (about 1/2 an inch shorter) That was the reason we stacked two pine panels on top of each other to make the top, it gave us the extra height. 🙂
that turned out beautifully!! i love the whole concept. fabulous!
that turned out beautifully!! i love the whole concept. fabulous!
that turned out beautifully!! i love the whole concept. fabulous!
What a statement piece, I love the farmhouse feel of it. Gorgeous!
WOW! It turned out AWESOME! Great job!
I had the same exact dresser and gave it away to my church’s garage sale last year because I disliked it so much. Now I can kick myself. It would have made a nice addition to my kitchen or craftroom. Quite stunning.
This is so awesome! I would love to feature it if you are interested just send me a reply email! (you usually get some great traffic!)
Cassity @ http://www.remodelaholic.com
great job saw your post on remodelaholic… love it.
Saw your post on remodelaholic. What a fantastic idea! Looks so great and the beadboard/new countertop look fantastic. Nice job!
just saw your post on remodelaholic and wow! Now I am trying to figure out what dresser we can do this too. Really great job!
What is the width and depth of the top of your island? Or maybe I should be asking what size lumber did you use?
@Sally, the island is 24″x62″ on top. I believe the original pine panels were 2 feet X 6 feet, but my husband cut a few inches of the length to get it to fit the dresser.
That is awesome!