Upcycling the Dresser: Part I of IV

This is the blueprint of my bedroom I carry around with me in my notebook for quick reference.  Amazingly handy to have!

I wanted to get a long dresser that would fit under the window but leave enough space for the closet door to open.  I liked the look of midcentury dressers with skinny legs - you can dust under them when they don't sit on the floor, makes the place seem more spacious and clean.   There have been a lot of "upcycled dresser" posts where bright paint and wallpaper are used to excellent effect.  I love bright paint!  I love patterned papers!  I wanted to try my hand.  My old dresser had pull out drawers which were great for organizing so I was happy to find this, in the dimensions I needed, on eBay for $70.

It lived in Brooklyn, I paid $125 to have it delivered. I contemplated renting a Zipcar and trying to slide it up the stairs to my place on cardboard but my co-workers talked me out of it.  See lack of car; See also lack of upper body strength.

Picking a color was difficult.  So many to choose from! I needed something that would go with my future painted headboard bed.  Saw this brilliant post and loved the color of the piano and the pattern of the bench's fabric. I want to jump into Spoonflower's fabrics like Scrooge McDuck into his money bin.

I wanted to use chalkboard paint like everyone else because its cool and you don't need a primer but the Annie Sloan brand wasn't available at Home Depot in Midtown and the alternatives were either lime green or evergreen.  At the time, I didn't make the connection that I could have made my own chalkboard paint so I ended up going with regular paint with primer mixed in because painting this monster in the middle of my living room meant minimizing anything with fumes or that would involve aerosols like spray primer. I once spray painted a small chest indoors with open windows and newspaper, my white floors were tinged blue forever.  Never again.

Before I could paint through - I had to clean, and sand. This thing came to me filthy so I washed it with dish soap and then even diluted bleach trying to get off all the grime and this huge orange rust stain and best of all - the dead person smell. I think the previous owner's name was Verna.  She liked old and new pantyhose and cubes of rose scented British bath salts.  I found all those items in the drawers and threw them away.  My boss later reminded me that the bath salts would have come in handy for the zombie apocalypse - I kicked myself for overlooking their street value.

What have I learned: It might not be worth it purchasing a used dresser online, sight and smell unseen.

The moldings on the side doors were ugly and chipped.  I thought it might be nice to have smooth doors so I removed all the screws holding the moldings in place but still couldn't pry them off.  I decided to take the doors off completely and have the drawers be open faced like this beauty. I filled in the screw holes with some painter's nail hole filler.

I took the subway for 30 minutes to the Home Depot in Midtown.  Here was the damage: 

$10 on a brush/roller/tray kit (the kits really are a great deal when the brush itself can be $5)
$15 on Glidden's Lucky Shamrock and a tester size Ripe Apricot (testers run at $3.25, perfect for when you just need a bit)
$2 Shop towels (worth every penny) 
$3 Face masks  

I have a fabric shower curtain liner from a previous place that I used as a drop cloth under the dresser.  Used a large roller on the top and sides and a brush for all the crevices.  Smaller roller for the drawer fronts.  A couple hours of streaming Breaking Bad on Netflix later:

Partial picture for now.

I let the paint dry overnight then made the feet little booties out of shop towels and painters tape (so it wouldn't scratch the floor) and slide the dresser the 15 feet into its new spot in my bedroom.  Now I can walk through my living room again.

Part II: What pretty pattern can I put on the front?