Plain to Pretty Pine Buffet

** AFTER **

I was given this pine buffet numerous years ago by a dear friend of mine (you can still purchase it here).  She was moving across the country and she knew I always liked it so she gave it to me.  I loved the bun feet and the doors/drawers placement, even though I did find it a tad plain.  I used it for a number of years as a change table.  Then when we needed more drawer space, it went into storage and has sat there for a year or two.  Well, this week I pulled it out and did a number on her.  Hard to believe it is the same thing, huh?

** BEFORE **

 First, I needed to reinforce the drawers.  It is not a super well built cabinet but it was repairable.  The dowel joints were loose so I pried apart the ones I could and reglued them.  To add some excitement to the front of the cabinet, I added shelf trim to each of the doors and drawers.  Those were glued and nailed to the front.  The moulding certainly adds a bit of interest. 



Once the mouldings were done, I sanded the buffet down and painted it white - "Powdered Snow" by Behr, to be exact, in Satin finish.  I love the warmth and creaminess of the color - not cold and stark at all.  It took 3 coats before I was happy with the coverage.  Since I used the Behr Premium Plus Ultra, the primer was in the paint so technically it was one coat primer, 2 coats paint.

Since this buffet will once again be used as a change table (not for me, in case you were wondering!), I needed to add another piece of wood to the top.  The width of the buffet top is only 13" - quite narrow for a change table.  I bought a pine laminated project panel - 3/4" x 16" x 48" - and, after sanding it smooth, stained it with MinWax Ebony stain.  Once attached, this will make the top wide enough to accommodate a change pad.

Once the buffet and top were dry, I attached the top to the buffet with gorilla glue, a few clamps, and screwed from the inside.  That top will not budge.

Since the moulding I added covered up the holes for the knobs on the doors, I drilled new holes in the center of the doors.  Sparkly new knobs were added as the final touch to this furniture makeover (though I still need to add the poly to the paint/stain - I will leave that for next week).  Since the screws for the new knobs were too long for the drawers/doors, I had two options.  Either I could cut the screws shorter or I could make blocking to go on the inside of the drawer/door.  I chose to make the blocking since I thought it was the easier way to go.

Over all, I am thoroughly pleased with the transformation.  I had intended to distress the buffet but I wasn't confident in my ability to do that.  I am glad I left it as it is.  I had also planned to paint more on the inside of the buffet but decided to leave it plain pine.  I know this isn't a building project like my bathroom cabinet or my porch swing or my Adirondack chairs but I did use a few tools so I think it qualifies as a building and painting project.

Just one more look at the difference:
 



** BEFORE**




** AFTER **



 Tools used:

compound mitre saw - cut the mouldings, cut blocking for knobs
air nailer - attach the mouldings
glue and clamps - repair the drawers, attach the mouldings, attach the top to the buffet
cordless drill - drill new holes for knobs, drill holes in blocking, attach top to buffet
palm sander - sand down buffet prior to painting/staining

I am linking to these parties:

Build{Hers} Club at Sawdust & Paperscraps

All Things Furniture at Perfectly Imperfect

The DIY Club 31 Days of Paint Projects

(On October 11)

PS:  Please excuse the poor picture quality on most of the photos - my hubby took my SLR and left me with my sons tiny little digital.  I will replace the photos with better ones when he returns!