Get inspired & the rest falls together. DIY Dresser antiquing.

This dresser has so much character, I bought it on the spot when I saw it at an antique store for $75 dollars. The price had me worried I would have to spend a lot of money to find furniture to coordinate with this dresser. Instead I attempted a little DIY project that proved successful.

The inspiration:

I found this nightstand in the trash of the same antique store I bought the dresser at. Yes, I said it. I garbage picked this thing. It was ugly laminate fake wood I could literally peel off in one piece.
Hoping to coordinate my bedroom I decided to try out an antiquing kit they sell at Michael's. This one gave furniture a brushed ivory finish.

It is a simple process of sanding, painting, sanding areas again, and topping off with a finishing coat of clear-brown paint. This nightstand took me about 3 hours total, mostly because I was sanding laminate. Laminate does not really sand well, instead I more roughed up the surface so the paint would actually stick.

The finished product:

Here is an up-close view of the texture that was created by sanding laminate:

Next I found a piece of naked furniture at the craft store, and used a 40% off coupon to get it at $16 dollars. I then used the same antique kit. This time it took about 30 minutes due to the fact it was naked furniture and no sanding was required from the start.

Here is the finished product:

There it is! I was able to have a 3-piece matching bedroom set for $91.
Very vintage-inspired shabby chic! Gotta love it!!