from boys dresser to kitchen island

in between adding to this pile of stuff i am working hard on getting furniture projects done for our move. somehow, they keep adding up. a dresser here, a bookshelf there. i thought my dresser turned kitchen island was going to be my last project until we get settled but i now have our china cabinet in the garage with a coat or primer on her. pastor j almost refused to help me move it because he thought maybe paint fumes had finally gotten to my head. i assured him that it will get done. i'm movtivaed, by golly! and if i have learned anything it is to strike while the motivation is high!

alrighty, on to my dresser transformation. here is the before.

it's a simple dresser. it's pretty rustic and basic.

and now. . .

i added some bun feet, some paint, and a butcher block top. and voila, a kitchen island.

because the wood was soooo dry it would have been cruel to sand or prime her.

so, i did neither, which was fine by me!

the frame is painted with my new favorite mistint that i'm calling carolina moss for it's earthy greenish grayness. the drawers i dry brushed with white followed by carolina moss. then i sanded the heck out of them until i got the look i wanted. then i ran some stain over them. that's pretty much it.

the butcher block is ikea's numerar. my dad came over with his saw and trimmed it up for us and attached it to the dresser.

pastor j was his sidekick. we decided to use liquid nails to attach it, although many advise butcher block be screwed on due to it's tendency to expand and contract with humidity.

this is after about 3 coats of butcher block conditioner. we decided to use this over other oils because we are going to use this as a prep surface. the conditioner is safe for food while also protecting the wood. if it gets too marked up for our taste we can just sand her down a little and seal it up again.

in case i haven't said it enough, our new house has the tiniest kitchen. one of the reason's i did this is to add some workspace for us, as well as some drawer space. i think it will be perfect.

*********************

 I'm linking up to some of my usual spots this week:

cottage instincts

domestically speaking

mustard seed creations

life in the fun lane

funky junk interiors

and here is our china cabinet (which we use for books) mid makeover. . .

more on this later!