A Dresser for Maddie

The ultimate compliment I can get as a woodworker is when someone asks me to make something special for them. This is true even if it is a family member asking and made even more special when it is a request for one of my grandkids!  I'm not certain if those type requests are made because they think it's the best way to get a well made piece furniture or if it's a way to get Poppy to pay for it!

Either way, when Jonathan and Kim asked  for a dresser for a growing Maddie, there was noway I could refuse.  It was time for her to give up the transitional furniture of her toddlerhood and get big-girl stuff.

I first had a design consultation with the clients (that's the way professional custom furniture makers talk). Kim gave me a basic idea of what she wanted in the dresser then we spent some time discussing the dimensions.

I then took to Sketchup for a design.  I use this software drawing  package about once a year so I spend more time re-learning than designing but I gave it my best shot.  Pictured below is what I present for design approval.

Maddie's dresser as designed in Sketchup

 After getting the design okay'ed, I set out to make the dresser.

 I learned that they wanted it to be painted rather than stained and varnished.  I have come to realize after decades of making items from wood that paint tends to make the more difficult.  You would think that the paint would cover up any boo-boos one might make but I've found paint tends to highlight errors.  No problem, I tried my best to make this piece perfect.

After four-dozen trips to Lowe's for wood, a special order to Amazon for a new DeWalt thickness planer (honey I swear I need this for Maddie's furniture!), and many days and nights of shoptime, the dresser began to take shape.

As I neared completion, I started asking for color selection along with the choice of hardware, the knobs or pulls for the drawers.  Maddie chose pink for the color.  Kim chose "distressed" for the style of finish.

Now, I've never made anything to intentionally look like it was old and beat up but I can learn!

So to Google I went to find out how to make this finish.  I found that I needed a contrasting base color to make the distressing more evident.  We chose a medium gray for this.  I painted it medium gray.  The best paint for this finish is a chalk paint., a very expensive type of paint.

So after priming the wood, painting the base gray then several coats of pink chalk paint, it was time to sand the pink off!

Turns out, while paint might not cover up boo-boos, sanding to create a distressed look does!  If I drop a tool into the middle of a perfectly sanded piece of wood, no problem!  I meant to do that!

Once I put the pieces all together, it was quite difficult to move to a place where I could get good pictures so I took them in the shop.  Selective use of Photoshop isolates the clutter that I call a workshop.

So now it's done and delivered.  Time to start another project.  Oliver, it's your turn!