Dresser Makeover!

I procrastinated like crazy all summer, but FINALLY got around to my dresser project:

before

And, since I'm in a good mood, I'm going to cut to the chase with the after photo:

after

And now I'll give you a baby-step by baby-step on how I did that...

The dresser belonged to my uncle when he was growing up. It is a nice piece of furniture, but I have a strong aversion to orange-y colored wood:

Yeah, that is just not going to work anywhere.

So first thing's first - I went over the whole piece with Murphy Oil Soap

Then I unscrewed each drawer-pull, making sure to put all the pieces in a contained area (that is key!)

Next came the tape on the drawers - This step might not be necessary, but it only took a few minutes to put some tape on each side of the drawers. I wanted to avoid gunky, tacky paint from clogging up the works later on.

Once the tape was in place I went over each drawer front with sandpaper. I didn't go crazy with it - just a little bit of light sanding.

As I worked down the front of the dresser, I removed each drawer and lined them up on a drop cloth I had already set up nearby...
It's hard to see, but I also numbered each drawer side in order from top to bottom, just in case thing's got mixed up.

Then I sanded the body of the dresser and taped around the openings...

Now comes the fun part!
I bought a quart of Valspar latex enamel in satin finish. These are the small cans that are already color mixed. FYI I think I used about 1/4 of the can...

I started painting with a roller, but didn't like the texture it left behind. So I whipped out a brand new paintbrush and (this is also key!) followed the grain of the wood.

I did the same to the drawers, then applied a second coat to everything.

At this point, everything was drying. I looked over at the container of hardware. I contemplated going to Anthropologie to rummage through their amazing hardware bins. I counted how many drawer pulls I would need - it was twelve.
Yeah, Anthropologie wasn't happening that day.

I decided now was the time to be industrious! I brought all the hardware down to the kitchen and whipped out my stash of Bar Keepers Friend. I had no idea what would happen, but I figured now was the time to try...

Using a bristle brush I worked at the metal pieces with a paste of BKF and water until they were mostly gold and shiny...

I let everything dry for a few hours, but I then I couldn't wait, as I was getting ready to go out Saturday night, I started putting all the hardware back on, then John helped me move the dresser into place in the guest room...

And just because everyone loves a before-and-after shot, here you go...