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I finished the dresser. It’s been nearly a year and a half since I bought it with the intention of revamping it. I knew if I wanted to get it done, I had to do it before the cold set in and I’d only be motivated to cuddle in blankets and drink a cup of hot abuelita (I’m hooked thanks to Celeste).
![isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-1](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.melissaesplin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-1.jpg)
This dresser was originally going to be stained yellow like my rocking chair, but I kept feeling a nagging feeling that I’d be falling back on a crutch. I tend to fall into color ruts from time to time. In high school it was burgundy and navy. In college it was red and black. When I first got married, it was just black and tan. When we moved to Utah, it was yellow and black. Then it moved to yellow and orange.
![isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-2](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.melissaesplin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-2.jpg)
Picking this color was a huge risk, because the guy behind the paint counter just mixed a bunch of colors and I went for it. There were no samples to go by (besides the paint stick he stained). I knew the wood on the dresser would take the stain differently because it’s not pine. It’s a veneered redwood or something warm like that. Maybe cherry?
I’m glad I went for the stain as opposed to an opaque paint, because the color and grain of the wood really shows trough to add a lot of dimension to this piece.
Also, I never consulted Chris on this color. I knew I was taking on a big risk by not asking him what he thought. While I was mid-job, he rolled in from work and I got more than a bit nervous for his reaction. Turns out he loves it! Bullet dodged. I do need to be better about communicating my home decor plans with him, though. He, too, bought this house.
![isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-4](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.melissaesplin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-4.jpg)
Chris lets me use this dresser just for my clothes. He’s really nice about that. Atop the dresser I have a little ikea runner I made (fabric I scored for $1 a yard at a garage sale) to protect the finish from my accessories. My accessories are stored in Spice of Life jars and on an old 1950s lunch tray.
![isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-6](https://s3.amazonaws.com/images.melissaesplin.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/isly-zero-budget-blue-staind-dresser-before-and-after-6.jpg)
I’m proud of how this dresser turned out. Now I need to get our bed situation figured out. It looks like we’re going to buy a new bed for our room soon. And I want to make my first quilt for our room, too.
So have you ever stained wood a color before? I definitely think I’ll be doing that again with any other wood rehab projects I work on in the future.