American Drew Entertainment Center (How to turn a dresser into an entertainment center)

We found this American Drew piece at an estate sale in North Carolina.  The piece was generally in pretty good shape, with the exception of a few minor imperfections with the finish on the top.  When we are shopping for new projects we are looking for three types of pieces: antiques that need little work (see this blog for an example of these type of pieces), pieces that we are going to completely refinish (see the twin 1 and twin 2 blogs for examples of these type of pieces), and transition pieces that we will be transitioning from its original manufactured purpose to a newly created and designed purpose (this blog and our Chevron Bench blog are great examples of this).

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During the late 80s through the early 2000s, these type of dressers were all the rave.  However, they have lost favor in the modern design universe.  With that being said, there were a lot of things to like about his dresser, which made it an intriguing piece for us.  First, it was solid oak.  Second, the hardware was actually pretty cool on it and in good shape.  Third, other than having to wood glue some of the sliders back on, the drawers slid in and out of the body smoothly.  The one negative was that center drawer, which made the entire piece feel extremely dated.  Sydney came up with the idea to transition the dresser into an entertainment center and completely do away with the center drawer.  It ended up being the best idea for this piece.

We used the following supplies on this dresser:

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• Minwax Dark Walnut Oil-Based Interior Stain
• HGTV Sherwin Williams Mercer White - HGSW4054
•  Minwax Polycrylic Satin Base 32 fl oz Polyurethane
  •  Unlike oil-based poly that goes on clear, this will go on milky, but honestly we have been more satisfied with the result thus far.
• Stain and Polyurethane Brush
  • There are many options for applying stain to the wood.  However, we have found that using a stain brush allows for more control over the application process.  Please make sure that you have an old rag around so you can wipe up any excess stain that may have dripped on to areas of the dresser that you do not wish to have stained and any stain that may have dripped on to the floor.  
• Bosch 2.5-Amp Orbital Sander
  • Just remember, this is a staple item that will continually be used, so you can utilize this on a ton of DIY projects after you make the purchase.  We decided on the Bosch sander because of the quality of the Bosch brand; however, you can probably get away with a cheaper option if you don't want to invest in a nicer sander, and if you only plan on doing a few DIY projects with it.  
• Gator 50-Pack 80-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
  • Depending on the type of stain that the original manufacturer of the dresser used, you may be able to get away with just sanding down the dresser without using any type of stain remover (This is huge, because stain removers are a pain).  Just keep in mind that if the dresser is not solid wood, then you may want to go with a more gentle approach; i.e., a combination of stain remover and hand sanding.  
• Gator 50-Pack 5-in W x 5-in L 120-Grit Commercial 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 60 Grit Coarse Advanced Sanding Sheets
  • You will need to purchase some sandpaper for hand sanding purposes.  We like the 60 grit sand paper for more precision stripping, and it seems to be more effective than 80 grit (in terms of hand sanding, not to be confused with what we use on our orbital sander).  Make sure to get a pro grade, because it will last much longer than the cheap sandpaper, and the price difference is truly just a few dollars.  We also recommend that you purchase the sandpaper in sheets, because you can cut them in half and double the amount of sandpaper per purchase (this is preferred over purchasing the thinner strips of sandpaper; most hardware stores will sale both options).  Finally, if you plan on doing a lot of DIY projects, then buy the contractors pack (bulk pack), this will save you money over time and the frustrations of having to go back and forth to the hardware store for sandpaper. 
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 120 Grit Medium Advanced Sanding Sheets 
  • A lot of what we said for the 60 grit sanding sheets apply here.  However, we use the 120 to smooth out the wood after it has been stripped to give it a smoother surface before applying stain.  
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 320 Grit X-Fine Advanced Sanding Sheets  
  • This sandpaper will be necessary for smoothing out the surface between coats of polyurethane.  This will definitely help you to accomplish a great final product.  
• 3-2/3 in. x 9 in. Imperial Wet or dry 800-Grit Sandpaper Sheets
  • You want to use 800-grit sandpaper for wetsanding after the polyerathane has been applied in order to give the piece a silky smooth finish.
• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog tape is a life saver if you are going for a more professional look.  Generally speaking, it is a time consuming task to tape up the dresser, but you will be happy that you did when you see the finished product. 
• Titebond II 16 oz. Premium Wood Glue 
• ​1/2 in. x 6 in. x 3 ft. S4S Oak Board
• Bosch 15 Amp 10 in. Table Saw with Gravity Rise Stand
  • If you are going to be doing a lot of DIY projects that requires cutting on a table saw, then we recommend this table saw because of its quality and cutting ability.  If you are not planning on doing a lot of cutting, then we recommend that you become friends with someone that has a table saw.  :).  Also, if you want to build your own stand, then you can buy just the saw itself from this link.  
• BLACK & DECKER 5-Amp Keyless T or U Shank Variable Speed Corded Jigsaw
  • We have been really impressed with Bosch's corded products, but we weren't using a jig saw enough to justify spending big money on a Bosch jig saw.  We will also likely purchase this jig saw as we increase the amount of custom/home decór projects that we do.  With that being said, we were very pleased with the Black & Decker jig saw, and it was only a fraction of the cost of the Bosch.  It is the perfect jig saw for a beginner.  
• Bosch 10-Pack T-Shank Jigsaw Blade Set
  • Lowe's and Home Depot sell different types of jigsaw blades manufactured by a variety of manufacturers.  As with most things, we recommend that you purchase Bosch products because it will make your life much easier when your in the middle of a project.  
• Makita 18-Volt LXT Lithium-Ion 1/2 in. Cordless Hammer Driver/Drill Kit
• ​Daredevil Wood Hole Saw Set (7-Piece)
  • We purchased this kit, and on this particular project we used a 2" hole saw to punch holes in the back of the piece for electronic cords to flow neatly through the back of the piece.  

Our first step was to sand down the body.  At this point we hadn't quite established a design for this piece, so we went ahead and sanded down the drawer that we ultimately ended up removing.   As we usually do, we start our sanding process with our orbital sander using an 80 grit sandpaper.  We also sand down the areas that we sanded with the orbital sander with a 120 grit sandpaper using the orbital sander.  Then we use 60 grit sandpaper to make sure all of the original finish has been properly removed.  Finally, we hand sand with a 120 grit sandpaper to get a smoother wood before applying stain or paint.  ​ 

After we sanded the dresser down we went ahead and stained the top using dark walnut stain.  Stain generally takes longer to dry, so we generally do the stained surface areas first before we start any painting. ​Also, as you can tell from the picture, we went ahead and removed the internal drawer slider from the center drawer slot.  

​Before we painted the body of the buffet we made sure to tape the inside of the of the body and the inside of the drawers.  It is always important to remember to tape the inside of the body where the drawers slide in and out, and the inside portions of the drawers where paint might drip/or paint brush might touch.  We will admit that this is not a necessary step, but if you want to have a re-purposed dresser that looks professional grade, then every detail matters.

After we finished taping the body and drawer we started painting.  We used three coats of paint on this project.  

This project was also different than most of our other projects because we were tasked with changing this piece into an entertainment center.  The first step was for us to cut the solid oak boards to size using our table saw.  We measured the size of the hole, and then appropriately measured the boards placing marks with pencils where it needed to be cut.  We had to cut boards for the bottom, sides, and the back.  

After the boards were cut to size we had to use our jig saw to cut out a section in the back of one of the boards to fit around one of the piece's support braces.  The combination of the jig saw and the jig saw blades allowed us to cut through the wood like butter.It is important to note a little trick that we learned while doing this, thejig saw would not allow us to go across like we needed to, so we drilled two 5/16" holes using our drill driver and drill bit, and that allowed us to turn the jig saw so we could complete the cut.  

Next, we punched two holes in the back of the piece using our drill driver and 2" hole saw so that there was a place for cords to come through.  After the holes were punched, we placed the backplate boards up to the holes and drew a circle on them so we knew where to punch the corresponding holes.  It is important to note that you need to be as level as possible when using the hole saw or it will jerk you around and dig up the wood.  

The next phase was for us to stain the boards using the same dark walnut stain that we used on the top.  

After the stain was dry we were ready to apply a coat of water based Polycrylic to both the body of the dresser and the drawers.  

Poly does two things: (1) it creates a layer of protection for the furniture from everyday abuse; and (2) it creates a smooth finish.  We typically apply two coats of poly, but some projects may require more. After the poly has dried we use a wet sanding technique with extremely fine sand paper to ensure that the stained areas are smooth to touch.  The wet sanding process is really simple, just spray on some lemon oil and lightly sand over the stained areas with an 800 grit sandpaper (you can also do this over the painted areas, but you need to be careful not to sand too aggressively over the painted areas or you will end up with a distressed look).  

We were very pleased with the result!