Heywood-Wakefield Hand Painted Bear Dresser (7 Steps for Adding Images to Your Dresser)

This was a Craigslist find in Lynchburg, VA.  Every once in a while we find a Craigslist posting, and we say that it is the perfect dresser for a design we would like to accomplish.  Well that is definitely what this piece was for us - the perfect build for our first image piece.  

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So you might be asking, what makes a piece of furniture perfect for images? Honestly, all you need is a piece of furniture with a relatively flat front. The type of image you want to use might dictate the shape of the 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
• Behr Woodland Sage Paint
• Behr Jet Black Paint
•  Minwax Polycrylic Satin Base 32 fl oz Polyurethane
  •  Unlike oil-based poly that goes on clear, this applies with as a milky color but dries crystal clear.
• Stain and Polyurethane Brush
  • There are many options for applying stains to 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 to wipe up any excess stain that may have dripped onto areas of the dresser that you do not wish to have stained and any stain that may have dripped onto 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 kind of stain remover (This is huge because stain removers are a pain). Keep in mind that if the dresser is not solid wood, 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 sandpaper 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 sell both options). Finally, if you plan on doing a lot of DIY projects, then buy the contractor's 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 a 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 wet sanding after the polyurethane has been applied in order to give the piece a silky smooth finish.
• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog Tape is a lifesaver if you are going for a more professional look. Generally speaking, it is time-consuming to tape up the dresser, but you will be happy that you did when you see the finished product.
• Transparency Paper
• 3M 1800 Series Projector
• The Rustica Super Pack
  • We purchased a packet of vector images that featured the bear image. It had a ton of cool images that we would be able to use on multiple projects. It is important to use a vector image to expand to any size without using pixels.​

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Follow Our Easy Steps:

Our first step was to sand down the body and drawers. We usually start our sanding process with our orbital sander using 80 grit sandpaper. We also sanded down the areas with the orbital sander with 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 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 starting any painting. ​

​Before we painted the body of the dresser, we made sure to tape the inside 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 paintbrush might touch. We will admit that this is unnecessary, 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. The first stage was to use the Woodland Sage paint to create a painted base before painting the bear image. We used two coats of paint. ​

After the base paint was dry, we went ahead and hooked up the projector. We tried our best to make sure the bear image was in between the hardware. You will need to edit your image so that it will be to your liking and print the image on transparency paper (we had done so before getting to this step).

Next, we traced the outline of the bear image using the projector onto the dresser.  ​

Next, we painted the outline of the bear on the dresser using the Behr Jet Black paint. ​

Then, Sydney filled in the bear image with the Behr Jet Black Paint. ​

Finally, Sydney freehanded the letters onto the top and bottom drawers. 

After the stain and paint were 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 sandpaper 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 had a lot of fun on this project, and we look forward to doing more image pieces in the future.