Secret Project

I have no idea if/how I can pull this off, but I'm gonna try. Last week I bought a wooden vanity on Craiglist as a Christmas gift. My daughter has mostly outgrown the plastic kitchen set that lives in her bedroom, so I'd like to replace it with a vanity. The loss of the kitchen will be bittersweet. Bitter, because it means she is growing up; sweet, because we no longer have to pretend to eat plastic broccoli. I had been watching Craiglist ads for a while (while also pricing new vanities) and saw one a few weeks ago that seemed promising. The owner sent me a photo via text. And then I chickened out. It needed a lot of work and I wasn't sure I could smuggle it into the house and then work on it in secret over the next 2 1/2 months. I filed the text message and forgot about it. However, on Thursday the vanity owner sent me a text and asked if I still wanted it. I'm guessing that he must have had other leads that didn't pan out. I know from experience that a lot of the people trying to buy stuff on Craiglist are . . . barking mad. I looked at the photo again, called P to get his input, and then told the guy I'd take it. Aaaaaah!  What was I thinking?

After work on Friday I picked up the vanity. The seller was kind enough to load it into my mom-mobile. Later, I waited until the kid was in the bathtub and then P and I hauled it down to the basement. We carried it into a room that is used mostly for storage (the room has a door but not a lock). The kid follows me down to the basement constantly but not to that room specifically (she just feels the need to supervise me while I do laundry and clean out the litter boxes). There's a lot of junk in the storage room: boxes of comics, a dead computer, a filing cabinet full of old bills, a futon that's seen better days, etc. Oh, and my father-in-law's ashes are in there as well. It's not the sort of place anyone would hang out on purpose. So, I'm hoping she won't venture in. If only we had never taught her how door knobs work!

I think I've definitely got my work cut out for me. First I need to strip the existing paint. After that I'll tackle the sanding and painting. The ultimate goal is to turn it into something pink and girlie (maybe even attempt some stenciling?). I'll need to find a stool for it as well. I think it'll be pretty if I can pull it off. The drawers are nice and sturdy so I'm hopeful she'll be able to use the vanity for many years. I may have to get her dad to take her to lots of movies between now and Christmas. Wish me luck. If anyone has any tips with regard to stripping, sanding, or painting, I'm all ears!

Comments

InWeighOverMyHead said…
cool! Looks like an awesome project. I can't wait to see the "afte" pics! :)
October 14, 2011 at 9:07 AM
Zenseeker said…
Are you sure you need to strip it? Could you just prime and paint? That would save TONS of time.
October 15, 2011 at 6:23 AM
Rachel said…
Lots of ventilation and liquid stripper, will save you a lot of time and work and is very easy but not eco friendly. Make sure you post update pictures can't wait to see it finished.
October 18, 2011 at 11:01 PM
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