and a month later...

My mid-century dresser-turned-tv-stand is finally complete. I definitely put off the final coats of polycrylic because I hate sanding. But, when I got off my butt and finally did it, it wasn't that bad. I just used Fine "finishing" sand paper and did 3 coats total. I used a sponge brush on the first coat but wasn't satisfied with how it was going on. The biggest mistake I make with protective finishes is definitely over-brushing. You are supposed to get less brush marks if you put it on thick and let it settle on its own. I didn't do a good job with that, and it shows with the High Gloss finish.

There are a few imperfections, but overall I'm happy. It's never going to get bright, bright light that will highlight its flaws, so it should be fine.

 

You can see better here that the finish is pretty glossy. And, that I chose not to paint the five legs.

Here's the little surprise I saved, though. If you haven't noticed, our Blu-Ray player is missing. I'm not sure where I got the idea from, but I thought it would be awesome if we could hide the player in a drawer. But, it couldn't pick up the remote signal if it was just housed in a drawer. So, I thought about how cool it would be to create a false drawer, where the drawer front actually drops down rather than pulling out to reveal the player. Well, easier said than done. Because the drawer "pulls" are below, it is difficult to grab the front and pull it down, so that was an issue. You could hinge it on the top and flip it up, but then you'd need a mechanism that held it up. So, I was stumped.

I enlisted the help of my dad, who is infamous for being a great "tinkerer." He can usually execute anything I ask him, from trimming my hair to building a cardboard truck for a class project. He took the drawer and returned it shortly after, completely redesigned.

Before I show you pictures, there was one snag that we're still working on. The blu-ray player is about 1/4" too wide for the drawer. Ugh. We cut down the sides of the drawer and are going to make a second level with a piece of thin wood, and set the player on that. Stay tuned... We're close!

 

You have to pull out the drawer slightly, so that the front has room to flip down.

 

Surprise! The drawer was a fake!

 My dad's handiwork. He had the hinge already, which is great!

 Front view. You can see on the right where the drawer has a cutout. We couldn't cut it all the way down because the drawer front wouldn't be supported. Soon enough..

 

Overall view. I think it's FANTASTIC. My nerdy side couldn't be happier; who doesn't love a secret compartment?

More pictures in daylight to come. What do you think? Was it a success or did I ruin a piece of antique furniture?