{nursery} diy changing table

I love our nursery so far. It comes together little by little, at a slow, but consistent rate. It is like a puzzle that stays out on the coffee table, where you stop and put pieces together when you have time. The most recent addition is our refurbished changing table that I have fallen head over heals for. I was totally inspired by the wood + white trend I have been seeing around. Planning to paint the exterior of the dresser freed us up to find a piece that was a little damaged here or there, as long as the drawers could be finished in a beautiful way.

I have to give a lot of credit to the hubby for this one. He was worried about the fumes, so he did most of the painting and all of the refinishing. I’m a lucky lady.

The steps were pretty straight forward.

1. First, we found dresser on craigslist. My biggest practical consideration was the height of the dresser. Most changing tables I looked up online were around 37 inches tall. I figured there was some rhyme or reason for this, so I attempted to find something similar. I didn’t want anything too low that would force us to bend over every time we changed a diaper. The design feature that I had my eye on was decorative legs.

2. Then, we painted the exterior of dresser with Annie Sloan chalk paint. I adore this paint because it adheres to surfaces whether you strip them of previous finishes or not. Given that striping finish is one of my least favorite things to do, Annie Sloan chalk paint has made itself a special home in my heart. We used Pure White to match the modern white touches that are planned for the rest of the room.

3. Next, we applied clear wax over chalk paint, also available through Annie Sloan. This wax seals the dresser and creates a really nice matte finish.

4. Finally, we refinished the drawers by removing hardware, sanding down, applying our chosen stain, and reattaching hardware.

Now it is just a matter of adding a changing pad. I’m hoping for this gorgeous changing pad cover from Ivie Baby. The patterns and colors she uses for her designs are lovely. Add a couple of art prints and a mobile and this spot might turn into one of my favorite parts of the nursery.

What are your favorite parts of the nurseries you’ve seen? Anything your couldn’t live without?

Your can check out the nursery mood board here.