A few weeks ago I decided it was time to do something with an old dry sink I had been holding on to for over a year. The drawers had gotten damp and were swelled to the point they wouldn’t budge, so re-purposing was the only way to go. It was a great piece of furniture. It had great bones, it was solid wood and had very nice curves. Plus, it was oak. It just needed some TLC and a little imagination. And a little sweat.
This is what my dry sink was suppose to look like. And I’m sure it did, before it came my way. But by the time it got to me, it was missing parts and had lost it’s towel rack and some drawer fronts were missing. It had seen better days.
My daughter needed a place for the new TV Santa had dropped off at her house last December. She was using her bedside table in the den for the TV. But really wanted it back in her bedroom. I finally figured out how to best re-purpose this little gem.
The lack of drawers made it perfect for shelves. She needed something to hide all those TV gadgets that had been scattered beneath the bedside table, since the man in red dropped it off. So, I began my project to re-purposed the old wash stand into a TV stand.
First we decided to paint it a robin’s egg blue, because…it’s the color I had…and thankfully, it matched her room. I taped it off because I wanted to leave some stained area showing. This is the same dry sink I used to show how to remove veneer last Summer and since the top had some damage, I knew I had to paint it. But, I left the trim all around stained. I painted the top and sides, then went back over the trim with a fresh coat of stain. I used a combination of raw sienna and brunt sienna to make my stain.
It was fairly simple project, but one I could not have done without the help of my husband, who is mighty to save, when I need help. He built the shelves, reworked the hinges, replaced hardware and added the perfect trim around the shelves to finish it off. He’s a perfectionist and so his work is always very professional! We were so happy with how it turned out.
And then when it was all finished and dry, I put a coat of wax on it.
My daughter and her children were on their way home from the beach, so, my husband and I took it to her house and set it all up. We moved her bedside table back to her bedroom. Re-arranged her furniture…which involved my removing her china from her china cabinet before we moved it….and then putting it all back….oh, the things we do for our children!!! Her brother came by to help move the furniture…thankfully!
I could hardly wait for them to get home and see how perfect it really was for the room and the TV and all the gadgets that go with the TV. I loved it. Well, I couldn’t wait….I texted photos for them to see before they got here…I was just so excited!!!!! It’s just too hard to keep a secret that you know will make someone happy. I can usually, but this time, I had to text them a photo… As it turns out, they were in a bad spot and the picture didn’t go through…so it was a surprise after all!!!
I always love when I finish a project. It gives such satisfaction and feels so good to know something has been salvaged, and put to good use. And now, with just a little bit of work, this re-purposed wash stand has plenty of life left to give.
