THRIFT SHOP VANITY TO TV STAND

We have had  a frat house/bachelor pad tv stand ever since we got our flat screen TV.  I couldn't find something I liked and my husband seemed perfectly happy to use the ugly black stand we got free with the TV. Take a look, but I warn you it isn't pretty.

Yuck, right? I really liked the look of painted furniture stained a dark color on top with a distressed cream bottom that I had been seeing in blogland so I began looking for an appropriate piece that would work in our space.  I finally found an old vanity for about $50.  It was just the right height and shape and was in  pretty decent condition.

The top drawers were ok but the bottom drawers needed some wood filler before I could start.

Since I wanted to stain the top I stripped the existing stain (off the top only) using Smartstrip paint remover.  I really like this product because it is eco friendly and biodegradable. I easily washed it off in the sink and it worked really well to remove the old stain.  I found it at the local Sherwin Williams store.
I then re-stained the top with MinWax Jacobean brown.  I have never stained anything so I was so scared I was going to screw it up.  My sweet husband gave me some tips and I applied it with a foam roller.  I panicked when I saw there were all kinds of bubbles in it but my hubs calmly said just brush over it with a foam brush.  It came out beautifully after about 3 coats to get it as dark as I wanted.

I started out using a clear wax on the top but it left a weird residue so I switched to the Fiddes and Sons Rugger Brown and it worked great.  The top got three coats and buffed to a pretty shine.
Next, I painted the entire bottom portion with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in old white.  I used several coats on certain parts of this because the stain kept bleeding through.  I read that when this happens you should stop and spray with shellac but I just kept adding paint.  Don't know why.

I finished the bottom with one coat of light Fiddes and Sons wax and a light layer of the rugger brown in some areas to give it a vintage look.  I also did a little light distressing with fine grit sandpaper.

 So much better don't you think! Oh yeah, I switched out the pulls that were on it for ones I got at the flea market for 50cents each.  I sprayed them with Oil rubbed bronze paint.  I am not sure I love them but for now they are ok.