Updating a Dresser.

Lynnette Soltwedel
by Lynnette Soltwedel
5 Materials
This poor beauty was in a dark smelly room when found. I quickly decided how to update the look...during the painting process, my husband asked if I might want to decoupage some material on the sides. Brilliant suggestion! Check out the gorgeous end result!
Discovered this beauty for sale on facebook, drove over to another town to pick it up. Closed up in a dark room with some other furniture.
At first I though we would have to paint the whole piece, but some patience and a lot of sanding can reveal the natural beauty.
The top wasn't looking very promising in the light of day, but I wasn't afraid to put in some effort to see what would happen.
After some sanding...I had hubby do a little patching on the top for me (he's handy to have around).
After I stained the top with some ebony stain, I started painting the base. Excuse the dogs, but they were a little upset that I stained inside the house (never a good idea folks) so I opened up the windows for all of us.
Hubby thought decoupage might be something fun for me to try out. I had a piece of this material left from a previous project and it just spoke to me. So, after some measuring and cutting...I decided to add a little trim to just give the fabric a more finished look on each side.
First time around...one side had some bleeding from original cherry finish...sadly, had to pull it all off, and do it again. Note: if I would have sealed paint BEFORE decoupaging this would have been avoided. Lesson learned!
Applied poly to top and drawers (which we stained to match top). Sealed base with a nice matte sealant...of course you know I always forget to document something and this time is no different. Forgot to snap pictures when I repainted the hardware. Oops! But this is the final product. How beautiful!
Before and after...
Just another rescued piece.
Suggested materials:
  • Ebony stain   (The Home Depot)
  • Poly   (The Home Depot)
  • Material   (WalMart)
See all materials
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 14 questions
  • Gayle Dow Gayle Dow on Apr 27, 2019

    On the top three drawers, why are only two separated by white trim (and the other side the trim is dark)?

  • [re]FɄB19 [re]FɄB19 on Apr 28, 2019

    I read you sold it within hours... Could I ask how much you got for it? Thanks!!

  • Sarah Shutitdown Michael Sarah Shutitdown Michael on May 02, 2019

    How did you get the edges of the fabric real straight with no hem or fraying on the edge?

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 249 comments