UGLY DUCKLING WARDROBE MAKEOVER

2 Materials
$50
2 Days
Medium
A month ago, operation bedroom makeover commenced.

First on the agenda…. find a way to update the look of this beast of a wardrobe.

And oh what a beast it was!

It had been built in by the previous tenants (god, what were they thinking??). Upon moving in, we had removed its even uglier outdated doors, leaving the very unattractive melamine wood exposed for all to see.
I really hated the look of the melamine wood so I decided I needed to paint it! And wallpaper it too! This isn't the first time I've wallpapered furniture before - check out this modern wallpapered spice rack I made from plywood.



Materials used (please note specific links to products are all on my blog at link below)
  • Foam brushes
  • sander
  • Primer
  • Furniture paint (or chalk or latex paint)
  • TSPPoly
  • Wallapaper
  • Modpodge


HOW TO: 1. I used my palm sander to sand the inside of the wardrobe. I also used 150 grit sandpaper for some areas like the edges, bottoms and detailing to ensure I got into all the nooks and crannies.
2. Wipe away the dust from sanding and clean with TSP. 3. I then used a primer, and applied with a paint brush to all the edges and corners I knew the roller wouldn’t reach.
4.Once the primer had dried, I plastered on the final coat of paint. I used a specific furniture paint but you can use latex or chalk paint for the final coat
5.Notice I left the backing un-painted so I could apply the wallpaper. Head over to my blog for the specific link to where you can buy this style wallpaper. I applied the wallpaper with modpodge glue and done!



Just a note painting melamine wood is a little like painting IKEA furniture, as they both have a laminate type finish. I wrote an in-depth post about painting ikea furniture which you can read here  
It looks like a completely different wardrobe.
The open closet concept was only meant to be a  temporary idea while I figured out what to do in terms of wardrobe doors. Im embarrassed to say, still no doors and my wardrobe looks a little unkept! Click over to my blog at the link below for a REAL LIFE photo - between you and me, the above photo is a little staged
Suggested materials:
  • Foam brushes   (amazon)
  • Modpodge   (amazon)
Medina at Grillo Designs
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
3 of 4 questions
  • Heidi Bennett Heidi Bennett on Oct 04, 2017

    Love this. Just 1 question why modpodge.

  • Lisa West Lisa West on Jan 12, 2019

    Looks great. Thank you for sharing. Love the nudge pog idea and the fact your saving money for new projects as well. It is a smart idea. Doors now, ode acould you use one of those spring rods and make or buy pretty curtain to cover the space? I believe you could really make it more wonderful. May be a print that makes the wall paper pop when they are open. It's a cheap but really efficient update as well you can switch them out as you change the decor in your bedroom and or holidays.

  • Jeanette S Jeanette S on Aug 25, 2019

    Medina,

    This is a great fix!


    Why not attach a small block of wood to outside of the molding at the top, just thick enough to hold a curtain bracket. then get a decorative rod and put a curtain on it?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 46 comments
Next