Complete Transformation of an Old Dresser

Marj MRC Creations
by Marj MRC Creations
We had this dresser and hutch for a long time. It used to be my husband's when he was a teen, then it went into our oldest son's room. That son has moved out and I'm changing the room into a guest room and sewing space for myself. I've disliked this dresser for years so it was time to make a change! Chalk paint - here we come.
The dresser had some good wood features, but it also had a lot of laminate. The top and sides were laminate and most of the hutch was as well. I only wanted to keep the dresser part, though hubby did have to repair some pulls to make sure the drawers opened and closed more smoothly. As you can see, there were a lot of dings and dents in the dresser.
I decided to use a primer, even though I know that chalk paint doesn't require priming first. The top and sides of the dresser was a slick laminate and I didn't want to take a chance of anything going wrong.
Primed the drawers, too, while I was at it.
I used Crooked Label chalk paint, in Moonstone for most of the dresser, with the surrounding of the drawers in Crooked Label white.
The old hardware just wasn't looking too nice with the new colours, so I painted them with white chalk paint, two coats, then used a metallic rub to highlight. I then spray varnished them and loved how they turned out!
And here she is - like new! The colour Moonstone, by Crooked Label, is a green/blue/gray tone and I think it gives the dresser much charm.
I only did a light distressing here and there, mostly to help the drawer fronts pop and give them definition.
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  2 questions
  • Jean Myles Jean Myles on Nov 22, 2015
    Marjorie I see you are a fellow Canadian and I was wondering where you bought the chalk paint? I don't live in a big city so knowing where I'm going to shop is a real time saver /
  • Chr5303592 Chr5303592 on Sep 19, 2016
    Is it necessary to finish with polyurethane? I want to refinish an old, smaller buffet with chalk paint but I wasn't sure if it required a sealant of any kind. It is similar in style to yours, which came out beautifully.
Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 93 comments
Next