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$15 Vintage Dresser with MIA Mirror

November 5, 2019 by Denise - 40 Comments

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IS YOUR VINTAGE DRESSER MISSING A MIRROR? HERE’S AN EASY FIX TO FILL IN THE GAP WHILE ADDING A TON OF CHARACTER!

Hi, sweet friends! I come across a lot of furniture with missing parts. Missing legs, drawers, knobs, veneer and mirrors are most common. If a vintage dresser is missing a mirror, there’s often a large gap on the back of the dresser top. Here’s an easy fix to fill in that gap while adding a ton of character!

I wish I had had the time to take a pic of this vintage dresser in the Thrift Store. It was quite a sight with its wonky drawers and missing mirror. But as fast as I laid my eyes on it, a sweet elderly associate swooped in like a Magpie — and before I knew it, reduced it from $30 to $15 and had her colleague loading it into my FUV! They better hold on to that one. She’s gooooood!

Here’s the before and after in my studio. MMM had fixed all the drawers and left the MIA Mirror Gap to me.

This backboard was salvaged from another dresser. It adds a ton of character to this piece and you’d never know there was suppose to be a mirror there! What do you think?

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE.  YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST::

DIY DRESSER BACKBOARD::

I started by giving this piece a super good cleaning, sanding and then two coats of BOSS in clear. I wanted to give this dresser a farmhouse vibe so by using the clear BOSS, it allowed me to distress and show some of the wood coming through while still blocking all the bleedthrough.

The following day I painted this dresser with Tea Rose and added this Whitewash Glaze.

To fill in the missing mirror gap, I salvaged this backboard from another old dresser.

Any backboard from another piece of furniture can be used so long as it’s long enough. I’ve also used a straight piece of wood.  If you don’t have any on hand, you can always go to HomeDepot and get them to cut you a piece of wood to size. I’ve found these missing mirror gaps are pretty standard. One inch by one inch usually does the trick.

I started by measuring the length of the backboard and the length of the dresser top. For this particular dresser, I needed my backplate to be 37.5″ long. I don’t include the beveled overhang in my measurements.

Once I had the measurements, I marked the center of the dresser back and the center of my salvaged backboard and lined them up.

Once the center of both the dresser and backboard are lined up perfectly, I marked out where I wanted the backboard to end on both sides then measured to make sure everything was even.

I marked where I was going to cut the wood with a pencil and straight edge.

Remember, measure twice – cut once! 😉

Once the piece was cut to size, I sanded the existing finish off and made it smooth so there were no sharp edges. To match the backboard with the dresser top, I  stained it with Tobacco Road and Black Magic.

Mixing stains to achieve a match is not a science (or at least I haven’t figured it out) but it’s kind of fun playing around …and super gratifying when I get it close! What do you think?

Okay, and now for some GIVEAWAY FUN! Thank you to each and every one of you who participated in last week’s FURNITURE TRANSFER GIVEAWAY!

THE LUCKY WINNER OF THE FURNITURE TRANSFER 3 PACK IS…

CECILIA

CONGRATULATIONS!

THE WINNER HAS BEEN EMAILED.  PLEASE REPLY BACK AND/OR CONTACT ME VIA MY CONTACT PAGE WITHIN 48 HOURS TO CLAIM YOUR REDESIGN WITH PRIMA TRANSFER PACKAGE!

Thanks again to everyone for joining in on the fun!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK OF THIS VINTAGE DRESSER AND DIY BACKBOARD … OR FEEL FREE TO ASK ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE… I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU.

Thanks for reading. 🙂
Wishing you a beautiful day filled with inspiration and Happy Painting friends!

Denise XO

RELATED POSTS::

How To Apply Furniture Transfers

Adding Graphics | Vintage TeaCart Makeover

Pottery Barn Knock-Off Buffet Makeover

Stop Bleed Through When Painting

5 Ideas To Update An Old Desk

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Comments (40)

  1. What a great idea for the backboard! I’m working on a similar piece that has the missing mirror so I’m going to try this too!

    Reply

  3. Thanks Denise for the gorgeous makeover. As usual. 🙂
    I now know what to do with my mother-in-law’s dresser which looks almost identical to this piece! I so much enjoy your inspiration!

    Reply

  5. It’s perfection! I love the color combo, and the backboard is the “crowning” touch. 😀 It really makes the piece, and it’s remarkable the way the shape echos the the lines at the base of the dresser. Just beautiful, Denise!

    Reply

  7. This is such a great tip and I really like the color. I’ve been seeing some close to nude pinks on IG and they make for a really nice looking neutral! Thanks for sharing Denise! ~ Nicki

    Reply

  10. Love it !!!!
    Just joined Savaged …
    I’m impressed with what you do … you’re an artist !!!!
    Greetings from Spain, and please, keep doing !!!

    Reply

  11. Hi Denise! $15! Wow! You have a real talent for finding furniture in need of a makeover for AMAZING prices. This dresser is so sweet in soft pink and wood stained top/legs. Love it. And you made the backboard look like part of the original piece. Fabulous work:)

    Reply

  13. Gosh, I can’t believe the prices you pay for these pieces, Denise. Talk about a start the car moment! The salvaged backboard definitely looks like it’s always been there. Love the pretty pink you painted the dresser too.

    Reply

  14. Denise,
    You always seem to know what’s on my mind! I have a Maple Roll Top Desk that was my Mothers.
    My granddaughter wanted it, so I have it in my garage to refurbish. I too was planning on a Tea Rose
    type color, leaving the inside of the desk in a natural state of maple. I plan to lightly sand the inside and
    re-stain with a slightly darker stain..

    Thank you, for sending this dresser renovation , it certainly added insight to my project. I will forward a
    photo to you once I’ve completed this project. (Most likely in the new year).

    You truly are my “go to” for inspiration.

    Carli E.
    California

    Reply

    • Thank you, Carli and I love the sounds of your Maple Roll Top Desk Restyle! This Tea Rose or any similar pink looks amazing paired with a darker stain. And for sure. If you get the opportunity to reach out and share I’d LOVE to see! XO

      Reply

  16. What a great job~ I really love what you did with it AND that you didn’t distress it too much (too much really looks fake to me) The color is great and the combination of wood and paint is just perfect! Kudos!!!

    Reply

  17. Denise, when you sand a piece like this for the gel stain, do you sand down to the original wood or just rough it up? I love the Tobacco Road color for most everything. I’m thrilled to have won the transfers! Thank you so much for sharing these beautiful transfers; I will have a blast using them!! If my projects turn out I will send you a picture on IG!! XOXO

    Reply

    • It’s our winnnnnner….yaaaay! It really depends on the piece. Most of the time I sand off the original stain and start from scratch. For this dresser, once the top was lightly sanded, it looked so good I just matched up the feet, edge and backboard (which were sanded down completely bare). Have fun with your transfers and yes, if you get the chance I’d LOVE to see what you create! XO

      Reply

  18. Nice, Denise! I love a little backsplash. I had a dresser like this, too, with a missing mirror or washstand top. I was able to unscrew the top, scoot it back, and rescew in place. Looked like it was always that way!

    Reply

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