This salvaged dresser gets a modern finish by filling in dated drawer details/carvings. | YouTube Video

Hi, creative friends, I hope you’re doing well. Last week I visited my dear friend Mara. It was sooo good to see her and relax poolside. As I was leaving she offered me this cute three-drawer dresser. She had originally planned on refinishing it herself but like many of us, she has different projects taking priority. I felt thankful for this gift the entire time I worked on it. So let’s see if I can do Mara proud with this piece…

It’s also Furniture Fixer Uppers Day and I’m joining my FFU crew and sharing links to their projects below. I hope you join me in visiting their before and afters. I can’t wait to see what these talented ladies do.

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Here’s the three-drawer dresser.

The drawer and body are in good shape.

But I’m not a fan of the dated drawer carvings. Even if they were painted out, I feel their shape and the chipped and uneven wood within the groove would still make this piece look a little dated. Rather than try to smooth everything out, let’s create a modern smooth paint finish.

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

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

3 Drawer Dresser  – SALVAGED
Sand Pads | Shop Towels
Easy To Sand Wood Filler
Bondo Filler
Bosch Sander
White Lightning Cleaner
Paint Brushes
Smooth Roller
Dried Sage Chalk Mineral Paint
Gator Hide Topcoat
Brushed Brass Hardware Pulls

PAINTED THREE DRAWER DRESSER

This dresser is a super cute three-drawer laminate dresser from the 50’s. I’ve worked on pieces with similar finishes here, here and here. These dressers can be salvaged and transformed into modern beauties if the dated detail is filled in. And that’s exactly what I’m going to share today. It’s easy to do and like I always say, if I can do it, YOU can do it. I’m sharing my favorite way to fill in dated drawer details seamlessly… you won’t even know they were there! These simple steps can transform a dated piece into something spectacular that sells at retail stores for hundreds of dollars. So salvaging these pieces is SO WORTH IT! Here’s how it all came together…

REMOVE HARDWARE

There were two ornate handles and two knobs that I removed from this dresser. I like their uniqueness, so I’ve kept this hardware for another project.

CLEAN/PREP

The inside and outside of this dresser were cleaned well with this White Lightning.  I wiped it down a few times and then used clean water to remove any residue.

HOW TO FILL OLD DRAWER DETAILS

An easy way to update an older dresser is by filling in the dated engraved details on the drawers. I use Bondo to fill these grooves because they are often fairly deep and wide. A regular wood filler would work but requires several applications to get a smooth finish – and who has time to wait for all the dry time? Bondo is perfect for larger repairs and dries quickly.

I mixed the Bondo and added the hardener. Bondo dries super hard and fast. It’s one of the benefits of working with bondo (because you can sand it down within 15 to 30 minutes after applying it!) but it’s also one of the downsides of Bondo (because it dries super fast you have limited time to work with it). I have a full tutorial on how to use Bondo (included video) here.

My secret to getting a seamless finish is applying a ‘soft’ easy-to-sand wood filler OVER the Bondo. This fills in any tiny air bubbles, and little misses the Bondo did not perfectly fill in. I do this right after the Bondo dries, however you could sand the Bondo down flush and then apply the wood filler if you felt more comfortable. This way it saves you money and product because your applying it ONLY where it needs to be rather than along the full design.

SANDING

The next morning I scuff-sanded the body and drawers smooth using 100-grit sand paper and my Bosch Sander. This gave the surface a little tooth for good paint adhesion. Then using a tack-cloth, I removed all the sanding dust before priming.

PRIMING

Primer was needed to block the wood filler and Bondo showing through the paint – otherwise, the paint would ‘take’ differently and you’d be able to see where it was filled in because the paint would look slightly darker.

I applied two coats of BIN Shellac based primer to seal the drawers and body. Then I lightly sanded with a 220 sanding pad to knock the paint down before painting.

Tip – If you’re looking for a water-based version of a bonding stain-blocking primer – I’ve been using and loving this one here. It works equally well but requires a 24 hours dry time to do its thing.

PAINTING

I used one of my favorite colors – Dried Sage. I’d describe it as a neutral beige-green – muted so it has a serene feel. To get the smoothest finish without using a sprayer, I brushed on a coat of paint and immediately once the paint was laid down, I lightly went over it with a roller.

I have a full tutorial including video on How To Brush And Roll For a Smooth Finish here.

FINISHING DETAILS

For the finishing details, I sprayed three coats of Gator Hide topcoat letting each coat dry for two hours in between each coat. I find Gator Hide sprays beautifully. Depending on how thick you spray or brush it on will depend how fast it dries, but I would say it’s a fast dry time in comparison to some other topcoats. The added bonus is it provides a SUPER strong finish!

Tip – When painting and topcoating legs, I find it helpful to take a scrap piece of wood and drill four holes to make a ‘stand’ for them. This way the paint and finish stay meticulous because they are not falling over or touching anything.

The last detail was adding these gorgeous brush brass edge hardware pulls and reattaching the legs.

THE FINISHED LOOK

Here’s the finished look. I LOVE it!

And what do you think of the drawer fronts? Can you see where the carved drawer detail was?

Here’s a close-up look.

There’s one tiny area when the light hits it just right I can tell where it was filled in but I’m guessing that’s because I did the filling. If you didn’t know what the before looked like, I’m guessing no one will know. 😉

PIN FOR LATER 🥰

And just for fun, I Ai generated this dresser as a luxurious bedroom sidetable. I’m always amazed at what a little paint can do. It looks so updated and gorgeous!

YOUTUBE TUTORIAL

Here’s the full step-by-step video tutorial below. Our #siyoutubefamily is already a community of 46.8K so don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t done so already! So exciting, thank YOU!

And now for some FURNITURE FIXER UPPER FUN!

You’re going to LOVE what my creative FFU ladies do!  Below are the BEFORE photos. Visit the links to see the amazing AFTERS and learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek as well!

1. PETTICOAT JUNKTION

2. MY REPURPOSED LIFE

3. CONFESSIONS OF A SERIAL DIYER

4. A RAY OF SUNLIGHT

5. SALVAGED INSPIRATIONS (HAPPY YOU’RE HERE!)

Here’s another look at this dresser before and after. I hope it inspired you and gave you some ideas for your upcoming furniture painting projects.

 

Let me know what you think of this makeover in the comments below. I always love hearing from you, it makes my day! 🙂

Happy painting my friends!

Denise x

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MAKING DATED FURNITURE DESIGNS DISAPPEAR

HOW TO REMOVE DATED DRAWER PANELS

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