An old chest of drawers saved from landfill and upcycled using DAR Pine and MDF board, fresh paint and varnish, and fitted with new knobs.
I have just finished upcycling this chest of drawers that I got from a neighbour in my area. It was going to the local tip. It looked in good condition, however, all the drawer bottoms were all out of shape, so it wasn't just a matter of sanding and painting.
I had to replace all the drawer bottoms with new 3mm MDF board, all screwed in place instead of staples. The larger bottom drawer was made of chipboard which I replaced with new 12mm Pine board and MDF base.
I removed the deformed drawer bottom boards.
Then I removed the chipboard from the large drawer.
Then I removed all the old drawer bottoms.
I then removed the chipboard drawers which were glued on.
I had to chisel off the old chipboard.
I then sanded it flat.
I replaced the bowed drawer bottoms with 3mm MDF board.
Then I used a heat gun to remove the old drawer knobs. Later, I found that it was easier to tap the knob with a hammer by hitting it side to side. They came off a lot easier than I expected.
Then I plugged the knob holes with glue and 12mm timber dowel cut and sanded flat.
Next, I made up drawers for bottom drawers using 12mm DAR Pine.
Then I sanded all over.
Three coats of satin paint was next.
The top was fully sanded back. I was just going to finish in clear coat, but decided to water down some paint and coated the top with a sponge. Then I applied three coats of water based satin varnish to give a washed effect, allowing the grain to show through.
You can see the wood grain showing through the paintwork.
Here are the new knobs installed.
Materials used in the project:
Tools used in the project:
Upcycling your chest of drawers can be a simple and cost-effective way to make it more stylish and functional. Experienced community member Claire shares step-by-step advice in How to upcycle a chest of drawers.
Community member Mariana used Rust-Oleum Milk Paint Finish on her upcycled tallboy.
Workshop member Oddchair22 upcycled a chest of drawers with stencilled paintwork.
Check out our collection of Upcycled buffets by Bunnings Workshop community members for more ideas.
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