Herringbone dresser upcycle

TaylerMayd

This solid pine dresser was coated in a thick red/brown varnish and was in desperate need of a makeover! I decided to freshen the piece up with a light colour and add a herringbone feature to the top drawer.

Materials

• Sugarsoap
• Taubmans 3 in 1 primer
• Dulux paint
• Gorilla wood glue
• Paint tape
• Jumbo popsticks
• Wood filler
• Brass knobs
• Cabot's polyurethane
• Feast Watson liming white
• Peel and stick wallpaper

Tools

• Carbide scraper
• Ryobi orbital sander
• Sanding pads
• Drill
• Ryobi multi-function tool
• Paint brushes, roller, sponges

Steps

Step 1

First I removed the existing hardware and gave the dresser a thorough clean using sugar soap.

Then I removed the varnish from the top using my carbide scraper, before sanding with a Ryobi orbital sander.

Step 2

After wiping clean, I primed the dresser using Taubmans 3 in 1 prep and painted using Dulux interior, in the colours Colorbond Dune and Natural White.

Step 3

For the top drawer, I used jumbo popsticks to create a herringbone pattern, which I glued with Gorilla wood glue.

Once dry, I used my Ryobi multi tool to cut the over-hanging popsticks, before sanding the top and edges smooth. I filled all gaps and edges with wood filler, sanding again once dry. I drilled new holes for the handles.

Step 4

I sealed all natural timber surfaces with Feast Watson liming white and the painted surfaces with Cabot's water-based polyurethane.

Step 5

I used peel and stick wallpaper to line the drawers and finished off the dresser with new brass knobs!

EricL

Hi @TaylerMayd 

Thank you so much for sharing the steps you took to upcycle this beautiful dresser. I love the knob handles you've chosen, it makes it look really posh. The Herringbone pattern at the top gives it a nice Hampton feel. I have to remember to buy a carbide scraper for my next project, it is just so handy in removing old sealers. Was it easy to finish it off with your Ryobi orbital sander?

Again, thank you for sharing such a wonderful upcycle project.

Eric