🖼️
The project:
My rental house doesn't have any built-in storage, so I upcycled a second-hand dresser that I found on marketplace and converted it into hanging storage. The original piece had been painted in the "shabby chic" style, which doesn't appeal to me, so I brought the wood back to its natural finish and stained it to match our other bedroom furniture. I don't have a shed or workbench, so I did everything outside on a trestle table. It took a week and was a fun learning experience.
- Materials:
- Dressed pine planks 1.8m
- Hanging rail
- Hanging hardware
- screws
- nails bullet head
- wood glue
- sandpaper 80, 120, 240 grit
- stain/varnish
- paint stripper
- turps
stain varnish chestnut
paint stripper
Hardware
Hardware rod pillar ends
nails
- Tools:
- Sanding block
- Drill
- Rubber mallet
- Flat hammer
- Hairdryer
- Paint scraper
- Hand saw
Dust masks
Rubber mallet
saw
- Step 1:
First, I applied paint stripper to the wood and used a scraper to get the paint jelly off. This was my first time using stripper. It smells like toxic candy but it's very effective.
To remove the plastic lining inside the shelving and drawers, I used a hair dryer to heat the edges and peel the lining off. There was significant dark staining on the wood from the lining but it adds character.
- Step 2:
Starting with 80 grit sandpaper, I hand sanded the entire surface. I then moved on to 120 and then 240 grit. I wasn't able to get the paint off the top face because the mdf was damaged and kept flaking off in a dusty mess, so I decided to pry the top off and flip to the other side which was a cleaner surface. To get it off I used a rubber mallet under the edges to pop the top piece off. It was tricky removing the old nails, but I eventually got them out with a metal hammer and pliers.
- Step 3:
Before assembling, I painted 2 coats of the combined stain/varnish to the new pine and the old dresser. The colour match isn't perfect, but to match perfectly I would have needed to use twice the amount of stain and then varnished afterward. Due to a tight budget, I couldn't get separate tins of stain and varnish, so the new stain wasn't as deep as the original. It's also possible I chose the wrong colour (I went with chestnut, maybe I needed jarrah?)
- Step 4:
In order to add the hanging components, I wanted the top of the dresser to sit flush with the sides, for the pine planks to attach with as much surface area as possible. I cut it down to size using a hand saw. I had to drill small holes along the cutting line and saw the wood in small sections. Once it was the right size, I sanded the new edges and used wood glue and wood nails to replace the top face of the dresser. The mdf board was slightly warped from being used as an outdoor planter previously, but it's flat enough for its intended use. I chose longer nails than were originally used, to make sure the surfaces connected properly.
- Step 5:
The new pine components were screwed into place rather than nailed, in case I need to disassemble in future. I added some right-angle braces (that I had lying around from random flat pack projects) to add extra support for the weight that will be held on the clothing rail. I also added some random hooks for cardigans.The rail itself is upcycled from a cheap clothing rack that couldn't stay upright once weight was on it. I found hardware (rod ends) at Bunnings that fit the 25mm gauge rod and screwed it onto the top piece. I then used the remaining stain/varnish on the front facing wood to darken the colour. In the wet weather, it took a few days to dry. I considered getting some fabric drawers to keep the clothing neat, but it's working well just as it is and makes selection easier when you can see everything.
