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Upcycling a baby change table

My babies have grown so I decided to upcycle their old change table with draws to a centre piece. I recycled old Venetian wooden blinds to create the herringbone pattern.

Materials used:

ESP surface prep

Easy coat semi gloss paint

Wagner spray gun

T handles 4 pack

Wood glue

Recycled wooden blinds

I cut the top of the change table leaving just the cabinet. I sanded the top to blend in my cut marks. The draws were sanded and the under side of the slats to get a good bond when I applied the glue.
I cut the slats approx 150mm and marked a centre line on each draw. I glued the cut slats in a herringbone pattern. I placed a board on top with weights to get a good bond.

original change table below

Once the glue was dried, I flush cut the over hang and sanded it flush to the original draws. I left some original stain on the slats as I wanted more of a rustic look.

The frame of the draws I used ESP rather than sanding the entire thing. I sprayed the frame with my Wagner spray gun, for a total of 3 coats. I sanded on the second coat with very fine sand paper.

The handles were drilled in and now the kids aren’t getting their draws back!!!

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MitchellMc

That looks wonderful, @sandy_d! I'm sure you are delighted with the results. I adore the herringbone design, and the use of old Venetian blinds is genuinely inspiring. The amount of creativity needed to envisage a project like this never ceases to amaze me.

Many thanks for sharing your amazing work.

Mitchell

sandy_d

@MitchellMc @Thank you so much 🙂

KatieC

Wow just wow @sandy_d ! The entire look is so cool, I like how the blinds sanded to have such color variation as well.

I am a bit of a novice when it comes to painting, why did you need to sand between coat 2 and 3? Is that to increase the shine?

Katie

sandy_d

@KatieC I got a little spray that splattered a little too thick with the gun so I evened out the paint so it would look very smooth. Usually I wouldn’t sand unless there was obvious brush marks I didn’t want. But answering your question, yes you would achieve a very smooth finish to your paint. The shine would come from the type of paint used. I hope that helps 😊

KatieC

Super helpful @sandy_d ! I hope to do an upcycle of my own soon and the more insider knowledge I can get the better 😉

Katie

EricL

Hi @sandy_d

Thank you so much for sharing such a beautifully upcycled change table. What an amazing transformation. The black body gives it such a modern flair and the drawer fronts give it such a rustic feel. Did you use the Flood 300g ESP Surface Prep Spray on the drawer fronts as well? How long did it take before you could use the drawer again? My apologies for the many questions. I'm sure our members would be keen to know more about the details of your build. Any tips or advice you can share with those members who would like to replicate your project would be much appreciated.

We look forward to seeing your next creation.

Eric

sandy_d

@EricL Thank you Eric, yes I did use the Flood ESP for the frame only. For the draw fronts, I sanded back all the varnish and also from the underside of the slats so there would be a good contact when glueing. I waited 24 hours for the glue to dry before flush cutting the overhang of the slats. I sanded most part of the slat varnish, leaving some stain. Within 48 hours the draws were back in because I am impatient!! I hope this helps 😊

Blu

Looks awesome well done ! 😃

EricL

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Blu. Thank you for joining the discussion.

Let me tag @sandy_d so that they are made aware of your kind words. Are you planning your own upcycle project? If you have questions about these types of projects, please don't hesitate to post them. Our members would be more than happy to provide you with advice and information.

We look forward to seeing your first project.

Eric

moodybyname78

@sandy_d all I can say is WOW!!! You’ve given me great ideas. Who would have thought old Venetian blinds? I’ll be keeping my eye open for them on verge collection to use on future projects..

sandy_d

@moodybyname78 @I’m so glad I inspired you. No doubt you’ll come across some soon! I upcycled another tall boy with Venetian blinds on my profile if you’re looking for some more ideas 😊

moodybyname78

Yes I saw that one as well.. love the contrast against the black. I up cycled a entertainment unit and used Tasmanian oak laid in a herringbone pattern for the door inserts and top.

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