Upcycled chest of drawers and bedside drawers

[JoeAzza]

Bedside drawers and a chest of drawers repaired, sanded back and painted in a satin black with clear varnish on top. 

• The project
• Tools and materials
• Steps
• Before and after
• How to upcycle a chest of drawers
• More inspiration for your upcycling project

The project

Here is my latest upcycled project. One chest of drawers and one bedside drawers set, sanded back and painted in satin black and given satin varnished clear tops.

Tools and materials

Materials used in the project:

• Sandpaper - 40 grit, 80 grit, 120 grit, 240 grit and 400 grit
  
  
• Water-based satin paint, black 
  
  
• Monocel water-based satin varnish clear 
  
  
• 12mm dowel to plug knob holes
  
  
• Wood glue for timber dowel
  
  
• Wood putty 
  
  
• Masking tape.

Tools used in the project:

• 150mm orbital sander
   
• Finishing sander 1/4 sheet, great for doing the concave shaped timber
  
  
• Lathe for polishing old brass knobs (a power drill can be used instead)
  
  
• Philips head screwdriver for fitting knob screws
  
  
• Small hand saw to repair and glue damaged timber on bedside drawers base
  
  
• Unipro round easy cutter 18mm paint brush (Love this brush, minimal brush marks)
  
  

• 100mm 4mm Nap roller.

Steps

Step 1

Repair the damaged bedside drawers. This had a broken piece of timber at the bottom left corner. I had to make a replacement part. I glued and shaped to match the rest of the moulding.

Step 2

Sand both chest of drawers and bedside drawers. I fully sanded the tops of each unit back to bare wood, ready for the clear coat finish. The rest of the units were sanded back ready for painting. No undercoat was required.

Step 3

Cut, glue and sand 12mm timber dowel pieces to repair large holes in drawers, then re-drill to suit knob mounting screws.

Step 4

Paint three coats of black satin paint. I used a brush to place the paint onto the body of the units then used the roller to roll on the paint. Tip - Do not overload the roller, this will give a better, flatter finish.

Then I very lightly sanded in between coats, using 400 grit sandpaper.

Step 5

Next was a clear coat on top of both units. I did these using the same technique as the way I painted the black paint: very light sanding in between coats, using 400 grit sandpaper.

Step 6

I used the original drawer knobs. These were brass knobs, so I decided to polish and clear coat them. I think they came up well. I used my lathe to sand with 120 grit and 400 grit sandpaper.

Job done.

Before and after

How to upcycle a chest of drawers

Upcycling your chest of drawers can be a simple and cost-effective way to make it more stylish and functional. Workshop member Claire has provided step-by-step instructions in her guide How to upcycle a chest of drawers.

More inspiration for your upcycling project

Workshop member Rachel_DeMarchi created a Hamptons-style modern dresser with fluted top drawers in her upcycling project.

Community member Oddchair22 created a different look with an upcycled chest of drawers with stencilled paintwork.

For more ideas, check out Upcycled bedside drawers and tables.