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An old chest of drawers sanded back, the rails replaced and then painted in satin black and coated in varnish.
The project
I had this old chest of drawers that needed repair. It was difficult to pull out the drawers. They were always getting jammed. Upon further investigation, I found that the drawer rails were worn out, so I decided to replace and/or invert the worn rails.
The drawers were also worn out. Instead of adding timber to replace the worn-out section of the drawers, I had some old salvaged Pine drawers that I used to replace the worn-out drawers. I am very happy with the results. I now learnt that you need to lubricate the timber rails to prevent the rails wearing out. I used wax paste.
Steps
Step 1
Remove old drawer fittings.
Replace all worn out drawer rails.
Replace worn out drawer sides.
Remove and refit backing board.
Make up and install a new kick rail.
Step 2
Sand the top of the chest of drawers until back to bare wood to prepare for staining. Sand and patch the rest of the unit to prepare for painting.
Step 3
Mask and paint satin black - three coats using the brush and 4mm nap roller.
Step 4
Stain the top of the unit. I used four coats to obtain the colour I wanted, then two coats of clear coat, water based varnish.
Step 5
Install new knobs.
Tools and materials
Materials used in the project:
- Secondhand recycled timber for drawers
- 50mm x 19mm DAR Pine for rails
- 65mm x 19mm DAR Pine for new base
- Wood glue
- Countersunk screws
- Nails
- Wood filler
- Black satin paint
- Cedar water based stain
- New drawer knobs - gold colour
- Clear coat satin varnish
- Homemade wax paste (Beeswax and coconut oil mixture).
Tools used in the project:
- 80, 120, 240 grit sandpaper
- 150mm sander
- 125mm sander
- Mitre saw
- Router
- Router bit
- Screwdriver
- 4mm nap mini roller
- Small paint brush.
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. Experienced community member Claire shares step-by-step advice in How to upcycle a chest of drawers.
More inspiration for your upcycling project
Community member Athena used rattan and fresh paint on her upcycled bedside drawers.
Workshop member Cooney09 used cloud-shaped handles on their upcycled drawers for the nursery.
Our collection of Upcycled bedside drawers and tables has more ideas from Bunnings Workshop community members.
