Upcycled chest of drawers and bedside table

[francinem]

Rescued this chest of drawers and matching bedside table from marketplace that were destined for the tip! Restored by sanding back to bare wood, painted, lined and sealed - ready for use!

Materials

- Sugar soap

- Paint, brush and paint stirrer

- Tarps

- Sanding pads

- Handsaw

- Wood glue and nails

- Drawer liners

- Chest knobs

- Sealer (beeswax)

Tools

- Safety goggles, protective clothes and face mask

- Belt sander and sanding pads

- Hammer

- Drill

- Cleaning cloths

- Broom (for cleaning and sweeping sawdust)

Steps

Step 1

I picked up this chest of drawers with a matching bed side table from Facebook marketplace that was destined for the tip.

First, I gave it a good clean with sugar soap and some cloths.

Before - the original chest of drawers

Step 2

Using my belt sander and pads I took my time to sand back to bare wood. I also used my hand saw to cut the knobs down and sanded these so that they were even and ready for new knobs. 

Sanded back to bare wood

Step 3

I decided on a Forrest green colour for the paint and painted a few coats, waiting adequate time for each to dry.

Fresh coat of paint!

Step 4

I then used my drill to create holes in the middle of each drawer knob, then inserted the new gold hardware.

Gold hardware

Step 5

I then lined each of the drawers with a patterned liner.

It's important to note that these drawers were quite old and needed some wood glue and nailing to hold together. I carefully glued and nailed each drawer to its respective wood piece where required to make them more sturdy suitable for use.

Drawer liners

Step 6

I sealed with beeswax to protect the drawers for daily use, did a final wipe down and styled!

All of the steps were replicated for the smaller bedside table as pictured.

The final product

[JacobZ]

Hi @francinem,

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community, it is wonderful to have you with us.

You've done an absolutely fantastic job restoring this tip-bound chest of drawers and its matching bedside table.

The forest green colour, combined with the new gold hardware, gives them a lovely retro look.

The restoration you've done looks brilliant, and I'm glad to see some wonderful furniture get a new lease on life and stay out of the rubbish heap.

Thank you for sharing.

Jacob

[emilyb]

Has come up so good!

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @emilyb. It's fabulous to have you join us and great to see you've been inspired by this project.

Do you have your own set of drawers you'd like to upcycle? Our members would be more than happy to offer advice, and you might like to check out this guide on How to upcycle a bedside cabinet.

We look forward to hearing all about your projects and plans around the house and garden. Please feel free to reach out when you need assistance or have something to share with the community.

Mitchell