The “I Spent All My Money on Rent but I Still Need Furniture” Solution

Tools & Materials:

• Sander/sandpaper
• Warm soapy water and a washcloth
• Odorless oil-base primer
• Latex paint
• Screwdriver
• Dropcloth
• Paint Roller
• Paint Tray
• Paint brush
• New handles (if you want)

Believe it or not, I have had this bedroom furniture since the day I was born. Sure, I’ve upgraded my bed, but the dressers have always been around. After moving into a downtown apartment, my budget for new furniture is limited so I am repurposing some old furniture. It looks like the dressers are here to stay, but not without a face lift.

I ran a few blocks down the road to my local hardware store and picked up the materials listed above.

I removed the drawers and hardware and sanded the surface to remove any finish that survived the 26 years I’ve had it.

I washed the dresser with soapy water to remove any dust and dirt.

I bought new handles that didn’t match the same openings so I used dowel rods and wood putty to fill in the old holes and sanded them down.

*TIP: Don’t do what I did. As you can plainly see I primed the drawers before I patched the holes. Save yourself some time and patch THEN paint.

After the dresser was dry and the holes were patched, I applied the oil-based primer to any surface that would be visible. I suggest using the no-odor to save yourself a headache. I was working in an air-conditioned garage so I had limited ventilation. For most of the work, I used the paint roller to get a smooth finish. I had to use the paint brush for smaller, tricky areas and corners. I applied two coats letting the paint dry thoroughly between application.

When applying the paint, I started with a brush and painted the edges and corners.

Finally I used the roller and painted the majority of the surface.

Once dry, I drilled holes and installed my new handles. Bing, Bang, Boom….Chabby Chic Dresser!