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My Creative Days

DIY blog sharing our home, budget decorating tips with repurposed farmhouse decor.

Rustic Dresser Makeover Tutorial

September 9, 2019 9 Comments

This rustic dresser makeover was a project I wasn’t sure about how it was going to go. I knew I had the know-how to make this dresser look brand new, but sometimes all the know-how doesn’t match up to the stubbornness of wood furniture. I am happy to report, this makeover was successful! 🙂

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

I found this dresser at my local Restore. Like in my last painted dresser DIY, this dresser didn’t have a lot of things going for it. The veneer was peeling so bad on this one. I knew that was the reason no one had taken it home before me. From the looks of this dresser, most people would think there is no potential.

I am not most people. 

missing veneer

Sure, most of the veneer was missing or loose, but…..

peeling veneer

… it still had all the original hardware. 

Sure, the top was coming off in chunks. BUT…..

before photo

… the wood underneath looked amazing!

remove hardware before makeover

{Affiliate links are used in this post so you can easily find the products I used. You can read my disclosure here.}

Steps To Making This Rustic Dresser Pretty Again:

  1. Remove all the hardware. Thus hardware had tiny nails on the bottom of the knobs to keep them in place. These are usually missing, but every single knob still had the nail. When you remove hardware like this, put it in a place that is out-of-the-way so you won’t lose them while you are working on the dresser.
  2. Use a small putty knife to remove the veneer that is loose. This part is all fun and games until the veneer stops peeling off so easily. That used to be so frustrating for me, but I discovered the easy way to remove veneer from furniture and I never get frustrated anymore. I did have to use this technique on the top of the dresser. 
  3. If you have some stubborn spots, try a heat gun. The heat gun didn’t work on the drawers of this dresser, but it did work on some of the top that I was too impatient to wait for. 😉
  4. Once all of the veneer is off, use an orbital sander and sand the entire dresser. I used a 60 and 80 grit sandpaper and then went over it all with a 120 grit sandpaper to smooth it all out. 
  5. Use a tack cloth or damp rag and wipe down the entire dresser to get rid of the sanding dust.
  6. Now, the dresser is ready for paint and/or stain. I did both like I did in this nightstand makeover for Gabrielle’s bedroom. I used “Dark Walnut” stain for the top drawers. Then, I chose to paint the dresser in this green color from Dixie Belle Paint. 
  7. Once the paint and stain are dry, put the hardware back on. 
  8. Stand back and look at what you created! 

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

Supplies Recap – Rustic Dresser Makeover:

Small Putty Knife

Heat Gun

Orbital Sander 

60 Grit Sandpaper

80 Grit Sandpaper

120 Grit Sandpaper

“Dark Walnut” Stain

Green Paint

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

This dresser is beautiful now! I love the look of paint and stain together and this green color is one of my favorite paint colors from Dixie Belle Paint.

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

I forgot to mention that this dresser was missing the wheel on one of the back legs. We keep of stash of those from previous projects so it was an easy repair.

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

*Pro Tip: If you pick up pieces like this that have original hardware, wheels, key holes, etc. and you can’t use them, take them off and keep them for future projects when they might come in handy. Dong that has saved so many projects for us. 

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

I don’t know what it is, but a piece that has both stained areas and painted areas are so pretty to me. This rustic dresser makeover was fairly easy to do and it turned a dresser destined for the landfill into a beautiful and functional piece. We didn’t have room for this beauty in our home so we sold it. The buyer was so excited to get it and put it in her home. Makeovers like this always fuel my soul and when someone else gets to enjoy the end product in their home, it makes me even more happier.

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

I hope this makeover inspires you to try a furniture makeover soon!

PIN THIS POST!

This rustic dresser makeover tutorial will show you how to take an ugly duckling dresser and turn it into a swan in a few short steps.

If you liked this rustic dresser makeover, you will also love these transformations:

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Filed Under: DIY Projects, Furniture Tagged With: diy dresser, dresser makeover, painted furniture, rustic dresser makeover

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Comments

  1. Lisa Cestkowski says

    September 9, 2019 at 6:09 PM

    Beautiful makeover! Saw this on Instagram and had to click over here to read the tutorial. The wood you uncovered under the veneer is so pretty, it’s hard to believe it was ever covered up. (Also, just FYI, in Step No. 5, I think you meant “damp rag.” Or maybe not…)

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      September 10, 2019 at 9:22 AM

      Thank you! Going to change it now.

      Reply
    • Lindsay says

      September 10, 2019 at 9:23 AM

      OMG! THANK YOU FOR CATCHING THAT! {insert embarrassed emoji}

      Reply
  2. Karolyn Love says

    November 30, 2020 at 9:45 AM

    Lindsay, this is a beautiful dresser makeover!!! Love the green color with the upper drawers left stained…makes it so unique and very handsome!!! Great, great job!!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      December 1, 2020 at 1:27 PM

      Thank you so much!

      Reply
  3. Brit says

    December 14, 2020 at 6:42 PM

    So the wood that was under the veneer is what the final product is? With the walnut stain? I’m using this dresser idea to do an old dresser that I just picked up. This will be my first dresser!

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      December 17, 2020 at 2:17 PM

      Yes, the wood under the veneer is the final product. You need to sand it down and prep it for paint or stain! Good luck! Share on Instagram and tag me so I can see it!

      Reply
  4. Anna says

    May 2, 2021 at 6:18 PM

    Really nice turnaround! Can you tell me which green you used from Dixie Bell please?

    Reply
    • Lindsay says

      May 4, 2021 at 9:56 AM

      Just click on the “green paint” link and it will take you right to it!

      Reply

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