DIY Dresser Makeover | Before & After

This piece was picked up from a family member that was hoping it would find a new life.

It was covered with a very red finish and the veneer wasn't in great shape on the very top. But I did like pattern of the wood grain veneer on the front of the drawers so I was on a mission to try and save that portion. The hardware was also in good shape and at some point in time one of the pulls was replaced. I didn't even notice until I took this picture.

I decided to remove the decorative tracks on the front of the drawers to help simplify the piece.They were just being held on with small trim nails and popped off easily.

I began sanding to remove the red finish from the drawer fronts.

Unfortunately, I could not save the veneer on the very top of the piece so I had to completely strip it off. 

So much better.

I chose Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in to use on this piece. For those of you that don't know, her milk paint line comes in powder form and needs to be mixed with water. It's not nearly as intimidating to use once you've done it a few times. She has videos on YouTube with more info on her Milk Paint and how to mix it.

I decided to use the style lines of veneer on the drawer fronts to map out a color-blocking design. I taped off the areas I wanted to leave untouched and used the milk paint to fill in the boarders.

I went back and forth between the drawers and the body of dresser adding layers of paint. This is what a pieces usually looks like after 1 coat of milk paint.If are trying out milk paint for the first time don't panic! Every piece goes through this ugly paint stage.

A little resistance and chipping is normal for milk paint on surfaces that have a more slick finish. This is what the same area looked like After 2-3 layers of milk paint before I busted out the sand paper.

After giving all of the painted areas a very LIGHT distressing with 120 grit sandpaper it was time to seal it all in with Minwax's Clear Matte Protective finish and remove the painter's tape. I sometimes use a smaller brushes for detailed areas so I don't miss anything.

Re-attaching the originally hardware completes the piece.

I think this is one of the more visually interesting pieces I've done. There is a cool juxtaposition going on between the the chippy paint & busy detailing vs the clean, style lines on the drawer fronts.

I placed her in my shop at The Factory Antique Mall and she found a new home in less than a week. The new owner has styled the piece perfectly in her space! Hope you enjoyed the makeover & there will be more to come soon! You can follow me on Instagram @amandasmercantile for behind the scenes on my stories!