Herringbone dresser upcycle

[TaylerMayd]

An old dresser upcycled with fresh paint and brass knobs, with the top drawer given a herringbone facade made from popsicle sticks.

• The project
• Steps
• Tools and materials
• Before and after
• More inspiration for your upcycling project

The project

This solid Pine dresser was coated in a thick red/brown varnish and was in desperate need of a makeover. I decided to freshen the piece up with a light colour and add a herringbone feature to the top drawer.

Steps

Step 1

First, I removed the existing hardware and gave the dresser a thorough clean using sugar soap. Then I removed the varnish from the top using my carbide scraper, before sanding with a Ryobi orbital sander. 

Step 2

After wiping clean, I primed the dresser using Taubmans 3 in 1 prep and painted using Dulux interior, in the colours Colorbond Dune and Natural White.

Step 3

For the top drawer, I used jumbo popsicle sticks to create a herringbone pattern, which I glued with Gorilla wood glue. Once dry, I used my Ryobi multi tool to cut the overhanging pop sticks, before sanding the top and edges smooth. I filled all gaps and edges with wood filler, sanding again once dry. I drilled new holes for the handles.

Step 4

I sealed all natural timber surfaces with Feast Watson liming white and the painted surfaces with Cabot's water-based polyurethane. 

Step 5

I used peel and stick wallpaper to line the drawers and finished off the dresser with new brass knobs.

Tools and materials

Materials used in the project:

• Sugar soap
  
  
• Taubmans 3-in-1 primer
  
  
• Dulux paint
  
  
• Gorilla wood glue
  
  
• Paint tape
  
  
• Jumbo pop sticks
  
  
• Wood filler
  
  
• Brass knobs
  
  
• Cabot's polyurethane
  
  
• Feast Watson liming white
  
  
• Peel and stick wallpaper.

Tools used in the project:

• Carbide scraper
  
  
• Ryobi orbital sander
  
  
• Sanding pads
  
  
• Drill
  
  
• Ryobi multi-function tool
  
  
• Paint brushes
  
  
• Roller
  
  
• Sponges.

Before and after

More inspiration for your upcycling project

Workshop member Claire fashioned this upcycled sideboard using new handles, paint and vinyl inserts.

Community member Lorena used a water-based stain in her upcycled buffet project. 

For more great ideas, check out our collection of Upcycled buffets by clever and creative Bunnings Workshop community members.