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An old cabinet sanded back, its slats replaced with MDF board, coated with homemade whitewash and drawer fronts decorated with dowel.
The project
When I got this piece it didn’t look too bad but it was so dirty and smelly.
I wanted a raw timber top, so I sanded that down to raw timber before mixing my own whitewash together using 50 percent water and 50 percent white paint. I brushed that on, wiping any excess off with a cotton cloth.
I removed the back and replaced it with 10mm MDF from Bunnings.
I cleaned and scrubbed the whole piece down multiple times, using a range of cleaning solutions including vinegar. The Ryobi cleaning drill brush set was a big help for this. Next, I filled in any dents or scratches with wood filler, waited for it to dry and sanded it down. Moving onto the body, I gave it a scuff sand using 120 grit Diablo sandpaper.
Later, I sealed the top with British Paints one coat clear. Now the fun part - I bought some cover stripping from Bunnings and cut them to length to frame the drawers up. I glued and nailed them down. I wasn’t a fan of the door slats and didn’t want to deal with the pain of painting them, so I kicked them out and replaced them with a weave textured paintable wallpaper that I glued down to 10mm MDF and stapled to the back of the door.
I had bought some dowels from Bunnings and I cut them down to size and then used Gorilla wood glue to glue them on the framed front of the drawers. This took longer than I’d care to admit.
I taped around the edge of the top with masking tape to protect it when I primed and painted. I used frog tape on the legs to add some paint detail. I used Dulux’s precision maximum adhesion primer. Next I painted the colour on, Melange ONE's Knapsack Khaki.
The next step was to stencil the sides of the drawers for a pleasant surprise when the drawers were opened.
Lastly, I drilled the holes for the new hardware I’d bought from Bunnings and attached it to complete the look.
Before and after
How to upcycle a bedside cabinet
Bunnings resident D.I.Y. expert Mitchell has provided a step-by-step guide on How to upcycle a bedside cabinet and included a helpful list of tools and materials needed.
More inspiration for your upcycling project
Community member Sandy upcycled drawers from a baby change table.
Workshop member AthenaGeorgia upcycled bedside drawers which feature fresh paint and rattan, plus new legs and knobs.
Get more inspiration from Bunnings Workshop community members in our collection of Upcycled buffets.
