Upcycled chest of drawers with stencilled paintwork

[Oddchair22]

Stencilled paintwork gives this upcycled chest of drawers and wall mirror a stunning new look.

• The project
• How to upcycle furniture
• More upcycling inspiration

The project

I was gifted an old set of drawers that needed a lot of love. 

I cleaned the drawers and then sprayed them with two coats of British Paints Prep 4 in 1 primer  followed by three coats of The Vintage Bird's furniture paint in Black Cat. I left the paint to dry for three days then did the patterns using stencils and British Paints Infinity White. I sealed it with two coats of hemp oil.

I replaced the drawer handles with handles from an old dresser that I had spray-painted white. 

The mirror is over 100 years old and I thought it would match well with the drawers. I wanted to pair them as a hallway feature.

I gave the mirror two coats of Zinsser B.I.N. primer, then repeated the process I had used with the drawers: three coats of Black Cat, the stencilling in Infinity White, then two coats of hemp oil.

The stencilling was a very tedious process but it was worth it!

How to upcycle furniture

Resident D.I.Y. expert MitchellMc has put together this simple step-by-step guide to updating a bedside cabinet with paint and varnish.

More upcycling inspiration

Upcycling furniture is an easy and affordable way of creating unique or up-to-date pieces for your home and keeping them functional for years to come. 

Bunnings Workshop members have shared plenty of terrific furniture upcycling projects. You can check out some of our favourites in our collections of Upcycled buffets and Upcycled bedside drawers and tables.

Let us know if you need a hand with your own upcycling project – we're here to help.

[MikeTNZ]

Hi @Oddchair22,

My God that is such a nice renovation on that furniture!

I particularly like the contrast between the background and the white embellishments.

Top work!

Cheers,

Mike T.

[Ren_B]

Hi!
I have a similar project that is 60% finished 😂

I am curious, how did you manage to get the stencils flush with the surface to allow for the clean edges? 
I tried the adhesive spray on a test patch but as I am using chalk paint, the adhesive left residue behind so I ended up not using it. So I have ended up with not clear edges on the stencilling. Also gave up half way so never sealed it... there are scuff marks and it is dirty...so it needs a bit of work! 🙈
 

I left the stencils between some books to flatten it out first, attached them to the surface with painters tape, then used sponges to dab on the stencil paint (very little paint on the sponge) - what method did you use? 

Would you recommend sanding back and starting again?

Thanks in advance 😄

[EricL]

Hello @Ren_B 

Let me tag @Oddchair22 to make them aware of your question. Your stencil work actually looks great, might need a little touch up at the top drawer but otherwise looks good. I've only ever tried this once and I know that the stencil has to be totally flat with no corners lifting up otherwise you get bleeding and smudging. 

If you're planning to leave the original finish of the cabinet on, I propose just fixing the errors on the stencil. But if you are doing a complete upcycle then it will be necessary to sand the drawer front again.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Oddchair22]

Hello,

thank you everyone for the lovely comments, @Ren_B 

when I apply my stencils I will firstly place them down flat in the area I wan to stencil I then use masking tape to tape all the way around

 the stencil so it will not move.

I place a small amount of my paint in a plastic plate and I use stencil brushed monte marte brand and then I dab a small amount of paint and brush it off on plate and then I dab on to stencil area and I do this in circular motions.

The trick so you don’t get bleeding under the stencil is to have your brush almost dry of paint to give you a flawless finish with very nice clean and sharp edges.

it does take practise and I used to get old pieces of wood board and practise stenciling these until I was happy with the final result and then I applied it to my piece.

hope this help let me know if you need any more helpful tips 

[MitchellMc]

Thanks for the tips, @Oddchair22, and congrats on a fabulous project.

Here is a technique that I'd like to run by you; I'm keen to hear if you've tried it. So, once you've placed your stencil down, you take the base colour and do a stipple coat over the edges of the stencil. If it does bleed through, it's the same colour as the base coat and can't be seen. This effectively seals the edge and, once it's semi-dry, prevents your actual stencil colour from being able to bleed under the edges. I haven't had a chance to try this, but it looks like it works exceptionally well. My only concern is I like to take my taped edges or stencil off before the paint has had a chance to cure and skin over. Allowing that first base coat to dry could cause issues. 

The stippling technique with the tip of my brush pushing down instead of stroking seems to work quite well, so I've been hesitant to try something different. Interesting nonetheless, though.

Mitchell

[Oddchair22]

@MitchellMc  Seems like a good technique however I’ve not tired it.

I haven’t had any issues with paint peeling with masking tape. Once my piece is painted I apply satin finish clear varnish and allow it to dry and cure for a couple of days before I apply the stencil then I find the tape will peel off perfectly.

Also yes, when using the stencil brush I prefer to bad in an up and down motion rather than brushing side to side this technique also is better and avoids bleeding on the sides of the stencil. Also a small amount of paint goes a long way 😁

[Oddchair22]

@MitchellMc my favourite varnish is the Timber protect  One Coat Clear satin finish varnish or Pureco Hemp oil.

 I find that using either of these to finishes will provide a lovely surface when applying your stencil work.

I have also used stencils on linen and cotton used for cushion covers.