Upcycled chest of drawers

[JoeAzza]

An old chest of drawers sanded back, the rails replaced and then painted in satin black and coated in varnish.

• The project
• Steps
• Tools and materials
• Before and after
• How to upcycle a chest of drawers
• More inspiration for your upcycling project

The project

I had this old chest of drawers that needed repair. It was difficult to pull out the drawers. They were always getting jammed. Upon further investigation, I found that the drawer rails were worn out, so I decided to replace and/or invert the worn rails.

The drawers were also worn out. Instead of adding timber to replace the worn-out section of the drawers, I had some old salvaged Pine drawers that I used to replace the worn-out drawers. I am very happy with the results. I now learnt that you need to lubricate the timber rails to prevent the rails wearing out. I used wax paste.

Steps

Step 1

Remove old drawer fittings.

Replace all worn out drawer rails.

Replace worn out drawer sides.

Remove and refit backing board.

Make up and install a new kick rail.

Step 2

Sand the top of the chest of drawers until back to bare wood to prepare for staining. Sand and patch the rest of the unit to prepare for painting.

Step 3

Mask and paint satin black - three coats using the brush and 4mm nap roller.

Step 4

Stain the top of the unit. I used four coats to obtain the colour I wanted, then two coats of clear coat, water based varnish.

Step 5

Install new knobs.

Tools and materials

Materials used in the project:

• Secondhand recycled timber for drawers
  
  
• 50mm x 19mm DAR Pine for rails
  
  
• 65mm x 19mm DAR Pine for new base
  
  
• Wood glue
  
  
• Countersunk screws
  
  
• Nails
  
  
• Wood filler
  
  
• Black satin paint
  
  
• Cedar water based stain 
  
  
• New drawer knobs - gold colour
  
  
• Clear coat satin varnish
  
  
• Homemade wax paste (Beeswax and coconut oil mixture).

Tools used in the project:

• 80, 120, 240 grit sandpaper
  
  
• 150mm sander
  
  
• 125mm sander
  
  
• Mitre saw
  
  
• Router 
  
  
• Router bit
  
  
• Screwdriver
  
  
• 4mm nap mini roller
  
  
• Small paint brush.

Before and after

How to upcycle a chest of drawers

Upcycling your chest of drawers can be a simple and cost-effective way to make it more stylish and functional. Experienced community member Claire shares step-by-step advice in How to upcycle a chest of drawers.

  

More inspiration for your upcycling project

Community member Athena used rattan and fresh paint on her upcycled bedside drawers.

Workshop member Cooney09 used cloud-shaped handles on their upcycled drawers for the nursery.

Our collection of Upcycled bedside drawers and tables has more ideas from Bunnings Workshop community members.