Five drawer upcycled chest

[JoeAzza]

I have just finished upcycling this chest of drawers, that I got from a neighbor in my area.

Here is a before photo. It looked in good condition, however, all the drawer bottoms were all out of shape, so it wasn't just a matter of sand and paint, I had to replace all the drawer bottoms with new 3mm mdf board, all screwed in place instead of staples, the larger bottom drawer was made of chipboard, I replaced it with new 12mm pine board and mdf base.

I painted the unit with a satin finish, the top was finished in the same colour that was watered down and wiped on with a sponge, then 3 coats of satin waterbased varnish.

I also patched up the original holes that had timber knobs

Remove deformed drawer bottom boards

Remove chipboard from large drawer

Remove all old drawer bottoms

Remove chipboard drawers, these were glued on, I had to chisel off the old chipboard , then sand flat

Bowed drawer bottoms, replaced with 3mm mdf board

Used heat gun to remove old drawer knobs, later I found that it was easier to tap the knob with a hammer, by hitting it side to side, these came off a lot easier than I expected.

Plug knob holes with glue and 12mm timber dowel cut and sanded flat ( sorry I had no photo of finished dowel)

Make up drawers for bottom drawers, 12mm dar pine

Sand all over

Paint 3 coats of satin paint

Top was fully sanded back, I was just going to finish in clear coat, but decided to water down some paint and coated the top with a sponge, then 3 coats of waterbased satin varnish to give a washed effect allowing the grain to show through

Grain showing through paintwork 

New knobs installed.

Another job finished,now what to do with this unit.

Materials

Tools used

• Various Sandpaper, 80, 120, 240 grit
• Orbital sanders, 150mm and 125mm
• 4mm nap roller
• Small paint brush
• Table saw
• Mitre Saw
• Philips head screwdriver
• Various clamps
• Heat gun
• Hammer and chisel
•  

Tools

Materials

• 3mm mdf board
• 12mm x 120mm DAR pine
• 6g countersunk screws, 12mm and 25 mm
• 1 ltr Satin paint. Dulux - Beige Calm
• Clear varnish satin
• Drawer knobs
• 12mm dowel to plug up knob hole
• Drill to suit knob screws

[MitchellMc]

Lovely work @JoeAzza! You've added many years' worth of useful life to this unit and no doubt saved it from heading to landfill. I trust you are pleased with the results, as the unit now looks fantastic.

Many thanks for sharing.

Mitchell

[Tyro]

What a great job @JoeAzza !  I bet your neighbour wouldn't mind getting it back off you now that you've got it looking so good!  Congratulations!  👏⭐

[JoeAzza]

Thank you @Tyro and @MitchellMc 

the neighbour has now moved on to a retirement home, her daughter was cleaning out the house, all of the furniture was going to the local top, I was lucky to get this plus another chest of drawers and bedside table.

[Tyro]

What a great save @JoeAzza !

Have you upcycled the other drawer units in the same style?

[Tinker_Bell]

Another great upcycle piece @JoeAzza! You should be very proud of your thrifty work. Haha I agree with @Tyro, your neighbour will probably love its gorgeous transformation. I am sure it's going to find a perfect home and get styled beautifully. 

Tinker_Bell

[JoeAzza]

@Tyro Thankyou 

not yet, net job , these will be on black satin and natural top

[Tyro]

That sounds like such a great look @JoeAzza !

Do make sure you share your pics so I can drool,  and dream of attaining that level of diy-ing! 😁