Upcycled drawers with D.I.Y. chalk paint

[daniknight4]

My twirly drawers now have a new lease on life and a new home.

Giving new life to an old, well used and seemingly unsalvageable piece of furniture is not only rewarding, but also profitable. I bought these twirly drawers from the Facebook Marketplace for $10, but when I got them home and had a good look at them, I knew this project would be a challenge... and it certainly was. From sanding back the ink-stained top to filling, refilling the dents and scratches and making and applying my own chalk paint out of a $3.95 mistint jar of Taubmans paint then whitewashing and waxing, the result was worth it! You can watch the whole grueling but rewarding process here😁 >>

Materials

Old set of drawers

Sugarsoap Selleys 1L Wall Surface Cleaner Super Concentrate Sugar Soap - Bunnings Australia

500ml Taubmans mistint sample pot Taubmans 500ml Accent Sample Pot - Bunnings Australia

Baby talcum powder

Mont Marte Acrylic Flow Medium

Timbermate wood filler Timbermate 250g White Wood Filler - Bunnings Australia

Plastic Cement wood filler Selleys 50g Maple Plastic Wood - Bunnings Australia

Glitz Beeswax Glitz 200g Beeswax Polish - Bunnings Australia

Kmart Drawer Knobs

Kmart Wallpaper

Surface Gard Adhesive Pads Surface Gard Assorted Eva Pads - 56 Pieces - Bunnings Australia

Tools

Paintbrushes

Sander/sandpaper

Staplegun

Dishcloths

Steps

Step 1

These twirly drawers had definitely seen better days but I knew they were solid and extra beautiful quality so it would be worth the effort.

Step 2

The first challenge was to sand all of the ink from the top and then navigate around the lip. It was too large to sand down into a neat curve so I had to hand sand around the edge until I was happy with the result.

Step 3

This little guy had been battered and bruised so I filled up the holes and dints then after sanding it, gave it a good clean inside and out.

Step 4

Whenever my husband and I visit Bunnings, he goes to the mowing section and I head straight to the paint section, namely the mistint table:) I was lucky to find this jar for $3.95. It was a very dark blue and it's a color I had always wanted to try so I was really pleased.Here I also added an acrylic flow medium which is added to paint to make it flow further. It also increases the drying time which helps paint to dry more evenly and have less brush strokes.

Step 5

I love making my own chalkpaint out of 2 parts paint and 1 part talcum powder. It goes on so easily with great coverage and sands in between coats to a really smooth finish. You can also add a bit of water to it or lightly mist you furniture with a spray bottle before applying it if you think it's too thick. But there was also another reason I used it for this project.

Step 6

And that reason was, the original timber filler I used to fill up the marks and dents seemed to come out after I had put on the first coat of paint. I decided to go back to Bunnings and get some stronger wood filler. I thought Selleys Plastic Cement sounded strong so I refilled ALL of the dents and proceeded to resand.

Step 7

I proceeded to finish painting the whole piece, I gave it 4 coats in total as I never used a primer. One because I had sanded the crap out of it:) so there was a lot for the paint to stick too. Another reason was my paint was dark in color and so would not show up the wood as easily as if I had used a light color paint.

Step 8

I was lucky enough to have been in the right place at the right time and I bought a 10 metre roll of wallpaper from Kmart for only $10. I used this to line the drawers as there was a bit of damage to the inside. I also painted the sides of the drawers to create a more uniform and complete finish.Kmart had their drawer knobs reduced so again I was able to pick up a bargain. These were $2 a packet so $1 each knob. As I hadn't filled in the holes because I thought I was going to replace the old knobs - I changed my mind - I decided to put a single knob in each hole. I thought it was an original touch.

Step 9

I used watered down plain white Taubmans paint to create a simple whitewash for the top. After wiping down the first coat I decided I wanted it a bit lighter so I did another coat but not before sanding in between.

Step 10

The last step was waxing the entire piece including the top with Glitz beeswax. I love this finish as it not only protects but enhances the overall appearance, plus it's easy, enjoyable and rewarding to apply:)The final result was all well worth the effort.

[Marty_greenshed]

Hi @daniknight4 ,

Wow, that looks fantastic!  Well done!

I never knew that's how you make chalk paint!  So many great tips and tricks in that post!

Can't believe the transformation

Cheers

Marty

[daniknight4]

Thanks @Marty_greenshed 

It was an experience that's for sure!😂

[sandy_d]

Hello @daniknight4 

I am sooo in love with this piece! It’s so delicate and just beautiful! 
I really admire your post, not just for the level of detail, but for your honesty when up-cycling. I hope people starting out know that there are issues that do arise but not to be discouraged if they do. 

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us all and best of luck with your with D.I.Y entry 

Sandy 

[daniknight4]

Thank you so much😊 @sandy_d 

[MitchellMc]

What a truly lovely unit, @daniknight4! You've done a sensational job of restoring new life into an aged piece. I love the colour you created, and the dual handles were a nice touch and a huge timesaver.

Many thanks for sharing your project and the steps, tools and materials required to achieve a similar result.

Mitchell

[daniknight4]

Thank you @MitchellMc 😊

[DIY4Knuckleheds]

Very nicely done 👍 Love the colour 👍😁