At the beginning of the year, I decided that my New Year’s resolution would be to become more DIY-orientated. I started my first project in January which was painting the bedroom. I also replaced the bathroom door handles and lock which was a challenge! In March, I decided that I wanted to refresh a large chest of drawers so keep reading to see how successful I was in repainting an old chest of drawers!
Before and After I painted the bedroom!
Repainting an old chest of drawers!
I want to talk a little bit about what I did but I ALSO DID IT WRONG. So please don’t take this post as a tutorial. This is more of a before and after and how not to paint drawers.
The before shot!
The drawers are still in excellent condition (although one drawer needs a bit of glue on it). I just felt like the wood colour was a bit dark and they needed modernising. I’m a big believer in polishing up what you already have rather than buying new so this was an exciting task for me.
What I used:
– fine sand paper
– a duster
– emulsion paint – DO NOT USE EMULSION PAINT
– Dulux Quick dry Satinwood ‘Polished Pebble’
– wide paint brush
– thin paint brush
– small roller paint brush
– paint tray
Let’s talk quickly about the paint mistake I made. Before I started this project, I discussed with my Grandad about what paint I needed. He told me that I could “use any paint”. Now. Being the DIY expert that he is, he assumed I would understand that he meant I could use any paint that is appropriate for interior wood. I, being the beginner that I am, took this as literally any paint.
So, naturally I went to the store, picked the colour I liked best and started painting the wood. It wasn’t until I had coated the entire chest of drawers TWICE that I was told that emulsion paint was not appropriate.
Anyway, long story short, I had to go back and buy the right paint and do another two coats on the drawers.
How I repainted the drawers:
I started by using the fine sandpaper and sanding down all the surfaces that I wanted to paint. When I had finished sanding, I got my duster and removed all the shavings.
Then I started to paint. I used the thin brush for smaller, hard to reach areas and the wide brush for large areas. For my top coat, I used a roller brush on the larger areas to give a smoother finish.
And that’s it. Seriously, that’s all I did. I gave it lots of time to dry before moving it back into the bedroom and putting clothes in it. Maybe there’s a more professional way of doing it, I don’t know. But this worked for me and I bet if I hadn’t bought the wrong paint, I could have finished this project in 2 days.
What do you think? Not bad for a beginner, right?
I think they look really modern and help to brighten up the room. If you’re thinking about changing your furniture, have a look at what you already own. Can it be re-vamped to feel fresher to avoid buying something new? Not only will you save yourself money, but you’re also reducing your impact as a consumer. Plus, changing up your environment can help to reduce anxiety when life gets stressful .
Take a Paws and tell me:
What do you think of my repainting an old chest of drawers project?
I hadn’t seen the before and after pics of your bedroom together but the paint improved it so much!! I’ve always wanted to try be more DIY-orientated and now is the perfect time! (I’m hoping to record a video of my tie dying next week)
Ahhh thank you! I felt so much better once the bedroom had been completed. I was feeling a lot of anxiety and painting it really improved my mood! Looking forward to seeing the tie dying!
I LOVE the outcome, it’s amazing what a lick of paint can do to change a room and furniture! Looks like you did a great job, despite the paint mishap at the start 😂 I much prefer the idea of second hand furniture and doing it up all pretty than buying new sometimes
Thank you! The colour was a bit lighter than what we were going for but I love it nonetheless!