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An easy DIY wood dresser makeover to make it look like driftwood. The perfect way to upcycle an old dresser with good bones to make it into a piece of furniture that can be in your family for a long time to come. Learn just how to refinish a dresser on your own!
I searched and searched for a dresser to add to our nursery that could be a piece that Ruby could use for years to come. I found the perfect one on Facebook Marketplace for $130. I had an idea of how I wanted it to look and the bones were exactly what I imagined. An hour drive away with our pickup truck, cash in hand, we had a (new to us) dresser! Isn’t it beautiful?
The starting point was very orange and dark. It was missing a knob but was in otherwise great shape. I knew this would be a piece of furniture I could keep for many years, eventually passing it down.
Furniture Makeover: How To Refinish A Dresser
- Start by taking all of the drawers out, knobs off, and then sanding. I used an orbital sander with 150 grit sandpaper to initial sand down the dresser and get rid of the orange stain. Then, I did the frame, sides, top, and then moved on to the drawer fronts and sides.
- After sanding it down to it’s bones, I took the orbital sander to it with 400 grit sandpaper to really smooth it out.
- Finally, it was the perfect color! A light and pretty driftwood shade of wood. I loved it but knew I needed to seal it since it would be used as a changing table for our daughter too. So I used a thin coat of the water based Amy Howard Matte Sealer. It did make the dresser a little bit darker overall so I very lightly sanded over to sealer to lighten it.
It was as easy as 1-2-3 with this dresser makeover. I didn’t use any fancy stains or paints. It was a lot of work sanding the entire dresser, especially while pregnant, but well worth it. If it wasn’t missing a knob, I would have used the original knobs but I had to replace them. It worked out though because I found the cutest white seashell knobs to really finish the piece off and match the theme of the room.
If you’re wanting to refinish a dresser or piece of wood furniture like I did, here are all the materials you will need:
Materials Needed To Refinish
- Orbital Sander
- 150 Grit Sandpaper
- 400 Grit Sandpaper
- Amy Howard Matte Sealer
- Cloth (to wipe the debris away)
- Paint Brush (to apply the sealer)
- New Knobs (I used these seashell knobs!)
- Mask & Safety Glasses (sanding gets messy!)
Shop: Seashell Knobs, Changing Basket, Seashell Light
The finished dresser is just a shade darker than the color of it sanded. It was hard to get the true color to show up in photos. Also, the pictures taken after sanding were in bright natural light in our garage, the dresser sits in a room with not a lot of natural light. It turned out beautiful and I would definitely do it again!
If you’re wanting a totally different look, check out my grey wood stain tutorial. It would be beautiful on a dresser!
Did this come with the roller thingies that slow the drawers to smoothly roll open and shut? The dresser I refinished did not and I need to find some.
It did. I have another dresser that does not have the rollers, it’s just on a wood slide. I bet you could find some roller things on Amazon!
Where did you buy the flat looking basket you used for the changing table??
Amazon! Here is a link to one: https://rstyle.me/+24cnUVvePaDtX8u0Ec2YYw