Not all vintage dressers look old. If you are look for an old, worn, used look, this aged dresser makeover tutorial will help you achieve the look you are going for.
Do you like stories? I certainly do. And this aged dresser makeover came to our home through a fun little tale…
Last fall, I happened to drive past a rummage shop that closes for the cooler months. In front of the building was the ultimate junker’s favorite sign: FREE! Guys, I practically had a heart attack. Free is my middle name. Well, not really, but I’ve convinced my family that it is.
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Back to the story. I was in a hurry and didn’t have time to stop. I sped around and did my one errand and high-tailed it back to the free sign. Pulling into the parking lot, I spotted her…my dresser. I ran over to it as if I was racing another junker, but in reality, it was just me. alone. on a weekday morning. A quick look over of it and I was sold…err, convinced that she was perfect for my farmhouse.
THE BEFORE
That’s when the big question arose: how do I get it home in a 4 door car? I figured it would take me 2 trips, which wasn’t a big deal since I only live 10 minutes away. But what if someone else happened to stop by during that time? Oh, I know: I’ll take the drawers home first. No one wants a drawer-less dresser. I was able to get all 3 {paper and mouse dropping full} drawers into my car. That’s when I second-guessed myself. Maybe someone would take it without drawers. How do I move it away from the road? She’s a bit of a beast and way too heavy for me to move on my own. {I’ve been known to be a masterful dragger or pusher of furniture in a house, but moving furniture on grass is a different story.}
And then I noticed a car in the back of the parking lot and a door to the building ajar. Working up every last nerve within me, I headed over and found a man working in another business attached to the rummage store. I very sweetly asked if he had a moment to help me move a piece of furniture away from the road. Honestly, I think he was so stunned that he just went along with it. So, my new friend and I “hid” the dresser behind a tree. I scribbled a note with something about coming back for it in 15 minutes and using a tiny scrap of tape that I found in James’s car, attached the note to the dresser.
Zooming home, I removed the drawers, and grabbed my 12 year old son. We were back in no time and I was relieved that no one “stole” my dresser. And this is exactly when the comedy began. The two of us tried every angle possible, but the dresser was definitely not going to fit inside the trunk of a car…not even close. I quickly called my husband, who laughed at the desperation in my voice. He had the only way to get this baby home: my minivan. I made him swear on his dinner that he would swing by and pick up my dresser as soon as he could. You may know the end of the story by now: he did get there in time. {I’m sure my chicken scratched second note convinced all the people who tried to take it in the meantime.} Let’s just say that he is a good sport and must love me a lot to carry this beast on his own…in nice work clothing.
THE PROCESS
That was last October. And there she sat in my basement…until last week, when I was determined to conquer this makeover. The veneer on top gave me an incredibly tough time and added many hours to what I hoped would be a simple DIY aged dresser project.
It was a cold day working in my garage to chip away at the veneer and then to sand the top. I was relieved to bring the dresser inside the house to finish up this makeover. Did I mention that it was snowing when we carried it in?
After a thorough vacuuming and disinfecting, I got the surface that I would be painting ready by wiping it down with my Amy Howard at Home Clean Slate.
Now for the fun…painting! I chose the shade “Metropolitan Grey” from the Amy Howard at Home One Step Paint line. It is the lightest shade of grey possible. Honestly, it was closer to white than I imagined that it would be, but spoiler alert: it all works out in the end.
All of the work that I put into the top was so that I could create a clear difference between the top and the rest of the dresser. Kind of like I did with that blue dry brush dresser. {Click HERE for that makeover!} I love the contrast of a natural wood top and a painted base. Since this dresser will be in our dining room and used as a sideboard, with the very likely possibility of food and drinks on top, I sealed it with 3 coats of polyurethane. Another step closer with this DIY painted dresser!
After 3 coats of the One Step Paint on the base of the dresser, I was ready to try my hand at using “Dust of Ages.” Another spoiler alert: it was so much fun!
How to Use Dust of Ages for an Aged Look
1. Gather together: Light Antique Wax, 1″-1.5″ flat brush, cardboard, and Dust of Ages
2. Coat the brush with some of the light antique wax.
3. Off load some of the wax onto the cardboard by brushing from side to side. Insider tip: don’t skip this step. You won’t realize how much wax is on the brush until you off load some of it. Trust me, it’s better to have less and add more.
4. Going with the grain, cover the entire surface with the light antique wax.
{Please ignore my gross fingernails…this is what happens when you clean drawer pulls without wearing gloves…see below.}
5. Allow the surface to dry for at least 15 minutes.
6. Using the same wax brush, apply the Dust of Ages over the entire painted surface. If there are details on your piece, be sure to allow plenty of the dust to settle into the crevices. This was a super fun process, but there will be a slight mess. If you are working outside, great. If not, plan to do a quick vacuum of the area after your project is complete.
7. Go back over each surface with a lint-free cloth. Your goal is to buff the wax and work in the dust. This will rub off the excess dust and settle the gray tint into any crevices. At this point, you are adding charm and character to your DIY painted dresser.
8. If there are any areas that became too heavy with the Dust of Ages, simply use a clean lint-free cloth and rub a little light antique wax in those areas. Basically, the wax acts as an eraser.
One last detail of the dresser that needed attention were the drawer pulls. I thought that they were too far gone with all that rust. But, a very kind Instagram follower encouraged me to clean them up. And that is what I did.
In case you are wondering what it looks like behind the scenes:
AGED DRESSER AFTER
All this talk has finally brought us to the final reveal of this DIY painted dresser. She is standing proudly in our dining room at this very moment.
Is it okay if I give you a sneak peek of an upcoming project? Do you see our dining room table? It used to be in our homeschool room. Now it boasts a new leaf, no more veneer, and a thorough sanding. Stay tuned for it’s makeover coming soon!
And did you notice anything else new to the dining room? Eek! I am thrilled with our new rug. There was some drama about it being lost, then found, and then sent back to the store after using it for 24 hours. All of that is history now and makes for a {sort of} funny story. We love the warmth, texture, and coziness that it adds to our dining room. And personally, I think that it goes beautifully with this DIY painted dresser. {You can find this rug on Amazon, by clicking here.}
A few morals of this makeover:
don’t pass up free dressers
don’t judge a dresser by how many mice have lived in it
hard work makes one love the outcome even more
paint can fix most anything…especially my favorite One Step Paint
don’t be afraid to try a new technique because it might just be the perfect solution.
xo,
Leigh
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