There is nothing like a Covid-19 lockdown and some sunshine to force you to upcycle your bedside tables that you’ve owned for approx. 6 years. Yes, I have put off this job for 6 years.
When we bought these from a neighbour for an absolute snip I was crazy excited to get started but you know, life happens, you move house 4 times and the exciting upcycling just keeps being put on the backburner.
But no more could I deal with the not so chic and very shabby look of these drawers.
You can see process pics on my instagram here
How to upcycle a pine chest of drawers (or any pine furniture!)
A step-by-step guide
What do you need:
- Sugar Soap & A soft cloth
- Sandpaper & mask: there is a couple options here. I had a fine & course finish sanding block knocking about in the shed. Alternatively, a 80 grit sandpaper & 220 grit will do the job
- A foam roller & Paint brush
- Wood primer paint (if applicable, see step Four)
- Furniture Paint in your chosen colour
- Clear varnish & suitable brush
Step One: Plan!
Have a look at your set up, your room and what you want them to look like.
Get on Pinterest and pick out what you do and don’t like and make a definite plan in your head. Lots of bloggers will give you the names of colours, varnishes & handles which makes this super easy.
But also think practically, is a light colour going to work for you?! Have you got the patience to prep and paint the whole thing? How is it going to wear?
For us; I have two small dogs who have no respect for any piece of furniture I own. They rub up the sides, climb over the top and the worst part is; one of them has been known to chew. So I settled on:
. Keeping the top plain, sanded & varnished. So, in the future its easy to wipe down, re-sand if necessary. I painted all of my dressing table in the same dark paint and it hasn’t worn very well at all – so I’ve learnt the hard way; keep it simple because furniture maintenance is not my friend.
. Keep the rest of it a dark colour. I love dark coloured furniture and it fit with the rest of our room.
Step Two: Sand
Using the course side of the sanding block sand every area of the drawers. To make things easier I removed the handles and sanded these separately.
This is going to produce a lot of dust so wear a face mask and if you need to do this inside cover your floor and any other surfaces with a dust sheet.
Step Three: Clean & Prep
Wipe over everywhere with a soft cloth and some diluted sugar soap.
*if you don’t have sugar soap you can use a very small amount of fairy liquid with some water. At times like this, use whatever you can, you will get the same result. And use a tea-towel!
I applied tape to the top edges to keep the table top free of paint as I am keeping this bit plain
Step Four: Paint
Although I used furniture paint it did require a base coat. Not all furniture paints need this. Frenchic paint allows you to paint straight onto a prepped surface, in loads of beautiful colours.
I opted for Valspar in Inky Prose
I used a paint brush to apply both the undercoat & final colour and went over the whole thing with a foam roller. This ensured a smart smooth, fairly matte finish. It also allowed me to clean up any brush stroked and drips.
Step Five: Light Sand
Yep, the sanding again. In my opinion this is the worst part but so worth it.
I just sandied the final coat of my undercoat and then before I applied my final coat of colour.
I’m pretty sure there are hardcore furniture upcyclers out there that would shudder at my lack of sanding but honestly, I’m a lazy upcycler!
Step Six: Varnish
I used the only varnish I had knocking about the shed which was Ronseal in Pearwood for the tops. And it looks ace! Without sounding like an AD, do exactly what it says on the tin and you’re done!
Step Seven: Finish
I am determined I would like new handles but I’m a touchy-feely kind of shopper and I want to wait until lock down is over before I pick any but I am pretty happy with the result!
But these steps can be used to upcycle any Pine furniture so the world really is your oyster.
I’d love to see all of your up-cycled furniture!
Thanks for reading & good luck!
Hannah
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