If you are living your life without a dresser, then you are either a devout minimalist (congratulations), or you have a messy secret in your closet. With zillions of bedrooms around the wold housing dressers, there is no reason why we should share our sleep space with such giant uninspiring pieces of furniture. You may think I am being a bit dramatic, but this DIY stenciled dresser makeover has all the drama. I’ll show you how to take your dresser up a notch with a fun stencil.
Ugly and Abandoned Dresser
I came across this ugly duckling at the furniture graveyard. Some may prefer to call it the thrift store. Because of its vintage charm and solid wood sturdy stature, I decided to bring it home. However, it didn’t really have any features that were working for it. This hideous beast was basically asking to be stenciled.
As always, the first step was sanding. I sanded until all of the old finish was removed to make a clean slate for staining. I rubbed some Weathered Gray stain by Varathane over the entire dresser and drawer fronts.
Tip: Don’t paint the body of the drawers because this could make them stick and they will become difficult to open. Only paint the drawer face.
Whitewash
To get a more realistic weathered wood look, I opted to do a white wash over the gray stain. My whitewash ratio was 2 parts water to 1 part paint.
Here I learned, for the millionth time, that less is more. I ended up with a blotchy white effect because my whitewash too thick. Don’t be like me. Start with a very thin whitewash and either add layers or paint until you reach your desired coverage. I prefer to paint the whitewash on, and then wipe off the excess with a clean rag. Much like you would do with stain.
Using a fine grit sandpaper, I went over the entire surface until I had achieved the desired weathered wood look. The white paint settles in the grain much like real weathered wood.
White wax or liming wax can also help achieve this look. These options would be great if you didn’t want to fiddle with the whitewash.
Let the Stencil Makeover Begin
I pressed on with the vision, and went to stencil town. Using a herringbone stencil like this one, I rolled white paint over all of the the drawer faces.
The key to a no bleed stencil look, is using as little paint as possible. Wipe all the excess paint off the roller before going over the stencil. Also, avoid using the little dabby sponge tools. These are a trap and don’t work.
Being a sandpaper addict, I did slightly distress the stenciled drawers. Nothing can be too perfect, right…?
Seal the Deal
It’s always a good idea to seal painted furniture. My favorite go-to sealer is water based polycrylic. With a crystal clear finish, it’s especially great for white furniture makeovers. Just brush on the sealer following the grain of the wood.
The original hardware was in great condition. I’m no metal expert, but the pulls appear to be solid brass. The aged patina matched the distressed vibe of the dresser makeover as well.
Finished Stenciled Dresser Makeover
As a last minute decision, I opted to paint all the little details and top of the dresser white. The sides got to keep their weathered wood look.
I learned a lot about using stencils in this project. I will probably need to post a whole tutorial and complete another project with my new found knowledge.
Being that this dresser was a bit of a funky design, I wasn’t sure how well it would sell. However, I had multiple offers within one day of posting. I’m definitely going to keep experimenting with stencils and including them in future projects.
See you in stencil town! Enjoy!
Check out the Dresser Makeover video tutorial here!
Find More Furniture Makeover Inspiration Here!
