DIY Dresser Makeover: How to Make an Old Dresser Look Modern

If you have ever wanted to try a DIY dresser makeover, I’m sharing the easiest way to do it that comes out with amazing results.

This comes from a place of sentiment. You see, I had this dresser. It was large, sturdy, fit my clothes perfectly, and most importantly- was a family heirloom. It also was 1000% NOT my style. Instead of replacing it, I decided to give it a facelift, and I couldn’t be happier with the results! My hubs said it looks like something we could have bought from West Elm, which is the ultimate compliment IMO.

The first thing I did was scour Pinterest for bedroom mood inspiration. The style I was going for was a modern-boho-minimalist look (is that a thing?)

DIY Dresser Makeover Before & After

I started off with a dresser that was WELL LOVED. There were scratches, water stains, and loads of some reddish-brown poly-stain (probably very trendy for its time). Structurally I could have made changes to it such as removing the bottom detailing and swapping the legs for something more modern (check out my ideas below!). I still may in the future, but for now, it works!

The styling of it is the finishing touch! The original mirror had a lot of detailing that would not work with this style, so I opted for a simple round mirror similar to this one. Then, I repurposed things in my home to decorate it and added a simple sun palm bouquet as the finishing touch. LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! You can find pre-arranged palm bouquets on Etsy, or create your own with your favorite pieces like a sun palm, bunny tails, and pampas!

DIY Dresser Makeover Chalkpaint Recipe

This is my tried and true DIY chalk paint recipe. I love it so much because you have minimal surface prep! You can check out the results of this chalk paint recipe on our sideboard table!

For this project, I just lightly sanded areas that had deep scratches just enough to take away the sharpness of the scratch. Then I wiped it clean with a damp rag. When I said minimal prep I meant it! This recipe does not require you to sand your surface – even with high gloss surfaces, in my experience.

The paint is a mixture of 3 parts paint to 1 part plaster of paris, plus some warm water. To prepare the paint, mix the plaster of paris with enough warm water to make a thick pancake-batter-like consistency. Then add the paint and mix well. I like to make a note of the amounts I used in case I need to mix more.

Pin this chalk paint recipe for later!

I painted the dresser Black Magic by PPG (PPG1001-7) in eggshell finish. The color is just shy of a deep black but I would never call it grey.

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Keep in mind that whatever color you choose will end up drying slightly lighter because of the plaster of paris mixed in. Also, the sheen will be flatter. The eggshell finish became a matte finish – just beautiful! When I mixed it with flat paint it stayed flat. I have never tried this recipe with any glossier finished so can’t speak to that.

After the dresser was painted and dried, I rubbed on a wax to seal it in. I like to use a wax because it makes the furniture so durable without altering the finish or color of the paint. I used this S.C. Johnson one, but in the future, I might try something like this Beeswax one because it has a strong odor (although it fades quickly).

DIY Dresser Knobs

Originally I was going to replace the dresser hardware with some modern drawer pulls off amazon (I linked up a few of my faves below!) The problem was – the location of the holes didn’t match any of the options. That’s old furniture for ya! The first thing I tried was to spray paint the ones we had and you guys, it looked AWFUL!! I used a gold spray paint that has been a dream for other projects, but this one…not so much.

I also considered filling the holes that were there and creating new ones but we are talking 40 holes – way too daunting. Also, I had already painted so maybe I should have considered this first haha.

I had this idea to pull together wood and leather elements because that combo against black is the perfect mix of modern and boho. I enlisted the help of my very patient husband and I love how these came out!

100% transparent, this was probably the most complicated part of the whole project. I used a chop saw to cut wooden dowels, and then pulled out the ol’ sewing machine to stitch the leather pieces into tiny sleeves for the dowels. It would have been loads easier to just buy some.

DIY Dresser Knobs Supplies

Before you purchase your material, measure out the length you think you will need, then round up for mistakes if you’re like me. 🙂

• wooden dowels (I used these 3/4″ ones from Home Depot)
• fine grit sandpaper
• wood paste wax – I used this SC Johnson wax which worked great but was kinda smelly (the smell faded quick, but still). I just found this beeswax based one that looks like it should do the same job without the stink 🙂
• wood spacer beads. I used these 16 mm width ones from Amazon.
• screws. I used 1 1/2 in ones because of the depth of my dresser, but the best thing would be to measure it for your dresser. You need them long enough to go though the drawer front, spacer bead, and 1/4 to 1/2 way into the wooden dowel.
• fabric. I found a faux leather one at Joanns Fabric that looked great!

First, cut the dowels to your desired length. Mine are 3 3/4″ wide. Lightly sand the dowels to smooth any imperfections and then rub in the wax.

Mark where you want the screws to go and then measure the distance between them. This is the width your fabric wrap will be unless you are completely covering the handle.

Measure out the length and width each piece of fabric needs to be, and then cut it. Keep in mind that you need enough space for the fabric to wrap around the dowel and fit the stitched edge. I ended up measuring the circumference of the dowel and then adding a few millimeters for the fabric bulk.

Cut your fabric, fold in half with the pretty side in and stitch them together to make a cylinder. Turn it inside out (this took a little effort) and then slide it onto the dowel. Snip off any loose or messy parts.

I decided to pre-drill starter holes in the dowels to make them easier to attach. It also may have prevented any splitting of the dowels.

To put them together, Thread the screw through the drawer, through the wood bead, and into the dowel.

NOTE: I first tried to GLUE to fabric to the dowel but it didn’t work. Not sure if it was the type of fabric I was using (pretty thick) or the type of glue (heavy-duty craft glue).

Other Simple (& cheap!) DIY Ideas For Old Dressers

• Replace the hardware. Amazon has some affordable and cute options like these adorable leather pulls, these matte black handles, and these brushed gold handles.
• Switch out the legs. Some dresser legs can unscrew or are easy to have them cut off. Replace them with modern legs like these gold ones or these hairpin legs.
• Use a peel-and-stick wallpaper such as this one or this one to change the face of the drawers. This could be a fun option for a kids room!

So what do you think? Feeling inspired to do a little DIY makeover on some furniture? Make sure to tag me on IG so I can reshare your masterpiece 🙂

I put together a fun little reel of the before and after project. CLICK HERE to check it out!

Thank you so much for reading!

x, rae

Check out some of the latest items I’m shopping for home decor here!