DIY Dresser Makeover – Adding Color to the Entryway

An easy way to brighten any space is by adding some color. Here’s how we used green paint to add character to our entryway on an inexpensive DIY dresser makeover.

There are certain pieces of furniture in our home that I have decided I would never paint, just a few. I thought for the longest time that this dresser in our entryway was one of those pieces. Then we updated our flooring to a darker color and it just didn’t go anymore.

 

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So not only did the dresser not go anymore, it had years of wear and tear and really needed some love. The inside was not original and some of the drawer bottoms had been replaced.

 

 

Find more furniture makeovers here. 

 

 

When I was taking it apart though, I realized that the knobs were actually built in. They were actually made so that it screwed in by itself.  How cool is that?!?

 

 

My original plan was to just sand or strip it and do something super light like almost a bleached look against the dark floor but that just didn’t work out. For some reason still not known to me, I thought that it would sand easily with the palm sander and be this really pretty light wood color underneath. Neither of which was true. It was a bear to sand…

 

 

The only good thing was that clean up was easier without using the furniture stripper.

 

 

When to switch gears when you’re doing a furniture makeover.

Don’t feel bad, just alter your plan.  There are times when what you thought would look good, well,  just doesn’t. It’s the wrong color or size or shape. In this case, it was the wrong shade. It was just too light for the space and would have looked very stark against the new darker floor.  I could try to stain it again but I really had no idea what color would go with the floor and honestly, the wood was not in great shape. It was time to go with plan B which just happens to be one of the cheap ways to add color to a room.

I’ve always loved shades of blue/greens but lately I’ve been really into green. There is something about it that is just refreshing and timeless to me. I’ve painted several pieces so far in a blue/green shade like this buffet makeover and this DIY TV stand. I had some paint leftover so I decided to mix a bit together and give it a shot on this DIY dresser makeover.

I wanted the paint to be really dry and weathered at first so I didn’t use primer. I know that goes against what I said in the post on how to paint furniture for beginners but I wasn’t looking for that finished look.  Also, it’s a darker paint on a light wood and wanted it to be more random. Plus I decided to use a dark wax on top which would help emphasize and wood that was still exposed.

 

 

The paint actually went on better than I thought. It has a chalk paint feel and look and covered really well. Happy accidents, right?

I also decided to stain the top a mix of Honey and Dark Walnut from Minwax since they are my go to colors and I had them on hand. I think the stain mixes well with the shade of green and compliments the distressed areas I created by sanding the  edges of the drawers with the palm sander.

 

 

I dry brushed the knobs to let some of the wood show through. I also used a dark antiquing wax around the edges of the drawers to age it a bit so it gives it a more farmhouse dresser feel.

 

 

 

I love the green against the light walls and the way it contrasts with the white of the wainscoting. You can see the foyer update with the DIY board and batten here.

 

 

It also plays well with the dark floor and the sofa and ties in with the browns in the chair, ottoman and barn door.

 

 

The before and after DIY dresser makeover pictures are quite different. I loved the stained dresser when the space was right for it but needed something new when we updated the space.

 

 

There are plenty of DIY dresser makeover ideas out there. If at first you don’t succeed, don’t be afraid to try something new.

Happy DIY’ing,

Col

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