How to Fix and Update an Old Dresser

Sheraton four drawer, bow front chest of drawers with cookie corner top - Cristina Garay

Giving a brand-new look to this old dresser was a job that I kept postponing until I couldn't delay it any longer.

The good news: It's done, and I love the outcome.

It was exactly three years ago when I found this dresser at our local flea market. Its price: $30.

An excellent price for a piece of furniture that looked pretty good, isn't it?

The picture below is how the dresser looked when I finally dug it up from underneath all the crap I had in the garage. As I usually say, it was the elephant in the room because, during the entire garage renovation, it stayed there. I didn't know what to do with it.

When I was about to finish the garage floor, I sent it to the basement, where it stayed gathering dust until a couple of weeks ago.

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Sheraton four drawer, bow front chest of drawers with cookie corner top

Well, don't you love it when someone gives you that little push to go and tackle something you've been putting off?

Yep. That someone was my friend Nicole from Designing Vintage Living - Along with four more blogging friends. We came together to update an old piece of furniture in two weeks (#2wkfurnitureflip). At the end of this post, I'll give you the links to visit my friend's furniture flips.

This is a lengthy post featuring numerous pictures. Please take a seat, grab a cup of coffee, and let me show you how to transform an old dresser into a masterpiece.

My research led me to realize that this might be a Sheraton four-drawer, bow-front chest of drawers with a cookie corner-top. There is a plaque inside the top drawer that says: "The Morganton Collection"- probably from the 1940s-50s

Upon closer inspection, the following was the hard truth, its flaws:

The veneer was peeling off in many areas of the drawers.
The top had plenty of scratches and stains.
There were a few areas where the little moldings were missing.
As with most old furniture, this one also had the musty odor that's so typical of these pieces.
The drawers kept going too far inside the cabinet.
However, the most significant trouble was the enormous gap between the side-front of the drawers and the main cabinet; it felt loose.

1. FIX ANY STRUCTURAL ISSUES THE PIECE OF FURNITURE MIGHT HAVE

The first task is to address structural problems, because no matter how you complete your piece, it won't look good if there's damage to its form. Ensure it's not wobbly and the drawers close smoothly.

There was a big gap between the shelves in the drawers and the cabinet. I resolved this issue by driving a couple of screws underneath each shelf to secure them firmly to the sides of the dresser.

The tool that worked perfectly for this task was the Kreg Jig R3; its small size was perfect to mount it on each shelf, drill the holes, and then drive a couple of 1-1/4" screws into the side of each shelf.

| Kreg Jig R3 | Screws | Clamp |

Then, it was time to fix the drawer situation. Look how far inside the cabinet those drawers were getting!

The problem was that some of the stoppers were loose, but many were missing. I used one of the loose stoppers as a guide to cut a few more. They were small pieces of 1/2" square dowels. Remember that the length of those stoppers is determined by how far back you want the drawers inside the cabinet.

Before gluing the stoppers in place, I drew a small hole with a drill bit & marked it with a Sharpie on the back of the cabinet. That was going to be the location to drive a couple of nails to keep the stoppers from moving later on.

| Makita Cordless Impact Driver | Drill Bit |

I used wood glue to set those stoppers in place. Then, the following day, a couple of 3/4" brad nails were driven on the marked spots to further secure them.

| Titebond Wood Glue | Ryobi Brad Nailer |

2. REPAIRING COSMETIC DAMAGE

Fill holes and cracks with wood filler. I used Dixie Belle Mud in brown, but it is also available in white. It's very easy to use, dries fast, and can also be used to create raised stenciling effects. Here on the dresser, I also used it to fix the small sections of missing moldings.

| Dixie Belle Mud in brown | Putty Knife |

3. SAND & CLEAN ALL SURFACES VERY WELL

I gave the entire cabinet and drawers a good sanding. In some areas, the stain was removed, although it wasn't a necessity because I was going to paint it. It felt very smooth.

Then, I went all around the dresser with my shop vac to get rid of dust, spider webs, and everything in between.

The final step was to use a tack cloth to remove any remaining dust particles.

| Ridgid Wet/Dry Vac | Tack Cloth |

4. APPLY A BLOCKER

Do as I say, not as I do.

Here, I went ahead and began painting the dresser/cabinet, which was a big mistake without first applying a blocker! 🙈

| Dixie Belle Silk Paint - Salt Water |

Look at that!! The bleed-through was intense. It now looked like a pink elephant. :D

There were stains all around the piece, even though I used Dixie Belle Silk paint (which already has built-in primer). Old furniture (especially mahogany and other species) brings the tannins in the wood throughout any number of paint layers you apply.

The bleed-through was apocalyptic! I had to fix this mess pronto. 😩

The Solution: Dixie Belle B.O.S.S.

It blocks odors, and stains & stops bleed-thru - I used clear, but it also comes in white. You have to mix it thoroughly and apply it with a synthetic brush. It dries in about an hour, depending on the humidity.

I applied four coats of Dixie Belle B.O.S.S. to this cabinet because I knew it was a challenging situation from the start.

| Dixie Belle B.O.S.S. | 2 1/2" Synthetic Brush |

5. PAINT

I learned my lesson! The drawers were first given two coats of Boss. It raised the grain slightly, but nothing 220-grit sandpaper couldn't smooth out.

After cleaning them very well, two coats of Dixie Belle Silk Paint - Salt Water were applied. Guess what? NO Bleed through!

This is how the top of the dresser looked after the four coats of Boss. Then, after two coats of Dixie Belle Silk Paint - Salt Water. So pretty!!

I sanded it slightly between coats, although that's another great advantage of using Dixie Belle Silk paints; they're incredibly smooth, so there's no need to sand at all. My problem was that I had given the dresser so many coats that it was beginning to build up.

But wait, there's MORE!!

Yup. I didn't want to leave this pretty dresser all WHITE.

I got this cute eucalyptus stencil and decided it would look lovely on the surface of the drawers.

Please let me know if you would like more details on how the stenciling was done. I don't want to make this post any longer.

It was my first time stenciling a dresser and it went pretty smoothly.

Dresser makeover with green eucalyptus leaves

| Eucalyptus stencil | Dense Foam Paint Roller | Stencil Brush Set |

At the end of the day, this is how it looked. 🍃💚🍃

Those cute Hepplewhite pulls are now shining thanks to all the elbow grease my daughter put into them. Well, she used Bar Keepers Friends, an old toothbrush, and a Brillo pad.

Don't you love those cute beehive designs?!

I brought it inside the house for a photo shoot. Although I had to admit I still need to apply a topcoat. I'm planning on using Dixie Belle's clear coat.

| Stoneware Vase |

Now, what a fun surprise when you see that the drawers are lined! On the top three drawers, I used a paper I had in my stash for a few years already. I set them in place by first applying a coat of Mod Podge on the inside of the drawer, then gently smoothing out the paper.

Sadly, I didn't have enough of that type of paper, which is why the last drawer received another type.