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    Home » Painted Furniture » How To Makeover An Old Dresser With White Latex Paint

    How To Makeover An Old Dresser With White Latex Paint

    This post may contain affiliate links

    Makeover an old dresser with white paint and place the painted dresser in any room of the house. A small dresser in the bathroom is great for storage if you don't have a linen closet and a large long dresser is the perfect piece for a big screen TV.

    This is one of those furniture projects that has me smiling. The simple, sophisticated, painted dresser is a showstopper. I used a good primer and then white latex paint for the topcoat. The special addition to the makeover that took it to another level is the ceramic rose knobs. I tried adding a girly swirly wood applique and that was overkill.

    How To Makeover An Old Dresser With White Paint

    It was nice to get back to painting furniture after 6 weeks or so of downtime. If you guys read this post here you know why I took off for a while. I was overwhelmed by the response to that post and hope to write a small follow up about the comments I received. Stay tuned.

    Furniture Fixer Uppers Logo

    Today is the Furniture Fixer Upper Tour and as always there is a lot of furniture makeover inspiration. We are sad to see Marie of the Interior Frugalista leave the tour. She is concentrating on other things and painting less furniture. She is still blogging though so no worries.

    How To Makeover An Old Dresser

    simple sophisticated white dresser

    Time to take you through the furniture makeover. I made a lot of changes and the piece is unrecognizable from the original.

    small dresser to be painted

    This chest of drawers was an auction buy. I was in Arkansas at the time of the auction but I was able to bid online and I was the winning bidder. Yeah! I bid on several pieces but was outbid on all but 2. I’ll share the other piece later.

    1. Prepare The Dresser For Painting

    oak leaf wood applique and furniture

    The first thing I had to do was pop off that little wood oak leaf applique. It just wasn’t my style. I know I will get some flack for taking off this little detail and painting the wood.

    sanding furniture smooth

    Hubby (aka The Junktion Technical Specialist, or The JTS for short) filled the nail holes where the oak leaf was attached with wood putty and I sanded everything smooth once the putty dried. This process is not hard at all, anyone can do it. The part I don't like is that it slows down the whole painting process. A lot of time prepping the furniture takes much longer than painting the piece. That was the case with the dresser.

    furniture drawer bottom needing repair

    We moved on to the second problem. The bottom of one of the drawers was sagging and one of the blocks to hold the bottom in place had gone missing. Someone used duct tape to  hold the bottom in place. Duct tape can work wonders but in this case it didn't seem to be working too well.

    how to repair drawer bottom when it comes loose

    I made a small replacement wedge (or block) and used a clamp to hold it in place. Then I used my Ryobi brad nailer to shoot a few nails into it.

    how to repair furniture

    The drawer bottom was really bowed so I added an extra block to help push the bottom back into place. The drawer is solid now.

    2. Prime The Dresser

    primer for furniture

    Now we can get on with the painting. I mentioned earlier that prep is the most difficult and time consuming part of any furniture makeover. It’s True. I applied two coats of Glidden Gripper white primer. The primer was a nice look and I thought about just using the primer as a topcoat but changed my mind.

    3. Paint The Dresser With White Latex Paint

    semi gloss white paint for furniture

    I found a container of white semi-gloss paint and applied one coat. The sheen was too glossy and had obvious brush marks.

    white trim paint from Behr

    Not wanting to buy more paint I decided I could use the white satin paint we bought when we painted the trim in the bedrooms. I applied one coat of the satin paint. Now the dresser has 4 coats of paint (counting the primer).

    4. Line The Drawers

    use wrapping paper to line furniture drawers

    Time to pretty up the inside of the drawers. I had this colorful wrapping paper in my stash of stuff and it was perfect. I measured the drawer bottoms and cut 3 drawer liners.

    furniture drawer lined with wrapping paper

    There are several ways to apply the drawer liner. You can use glue dots, a piece of tape on the sides, or do what I did and use doubled sided tape to hold it down. I don’t use anything that will make the paper permanent or hard to remove.

    how to paint furniture white

    5. Install New Drawer Pulls

    Only thing left to do is add some pretty knobs. I originally planned to spray paint the wood knobs white. Since there was no other details to the dresser and it was basically a flat no frills piece the ceramic rose knobs were the perfect addition. I bought the knobs at Hobby Lobby a while ago when they were on sale. I always wait for the knobs to go on sale for 50% off.

    painted white dresser is simple and sophisticated

    Pretty huh…..white latex paint can work wonders on old furniture like this dresser. You could put this piece in any room of the house…..except maybe a guy room. It would be perfect in a nursery room.

    how to paint old furniture using latex paint

    how to paint old furniture using white latex paint

    At one point I thought about removing the curvy bottom and adding a more modern piece. Too much trouble. As you can see it's not hard to makeover old furniture. Repairs are the most difficult and time consuming part but often the furniture doesn't need repairing, just a good cleaning.

    Furniture Obsession Simple Sophisticated White Dresser

    How do you like the pair of poodles? They were an auction buy too.

    simple sophisticated white furniture

    So, what do you think. Too simple, or too fru-fru, or just right. Would you have this piece in your home and if so where would you use it?

    How To Makeover An Old Dresser With White Paint

    How To Makeover An Old Dresser With White Paint

    Time to see what the other girls have for us today. Just click the text links below the “before makeovers” photo collage….

    furniture fixer upper projects before makeover

    Girl in the Garage
    Confessions of a Serial DIYer
    Just The Woods
    Salvaged Inspirations

    You guys stay safe and have a great weekend, Kathy

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sherry

      December 20, 2021 at 6:03 pm

      This little dresser is perfect. The knobs stand out and give it a little personality. I would use this in a girls bedroom or guest bedroom. I love the simplicity of it!

      Reply
    2. Cecilia from Georgia

      March 28, 2020 at 8:43 am

      The knobs give this plain dresser character! You did not mention sealing it. Do you not seal latex? Is it durable enough to withstand normal use? I'm edging away from chalk paint and if you don't have to seal latex--no brainer! Thanks!

      Reply
    3. Marie

      March 27, 2020 at 10:18 am

      Whoa, Kathy, I almost fell out of my chair - white! I wasn't expecting that from you. LOL It's such a pretty makeover and the lovely curves stand out. The knobs are perfect too and love how you got your signature bold color inside the drawers with that pretty paper. Miss you guys! xo

      Reply
    4. Christy James

      March 26, 2020 at 9:39 pm

      You know I love this!! Give me a beautiful white makeover any day of the week!! The paper inside is such a beautiful pop of color and I’m glad you kept the curvy piece at the bottom. Glad to have you back!! XO

      Reply
    5. Bev

      March 26, 2020 at 6:42 pm

      Been thinking of you today and hope our comments have helped. We are all the same, some struggling more than others, like me, too. Your work is so inspiring. Be encouraged!

      Reply
    6. Jen @ Girl in the Garage

      March 26, 2020 at 6:27 pm

      I'm glad the leaf is gone. I'm happy the duck tape is gone... LOL. I'm thrilled you kept the curvy bottom. And the paper liner and the dogs are darling! I think I remembered everything... haha. Beautiful work Kathy! xo

      Reply
    7. Susan

      March 26, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      It turned out really beautiful. I love the curvy bottom and the rose knobs. BUT, the oak leaf? ? That was my favorite part of the whole thing. I thought it gave it character. If you really don’t like it, I’d love to have it, lol! I’d put it on something to pretty it up! ? ?? Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    8. Dixie Lee

      March 26, 2020 at 5:00 pm

      Without the curvy bottom, it would be way too plain. One of my first redos was a mahogany dresser with that kind of bottom and the large curvy metal plaque style handles that came from my husband's old frat house. I repainted it to match the blue of our room and put simple metal handles on it - 15 years and another house later it still looks great (the frat house has been gone for 35 years so the bureau is no spring chicken!)

      Hope you are feeling better.

      Reply
    9. kandice

      March 26, 2020 at 4:38 pm

      you and christy must've been in each others brains this month lol. Love the crisp new look and the fabric! Glad your feeling back to 'normal' xoxo

      Reply
    10. Sherry Martin

      March 26, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      Just right! And I love the poodles.

      Reply
    11. [email protected]

      March 26, 2020 at 11:52 am

      We have a couple of chests where the drawers are sagging in the back (lol, sounds like my butt). I didn't know what to do about it but now I'll be uplifted! Thanks for sharing this. Pinned!

      Reply
      • Kelly Schulte

        January 15, 2022 at 6:26 pm

        So pretty and elegant. I am glad you left the original curvy piece. Gives it character and a quaint charm. Well done.

    12. Donna

      March 26, 2020 at 11:18 am

      It may have been a simpler project, but I really like that basic white with the frilly knobs. I’m glad you kept the bottom edge. Well done!

      Reply
    13. gwen

      March 26, 2020 at 10:55 am

      Simple, sweet and fresh. I'm glad you put a little dazzle on it with the knobs!

      Reply
    14. Sherri

      March 26, 2020 at 10:22 am

      You made it so beautiful!! I love the knobs and all white, its very fresh.

      Reply
    15. Denise - Salvaged Inspirations

      March 26, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Classic and beautiful Kathy! And I love the pretty liner and how you styled... my sister would LOVE that piece of milk glass! XOXO

      Reply
    16. Stormee

      March 26, 2020 at 8:12 am

      I love it!!!! This is a piece that could be used anywhere - dining room, living room, entryway, bedroom or if it’s big enough, bathroom. The simplicity is what makes it so versatile. Another winner?

      Reply
    17. Nancy

      March 26, 2020 at 7:47 am

      I love that little chest. It’s simplistically beautiful. Great job. I admire your husbands and your ability to fix things like that drawer.

      Reply
    18. Colette Rodriguez

      March 26, 2020 at 6:32 am

      I love it too you do great work. Just wondering though why did you take the leaf off? I thought it was charming.

      Reply
    19. Becky Fischer

      March 26, 2020 at 6:14 am

      I love it. I would put it in my entryway. I plan on making a small bench to go in there with a white door so it would be perfect.

      Reply
    20. Cynthia

      March 26, 2020 at 4:24 am

      I love it. The knobs are beautiful and the curves give it charm! Furniture Makeovers are my favorite things to do!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kathy!

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