Quick Dresser Update

It seems like I’ve been painting and decorating in the attic for the past 12 months. Possibly because I have. This last week I tackled the finishing touches to the space. Since buying the new rugs, I have never been happy with the colour combination of the red Persian rug and the pastel blue dresser. After much Pinterest searching, the answer came to me as I packed a folk art Christmas Wreath that had been on the wall away. What I needed was a bold colour on the dresser to offset the bold colour of the rug. And what better way to do a dresser update than to use green? It’s the perfect foil for red and if used sparsely together does not look Christmassy at all.

In this post, I’ll show you how I did this dresser update in an hour or so and tell you what I used.

Equipment for a Dresser Update

This old girl was looking very tired when I gave her the first makeover. I painted her simply with Rustoleum Chalked in the French Blue shade. While I loved this colour, it didn’t look great against the bold deep red of the rug. (As you can see in the picture I took). I didn’t want to spend any money on this makeover, so my original idea was to mix some black paint into the leftover sage paint I had and create a richer colour. When I went searching for my black paint I discovered a 250ml sample pot of green I purchased during the loungeroom renovation. It was the perfect colour for my job.

To complete a makeover like this you’ll need

• 250ml of Dulux Low Sheen Acrylic paint in the shade Government Green
• A paint brush
• A tube of Rub n Buff in the color Antique Gold
• An angled paint brush.
• An artist or craft paint brush (for the gold)

What to Do

This dresser update was super easy. As the chest of drawers was already painted with chalk paint and I had not put a finishing wax or varnish over it, I simply painted straight over the top. You will most likely need to sand your piece lightly to provide a key for the new paint. I also folded some aluminum foil and put it under each of the feet so I could paint right to floor level (on the rug, naughty me!)

Give the dresser two coats of paint, allowing 30 mins to between coats. Paint in the direction of the grain to get the best finish. Then leave the piece to cure before styling the top. The piece will have a nice soft sheen. There is no need to apply varnish as the piece should be pretty hard-wearing without it. You are using wall paint. after all.

The last job to do is to take small, and I mean SMALL, amounts of Rub n Buff on your little paintbrush. Swirl and rub this into your handles for the gold finish. Et Voila! One deep green dresser.

PS: If you’d told me five years ago I would be painting furniture the loathsome colour of my school uniform, I would not have believed you. But there you go.