DIY painted dresser

Today’s guest blogger is no new face to The Pink Orange. You might remember Tara from the giveaway back in and Tiane Novati Modiste. She is so talented, but not only in accessory design, but also home projects! Tara has a great way to put a DIY spin on goodies and also reusing and refurbishing. Wait until you see this Pottery Barn inspired dresser she painted!

Welcome Tara!

This DIY project was inspired by a dresser I came across in Pottery Barn. Once I laid my eyes on this dresser I instantly fell for it. I tried to justify spending seven big ones on this little decorative dresser. I pondered the thought of how to save up quick for this beauty. While trying to make a few spare hundred dollars magicallly appear, I was left to think where the dresser would go. To fit this new lovely in my place, I would have to dispose of a dresser piece that I‘ve had since I was a baby. Then a little bit of genius popped into my head, why not refinish my old dresser? Not only can I keep the case to pass down in future years, but I would save much time counting my quarters. So away I went to the local hardwood store (with the inspiration photo in hand) and found all the materials needed. I choose the Behr premium plus paint line in satin enamel and matched up the color tones I needed with the picture.
If you are inspired by my PB inspiration, use an old dresser or you can find a great piece at a estate sale, flea market or antique shop. The project takes about 3 hours in total & the total cost of the project ran about $60 (tax on the new dresser would have ran around that price).

Here is a great tip, always check a bakers rack or some type of odd looking shelf near the paint station, there are great discounted mixed paints that were left behind. That is where I picked up the ultra pure white gallon of paint for 75% off (usually it runs $20.00). Now that you have all the needed materials and info, set your self a rocking play list for a couple of hours and have at it!

Once you are ready, clean up & sand down the dresser surface. A sand block is great to just rough up the surface just enough with out killing your hands in the process. Now measure out the dresser and set the desired size for the stripes. The dresser used was 30’’w by 45’’h & the Pottery Barn dresser was 34’’w by 33’’h. Depending on your dimensions & preference try to map out how many stripes would be fitting for your piece. I choose to go with seven stripes spanning across at 4’’wide apiece. In comparison the PB dresser has nine stripes at about 3.7’’w.

Once your ready to stripe it, start at the left side and tape the first stripe. Make sure to paint starting at one side and move across not moving around. Remember to be aware of which side of the painters tape you are painting on because you can mess up your stripe measurements if you get to excited. Keep that measuring tape right by your side. Now you can keep the dresser in one piece while painting or take it drawer by drawer (I took it piece for piece).

After the drawers are striped think about if you want the stripes to roll over into the dresser frame. I choose to paint the rest of the case the in taupe paint to minimize the exaggeration of this look.

The PB dresser stripes wrap around the dresser, even spanning to the top. You can make your piece unique, by adding or removing as many stripes as you please. Now finish up painting the rest of the case, and stand back, does this piece need touch ups or multiple coats? Each piece and paint type will vary in how many coats you will need.

Doesn’t that look awesome?
Thank you so much Tara! I love it.