Have you ever taken on a project that kicked your butt? When you are planning a project the steps seem easy on paper. Of course, then you start making it and holy cow! It takes so much more time and energy than you expected. It can be discouraging. There is a silver lining, though. When you finally finish the project there is an amazing sense of accomplishment. That is exactly how I felt when I finally finished this boys dresser makeover with extra storage. The paint style took forever but the kids absolutely love it. Their reaction makes all of the hard work totally worth it.
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[bctt tweet=”Find out how to take on this boys dresser makeover with extra storage! #diy #furniture” username=”diyadulation”]
Materials
- Old Dresser
- Flat Black Latex Paint
- Flat Light Grey Paint
- Small Paint Roller
- Roll of Paper Towels
- Hanging Jewelry Organizer (I got ours at Target)
- Nails
- Hammer
- Small Basket
- Command Strips
Step 1
First, remove all of the drawers from your dresser.
Step 2
Next, paint your dresser and drawers with your flat black paint and small paint roller.
Note:
- Our dresser was already painted black years ago so we didn’t do this step but you will want to start with a black painted dresser to get the desired end result.
Step 3
After your dresser is black (and the paint has dried), begin adding your grey paint. Do this by dipping a crumpled paper towel into the paint and dabbing it onto your dresser.
Tips:
- Don’t add too much paint at once. A small amount goes a long way.
- This takes a long time but you don’t want to rush it.
Step 4
Continue the process in step 3 until your dresser and drawer faces are covered.
Step 5
Allow the paint to dry completely.
Step 6
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you have the desired effect.
Note:
- We did 3 coats on our dresser.
Step 7
Return all of the drawers to the dresser.
Step 8
Next, add the hanging organizer to the right side of the dresser by nailing the corners of it to the dresser.
Tips:
- Make sure your nails are short. You don’t want the tips to affect the drawers on the inside.
- If your dresser isn’t made of thick wood or you simply don’t want to permanently change it, attach your organizer with Command hooks or strips.
Step 9
Lastly, add a small basket to the left side of your dresser with heavy duty Command strips.
Tips:
- Hang the basket a little above the mattress height of your child’s bed.
- Your basket needs to be flat, not curved. Curved baskets can come away from the Command strips and/or the dresser.
Ideas for How to Use the Extra Storage
Hanging Jewelry Organizer
The hanging jewelry organizer is perfect for cars, figurines, and other small toys. The one that we got has loops at the bottom intended to hold scarves. These loops hold larger action figures. Slide the feet through and use the arms to keep them from sliding all of the way through.
Basket
Because the boys’ room is so small, we are removing the bedside table. Our oldest likes to read in bed, though, so we wanted him to have somewhere to put his book and headlamp. The basket is the perfect solution. It holds the items and we placed the dresser next to his bed for convenience. This leaves the last wall in the room free for toy storage.
Whew! Now that we have finally finished the boys dresser makeover with extra storage we can move on with this giant project. Next up are some of the pieces of wall art. These are going to be a lot more fun to create. I have to admit that I am thinking of adding stenciled numbers to the drawer faces. I know, I’m glutton for punishment. It wouldn’t take much time, however, and I think it would add a little extra design punch to the dresser. What do you think? Are stenciled numbers a good idea or not worth it? Let me know in the comments!
See where I’m linking up!
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