Chalk painted Wood Cream & Black dresser DIY 

I had so much fun transforming an old dresser from the 90s into something modern, and custom looking. The three-tone finish makes it a unique piece, in this wood cream and black dresser DIY. I love finding old furniture pieces second hand or thrifted, showing them some love, and being inspired by their details to create something new and updated. The key is finding quality solid, or almost completely solid wood furniture. This basically guarantees you found a good quality piece and it will last a long time.

Full disclosure, we’ve had this piece in it’s original state for years. We’ve been using it as it is forever. I’ve always wanted to refinish it, just never found the time. I’m so glad I finally did! But, I want to remind anyone who’s reading this blog post, everyone’s home is far from perfect. We live there, and things take time. Sometimes you have to live with an older piece of furniture – in it’s original state – for a while before you get around to refinishing it. And that’s okay!

The Chest of Drawers, Before & After

The old finish was starting to show signs of wear on the entire dresser. It’s been a well loved piece. It was time to give it new life. I loved the idea of having contrasting dark colors and light colors, but to also keep some real wood visible on the drawers. Knowing I would keep this old piece of furniture for years to come, going with a neutral color palette would help it to stand the test of time. This way if I ever wanted to move it to another room or change my styling (which I do a lot more than the average person!) I wouldn’t have to repaint it. I decided a three-toned palette would keep a neutral colored furniture piece fun and interesting! I’ll break down how I gave our dresser a new look, in a step-by-step tutorial about this wood cream and black dresser DIY. 

Wood Cream and Black dresser DIY

Required Tools

1.  Circular Saw
2. Carpenter Square
3. Pencil
4. Drill
5. Clamps
6. Cleaning rag and bucket
7. 80 grit sandpaper
8. Tack cloth or damp cloth (use what you have)
9. Chalk paint brush (I have two, but you only need one)
10. Sponge brushes
11. Screw driver

List of materials

1. Scrap wood material (I used scrap deck planks)
2. Screws
3. Carpenters Glue
4. Dish Soap
5. Drop Cloth (I have plastic, use what you have)
6. Cream chalk paint
7. Two in one stain and clear coat
8. Black chalk paint
9. Top coat (optional)
10. New drawer pulls
11. Miniature hairpin legs

Step 1. Attach the miniature hairpin legs

The first thing I wanted to do was change the base of the dresser. The plastic adjustable feet and the curved base rail were so dated to me! I had some miniature hairpin legs laying around. I thought I would use them for another project but didn’t. Originally, I  ordered them from amazon. I thought they would be a great way to give the dresser some modern flare. They were the perfect size and came with the screws. I just had to figure out how to attach them to the base.

Have a look at the dresser base framing

I removed the drawers first and with some help, carried the dresser outside to cut off the base. Once I had the dresser flipped on it’s side I realized there was no way to attach the hairpin legs. I used some scrap deck plank material to create a frame for the legs to attach to. As you can see, we were working on our deck at the same time, so we had lots of leftover material! You can use what you have. As long at the scrap wood is sturdy and thick enough to accommodate the screws you will be good!

Measure and cut new framing

I cut two pieces of scrap wood that spanned the depth of the dresser, and attached them to the existing frame with screws. I was sure to double check the screw length so it didn’t poke through the other side of the wood. This would make the drawers unusable. 

Measure and cut off the existing base

After the new framing was attached, I wanted to cut 2-1/2″ off the base around on 3 sides. The back was already short enough and didn’t need cutting. I used a square and a pencil to mark it all out before cutting. Then we used our circular saw and began cutting off each side, rotating the dresser on it’s side each time. The sides of the dresser were veneer so the skill saw shredded them a bit. I wish I thought to use painters tape before cutting. I highly recommend covering your pencil line with painters tape before cutting. If you want to take the long way, use wood filler to touch it up after the fact like me…I always want to share the reality of these projects with you, so you can learn from my mistakes and get it right the first time!

Make adjustments

Unless you have the exact same dresser as me, your framing and cutting will probably look a little different. Use your discretion here of what would work best in your case. But I’m here to tell you whatever the case, if I can do it so can you. After the base frame was cut off, I realized the side panels were quite flimsy and needed extra support. I glued back two of the original wood frame pieces to the bottom of the side panels. Then, I used carpenters glue and clamped them in place to dry overnight. 

Attach the legs

The next day I removed the clamps and was ready to attach the legs. I held up each leg and marked the base where the screws needed to go. I predrilled the holes for the screws, this helps prevent the wood from splitting when you go to attach the screws. Just be sure to use a drill bit that is slightly smaller than your screw width, so the screw still has wood material to bite into. 

Step 2. Clean the surface

Before cleaning I removed the old hardware from the drawer fronts first with a screw driver. I used a little bit of dawn dish soap in a bucket of water to clean the chest of drawers down before sanding. There were gross fingerprints and who knows what else stuck to it. I didn’t realize how dirty it was until I did such a thorough cleaning. Years of wear and use does that I guess. After cleaning, I wiped down the entire piece with a damp cloth, to remove any soap residue. I laid everything out on a plastic drop sheet. Then moved to the next step in this wood cream and black dresser DIY.

Step 3. Scuff Sand

What is scuff sanding? 

It’s basically roughing up the surface of a furniture piece to give the paint something to stick to. It doesn’t have to be hours of sanding, and you can use fairly rough sand paper. I used an 80 grit and quickly scuffed every surface of the dresser. I made sure to sand in the direction of the wood grain. Otherwise, your piece will look like it’s been scratched, even after it’s been painted. After that I used a tack cloth to remove the dust, you could also use a damp cloth and let it dry fully before painting.

Step 4. Stain some drawers

At this point I decided to stain four of the drawers and paint two of them. It’s just a different aesthetic choice, and adds some detail. I used Saman One Step Wood Stain & Varnish in the color dark chestnut. The brush you choose to apply different products matters. I prefer to apply this product with a foam brush. It creates a more even, smooth finish. I did two coats to get the depth of color I was looking for.

Step 5. Chalk paint dresser

Finally it was time to paint the dresser! I used Fusion Mineral Paint in the color Champlain. I love this paint. It’s extremely full coverage is a very durable finish on it’s own. I applied two coats of paint with this chalk paint brush which is available at Home Depot. For the best results with chalk paint, I recommend applying it with a chalk paint brush over rolling or using a generic paint brush. Typically chalk paint is too thick to apply with a roller, and it leaves a smoother finish than a typical paint brush with very little brush marks. I didn’t have to sand between coats, but you can if you like. I also don’t apply a top coat or wax to this product, it doesn’t need it in my opinion. However, you can apply a protective coat if you like. 

Step 6. Chalk paint drawer fronts

I applied two coats of Rustoleum Chalked in the color Charcoal with a chalk paint brush. This is one of my favorite black paint colors as it’s a soft black, and has great coverage. It’s a true charcoal color over a dark rich black color. It wasn’t so dark that the matte black drawer pulls I chose got lost on it. Then I applied a varathane coat with a foam brush, to give the drawers a satin finish to match the wood drawers.

Step 7. Attach drawer pulls

I ordered these budget friendly, matte black drawer pulls off amazon. The hardware you choose has a huge effect on the final overall look of a chest of drawers. I wanted something simple, clean looking, and cost effective.

My tips for selecting new drawer hard ware

The best tip I can offer you when choosing drawer pulls is to measure the existing holes in the drawers. Most drawer hardware is measured from the center of one hole to the other. Make sure the new pulls are the exact same size or they won’t line up. Another tip I have is to measure the thickness of the drawer fronts. Compare that measurement with the size of screws that the new pulls come with. You don’t want the screws to be either too short or too long for your drawers. There’s so many options out there when it comes to drawer hardware, but these two tips should help you narrow down your options. I also find where you can purchase pulls in bulk tend to be less expensive than buying singles. Just make sure there’s enough in a package for each drawer of your dresser.

The final Wood Cream and Black dresser DIY

It seems like a lot of furniture manufacturers aren’t producing many tall, narrow, chest of drawer style dressers like these anymore…does anyone know why? I find them great for smaller spaces, when you need the extra storage. It seems like most retailers only have the really large wide dressers these days with two banks of drawers.

I love that I was able to turn this functional furniture piece into something beautiful for us to enjoy. If you have time for a project like this you should go for it! You end up with something way more unique and custom looking than buying new. It’s a great way to upcycle something that you already have, and turn it into something you love. Or maybe now when you come across a good thrift store find, you’ll be inspired and know you can tackle a paint project like this! I hope you enjoyed reading my step by step process to create a chalk painted wood, cream and black dresser DIY. 

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