Modern DIY Dresser Redo

Earlier this summer I redid this dilapidated dresser that I found on the curb for garbage pickup. It was in rough shape with each drawer needing reinforcement/fixing, severe water damage on the sides, and the casters on the legs broken. Fortunately, I had the skills to revitalize this piece of furniture! Here’s how I completed my modern DIY dresser redo.

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Patch Holes

I filled the previous key holes and hardware holes with joint compound. I like to use joint compound because when it dries you can sand it to be perfectly smooth and level with the drawer front.

Paint Drawers

For this makeover, I wanted to go with a two-tone look, similar to the mid-century modern dresser set I did in our master bedroom. I painted just the drawers black with my favorite spray paint. Normally I would take more time to paint a dresser using my signature method, but this dresser will be heavily used by my kids to store their craft supplies. No matter how I paint this piece, it won’t withstand that. So I just decided to go the fast and easy route!

New Hardware

The next piece was installing new hardware! I actually had exactly five beautiful chrome bar pulls leftover from our bathroom renovation. They came with our vanity from Signature Hardware, but since I did custom pulls, I just put these ones aside. It was quite serendipitous, really!

I just laid the bar pull down at even lengths from the edge of the drawer to ensure it was level. Then I marked where the holes were. This trick helps your bar pulls be level, centered, and spaced correctly with minimal measuring.

Adding Fabric

To cover the water damaged paneling on the sides of this dresser, I decided to adhere fabric! I’ve never done this to a piece of furniture before – if you have let me know in the comments! I simply hot glued the fabric on (again fast, easy, semi-permanent) and then cut off the excess around the inset panel. Cutting off the extra fabric with a utility knife proved to be the hardest part! 😉

To clean up the edges, I hot glued a run of black cord over it as well. After that, my dresser was looking great!

Modern DIY Dresser Redo

So with the dresser fixed up, new hardware, painted drawers, and fabric covered sides, it had a new lease on life! I filled it with all my kids’ craft stuff and it started getting immediate use. I love how bold the fabric design and black drawers are. Also how the two-tone look celebrates the natural wood!

This is probably one of my favorite furniture makeovers of all time. Even though I didn’t put in the extra effort to make this flip durable, I still think this project was a success! Be sure to pin one of these pics if you agree.