The Veneer Dresser Makeover (Built In Wall Part One)

Two years ago, I found this beautiful vintage dresser on Marketplace. It was in dire need of love. At the time, I figured it would go in one of the kids’ rooms. As it turns out, it became the perfect centerpiece for my built-in wall. If you have a veneer dresser, you might be wondering how to update it to fit in with your home, so take a look at how easy it was…

Materials:

• 1/4″ sanded plywood
• Finishing Nails
• Decorative Trim
• Primer
• Cabinet Paint
• Peel & Stick Wallpaper
• Brass Pulls

Tools:

• Chop Saw or Circular Saw
• Drill
• Nail Gun
• Iron & Washcloth

Two Years in the Making

I primed this veneer dresser, including the top (which got all scratched up), and then it sat. When we moved to a new home 18 months later, this gem was wrapped in plastic and hauled into the new garage. After deciding I was going to create a built-in wall in the new home office, I rediscovered this piece. How could I update it?

Remove the Base Paneling.

The base panel of many furniture pieces is what essentially “dates” the piece. By removing it, you can give it a new life.

I initially used a pry bar to try to loosen it on both sides–I really didn’t need to do that. Simply by flipping it over, I was able to unscrew the hardware used to hold it in place, and it popped right off.

Detach the Dresser Top.

I know I keep saying the veneer dresser, but really the only part of it that’s veneer is the top. By replacing it, you can update the look. This one had a rounded edge in front. It was screwed to the base of the dresser in a number of places, so I just had to keep removing screws until it was eventually disengaged.

Because this was going to be part of my (over 12′ wide) desktop, I wasn’t thinking of how to make a new one to fit, but most hardware stores have wood pieces that can be used as tops for items like this. Painted dressers are beautiful with a stained wooden top. And, that was my plan for this guy, but it would just be a much wider one 🙂

Fix the Damage.

One thing I didn’t mention was the damage to the side of the dresser that was there when I first bought it. I immediately removed it, (you can see just one side removed in the picture above), with the intention to replace it. It’s just a thin, 1/4″ piece of…some kind of wood panel. (Look at my face, haha.)

The damage really was only at the bottom, and knowing how I ended up finishing it, I wouldn’t have had to replace it because it could be covered. But, I did remove it. Then I sized the area up and cut a piece of 1/4″ sanded plywood that I had on hand to cover the area. I nailed it in with my nail gun. this is super easy to do in case you are facing the same ordeal.

Create New Base Paneling.

I ended up choosing a base moulding with a height of 5 & 1/4 inches.

This covered where the original base paneling had been, and it would have been easy to wrap the front and two sides with this stuff, using a 45º miter where the corners met.

It’s basically what I did, but because my finished piece is part of the home office built-in wall, much of the sides are covered, so I got away with only doing a couple inches back on each side.

Lightly Sand, Prime, Paint.

The basic steps for painting furniture are usually the same. Scuff sand, prime and then paint. The concern with sanding and re-staining an old piece of furniture usually puts people off for a few reasons. For one, I called this a veneer dresser because of the top, but who knows what all of the other elements would amount to. The sides were some kind of wood particle plywood combination–with a wood grain, and while I did replace one of them with sanded plywood, there’s no way they would look consistent using stain. Also, there are a number of wood pieces, including the ornamental sides. Would everything look consistent? Would it be possible to sand all parts of it down enough to actually have smooth, all-over stain? Nope. Nope. Nope. Painting is so easy, and it allows old furniture to be restored and loved for years. (I know there’s going to be at least ONE person out there shaming me for painting a wooden dresser.)

I lightly sanded and primed this after buying it, so that was taken care of. I used my paint sprayer to cover the drawers and dresser with this blue-ish gray paint. (The actual color is Glazed Granite from PPG, in the Platinum Plus cabinet and door paint from Dutch Boy Paint.) Because I was using cabinet paint, it has a smoothing agent in it, and it can be somewhat tricky. I had a medium-sized paint brush and foam mini roller on standby. After spraying it, I would smooth out any grooves with the paint brush for good coverage, and then use the mini roller for the flat surfaces. The smoothing agent in cabinet paint makes brush strokes disappear.

Remove Old Contact Paper.

Since the inside of the drawers is wood, many old dressers have contact paper added by the original owners. This one was quite stylish at one point, with white and gold splashed paper. But, the years of wear and tear had not been kind. And, let’s face it. Who wants to use old, damaged contact paper? Yuck. I wet a washcloth, just enough to “steam” the surface, laid it flat on the bottom of each drawer, and ironed the washcloth.

I moved the washcloth around a few times to ensure that all the glue would be warm and pliable. (This stuff was NOT coming off otherwise.) When you have ironed the entire bottom, you simply peel the old contact paper right off!

Install New Contact Paper.

My secret here is peel and stick wallpaper. I used leftover wallpaper from the dining room of our old house. It’s a faux grasscloth wallpaper, and it installs so easily.

Add New Pulls.

I found this brass collection at a local store. What I love about these bottom four pulls is that they are a bit adjustable, based on your hole placement. I really didn’t want to go through the process of filling holes or fighting with the install. This is such an easy way to work with what you have! Here is a similar look for hardware that you can get online.

What about the Dresser Top???

This is coming! I used edge-glued pine and a very long 1×2 pine board to create my desktop for the office built-in wall, but the length was over 12 feet because of my design. Stay tuned–the rest of the story is coming soon! Visit my stories on Instagram to see details.