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There’s nothing better than scoring amazing pieces of furniture for FREE!! When I saw these drawers, it was my crafty self’s dream come true! I saw so much potential in these babies, and I’ll show you step by step how I achieved my finished product.
Items needed:
- Free furniture (or an old piece you want to spice up)
- Basic tools (hammer, screwdriver, cat’s paw if you have it)
- Foam brush
- Mod Podge
- Paper plate or plastic cup
- Coordinating cardstock paper
- Paint
- Paint brush
- Bucket and cleaning solution
- Cleaning rag
- Spray paint for old hardware or new hardware of your choice
Step 1: Prepare your piece.
Assess your furniture to see what is broken or needs to be repaired. My piece had a broken flap that was once used as a locking mechanism. I had my husband break it off, but he couldn’t remove the lock. No problem; I just painted right over it so it blended in.
I knew in order to decorate the front of the drawers, I’d have to remove the hardware. I’m frugal, so I wanted to keep the original pieces to reuse them. This meant I had to carefully remove the nailed in label holder. I used a cat’s paw to do this, but a screwdriver would work if you’re careful. I then removed every drawer pull with a screwdriver and kept them in a ziplock baggy for cleaning.
Step 2: Paint the outer part of the cabinet.
My office has themes of navy blue, teal, and coral with other accents built in my accessories. Because I was going more vibrant with the drawers, I wanted the outer part of the piece to be more subtle, so I chose a navy blue. This was leftover house paint I had from another home project.
I used a standard paint brush, but you could roll on the paint. It took three coats to have coverage all over. The paint dried very quickly in between coats.
Step 3: Wash the drawers and hardware.
Before I moved forward with doing anything else, I wanted to be sure the drawers were wiped down and prepped for decorating. I just used hot water and house cleaner, wiping the outside and inside of each drawer.
While my drawers were drying, I washed all of the hardware in hot water and dish detergent. I laid them out to dry and went back to my drawers.
Step 4: Choose your paper patterns.
I love floral prints. My office already had decoupaged drawers that I redid from my Grandmother’s house. Unfortunately, the paper I used on those was discontinued, so I needed to find something that would complement the colors of my original choice. I went with florals and patterns.
I originally decided each drawer would be one print or pattern, but when I found I would need two pieces to cover the front, I had a lot of trouble lining up the patterns to make them look good. After thinking about what else I could do, I decided to alternate two drawers with the patterns so I could cut four pieces of paper the same width and length (a big time saver). I then cut one piece of each pattern in half. I laid the first pattern in the center of the drawer, covering each side of the drawer with the pieces that were cut in half. After trialing different patterns and florals together, I was ready to move on.
Step 6: Take all measurements for hardware.
Because you are going to be covering up the holes where the hardware goes, you will need to measure where the holes are so you can accurately place the hardware in its original spot when it’s time.
Step 7: Decoupage your paper.
If you’ve never used Mod Podge, less is more. I like to use a paper plate and pour my Mod Podge on the plate, leaving me lots of room to dab off my sponge brush. If you use too much, it makes the paper bubble, and it pours out the sides of the paper, creating a huge mess.
Dip your sponge brush in the Mod Podge, dab off the excess onto your plate, and swipe a thin coat on the areas you are putting your paper. Full coverage is very important or your paper will not stick. Once you have the first layer of Mod Podge on the drawer, add your paper. You can use a flat edge to squeegee out any air bubbles you may have gotten under your paper.
After you put down your paper and made sure it’s in the spot you need it with no air bubbles, you finalize the step by dipping your sponge brush in more Mod Podge, dabbing it off, and covering the paper with a thin coat.
Repeat these steps for each piece of paper you add.
Step 8: Spray paint the hardware.
I love glitter and rose gold. When I found a rose gold glitter spray paint, I was thrilled! I used this on the other hardware in my office, so I knew it would be great to put on the hardware for this “new” piece.
I placed cardboard down and laid all of the hardware out facing the same direction. With an even sweeping motion, I sprayed all of the pieces. Once they dried, I flipped over the knobs to spray the other side.
Step 9: Add the hardware.
Once the hardware dries, you can put it on your finished drawers. This is the most time consuming part, in my opinion. The measuring is tedious, and you need to get the hardware in the exact spots for them to look uniform.
Step 10: Add the final touches.
Now that your drawers are done, you can place them back in the outer piece. Step back, and admire your hard work! I went the extra step and created labels for each of my drawers so I can easily find what I need quickly.
Decoupage is such an easy way to dress up old pieces. If you decide that down the road you no longer like the paper you chose, it can easily be removed for different paper.
