Dresser Missing Drawers Makeover Western Style!

I have been on a western kick lately. I just love the Western look! Even though my favorite finish is more farmhouse style, I like to incorporate a Western finish. It’s all about being in the country surrounded by cotton fields, and cows, and getting a little mud on my boots!

The Dresser Before

This dresser was given to me by a childhood friend. She and her husband were empty nesters and downsized their home. She did not have storage for some of her pieces and called me and asked me if I wanted them. Heck yea!

It was used as a buffet in her living room. It was missing a couple of drawers and had a bit of damage from being stored outside in a shed. But that was no biggie for D and I. I knew we could bring this piece back to life.

I was not a big fan of the doors and they did have some major chipping and damage. As you can see in the image above, since the top drawer was missing, the decorative piece on the bottom drawer looked chopped off to me (my OCD gets the best of me sometimes).

Our living room needed a statement piece. Right now, my living room pieces are all white. I love white furniture, but sometimes I crave color! Not bold color, but subtle color. And I wanted to have a rustic, western look.

Deciding on Paint Colors

While going through my paint stash, I found some leftover Dixie Belle paint in Gulf and Cotton. I decided I would use these two paint colors for the dresser’s finish.

But what about the front? I wanted to keep the two top drawers, but do away with the doors and the other bulky bottom drawers.

Another feature that I try to add to all of my repurposed furniture is incorporating REAL wood, whether it be for a top or another part of the furniture. I asked D (the hubby) his thoughts.

The Dresser Makeover Plan

After brainstorming and sketching, this was our plan for the repurposed broken dresser.

D would build out the area where the bottom drawers were located with wood. We would also use a piece of wood to replace the section where the doors would be removed.

Visiting Our Local Wood Salvage Store

Our go-to local home improvement store is called Storehouse Salvage. It is located about 5 miles from where we live.

Storehouse Salvage has so many wood options to choose from. While browsing, D and I came across this beautiful sheet made from oak wood. Look at the wood grain, isn’t it wonderful!

This would be perfect, especially for giving the dresser a Western look. We purchased two pieces of oak sheeting.

The Makeover

The first order of business was to gut the inside of the dresser. D removed all of the unnecessary wood pieces we did not need. I also removed the old wood appliques that were on the dresser because they had damage. My heat gun made this process easy.

D went to work on adding the new wood. He took all the measurements and proceeded to cut the oak sheet into the appropriate sizes he would need to fill in the area where the drawers were located. Once they were cut to size, I sanded them with a piece of 220 grit sandpaper.

He attached the oak pieces with a brad nailer. Looking better already!

Lastly, he cut a piece to size to use on the front where the doors were located. Look at that gorgeous wood!

He then took the trim that we purchased and cut it to size. He added wood glue and attached the trim around the front piece as well as the boxed pieces.

We removed the old back and replaced it with a piece of the oak sheeting as you can see in the image above.

Staining The Wood

Now it was my turn to put my touch on the piece. I took a piece of 220-grit sandpaper and lightly sanded the entire outside of the dresser just to remove any scratches or scuffs.

I cleaned the dresser entirely using my mixture of dawn dish soap and water, being sure to remove all the sanding dust and dirt. Don’t forget to lay clean the bottom too!

Using my mini shop vacuum I removed all the sanding dust particles from the inside of the openings where D added the wood.

To stain the piece I used a mixture of Minwax Dark Walnut and Special Walnut. The Dark Walnut was too dark and the Special Walnut was too light, so I decided to combine the two. The color was perfect.

Using a clean cloth, I applied the stain to all of the added wood sections, working in small sections. I had another cloth that I used to remove any excess stain. Wear gloves when staining. But, if you do get stain on your skin, baby oil works great to remove it.

Due to the good ole Georgia humidity, it took about two days for the stain to completely dry. I taped off all of the stained pieces with painter’s tape so that I would not get any paint on them. I totally forgot to get a picture of the stained pieces but you will see them in the after.

Applying The Paint

After everything was clean, it was time to add the paint. I started with one coat of Dixie Belle’s Gulf. After it completely dried for a few hours, I added a second coat.

The dresser sat and dried overnight. I then applied one coat of Dixie Belle’s Cotton to the piece. The second coat was applied after the first coat was completely dry. This process was also used for the drawer fronts.

Distressing the Dresser

Using a piece of 120-grit sandpaper, I sanded all the sections that were painted. I wanted some of the Gulf colors to peek through. This also gave the piece a worn, rustic look.

For the top of the dresser and the edges, I wanted some of the original finish to show. I used a piece of 80-grit sandpaper and lightly sanded the areas where I wanted to see the original finish. Most of the extreme sanding was around the edges of the dresser, the drawer edges, and the top of the dresser.

Hardware Choice For Dresser

This is one of the hardest parts of the job. Finding appropriate hardware for a finished piece. Local home improvement stores have limited hardware choices. Hobby Lobby does have hardware and it’s reasonably priced, but sometimes their selection is limited.

I found these cow head knobs on Amazon. They were silver, but I knew they could be painted to match my Western vibe.

The knobs were painted the same way as the dresser. I added my secret ingredient to make them look rusty. You can see the secret ingredient I used by reading How To Make a New Glass Bottle Look Old and Rustic.

After attaching them to the dresser, I just wasn’t feeling it. They just did not give me the YAY factor!

I went digging through my old knobs and pulls, and came across these wood knobs. They had some black paint on one of them, but that was an easy fix. A little 80-grit sandpaper, and wah-lah! I attached them to the dresser and finally the YAY factor! They just flowed better with the rustic, old feel that I was trying to achieve.

Adding Details

Now to figure out how to decorate the wood piece on the front to give it a more western vibe!

I had a few wood appliques left over from a previous project. I painted them using the same method above and gave them a light sanding. Wood glue was used to apply the wood appliques in the corners of the oak wood.

Wagon Wheel Addition

I ordered three decorative wagon wheels from Amazon. Now, I know what you may be thinking. Wagon wheels? Aren’t those heavy? These were very thin, wood wagon wheels which made it perfect for my dresser front! I attached the wagon wheel with wood glue and just a bit of hot glue.

Here is the finished piece. Its new home is now in my living room serving as a television console cabinet. I normally share my furniture makeovers, but I just could not part with this one.

I am glad I changed out the hardware. The wood knobs complement the Western vibe I was going for.

Repurposed Dresser Into a Versatile Piece

There are so many uses for this piece. It could be used as a buffet, a television console, or even in a small home office. The possibilities are endless.

One of the reasons why D and I love to repurpose furniture is because the pieces we create are so versatile and can be used just about anywhere!

We love working on a project together! It’s a great way to spend time together doing what we both love.

This Lingerie Cabinet was given a beautiful boho makeover for a client who used it in her small kitchen to store her plastic containers!

Or, take a look at a repurposed Chest of Drawers we found on the roadside and converted it into a plant stand!

Be sure to join my Redhead Remakes Facebook group. It’s free and a great place to share your projects, ask questions, or just collaborate with a fabulous group of folks!

What have you repurposed lately?