• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Image Map
  • Home
  • Podcast
  • About Us
    • Our Story
    • Contact
      • Blogger DIY Project Submission
      • Contact Us
      • Guest Post Submission
      • PR, Advertising and Partnerships
      • Brands and Media That We Have Worked With
      • Speaking Events
  • Frugal Living
    • All Things Frugal
    • Homemade Products Gallery
    • Garden
    • Family Life
    • Travel
      • Travel Tips & Resources
      • Travel Deals & Coupons
    • Savings
      • Find Your Store Deals
      • Freebies
      • Deals
  • DIY
  • Finance
    • All Things Finance
    • Finance Tips & Resources
      • Meeting Your Financial Goals
      • Managing Household Finances
    • Dropping Debt
    • Making Money From Home
    • Over 100 Ways to Earn Extra Income
    • Our Financial Journey
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Produce Tips
    • Breakfast Ideas
  • Printables
  • How To Blog
    • Start Here
    • Resources
    • Detailed Blog Income Reports

From Trash to Treasure: How To Refinish a Trashed Dresser with Chalk Paint For Brand New Look

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy here.

September 17 by Cassie 4 Comments

picmonkey-image

I am excited to share this next DIY project with you. I LOVE the way that this turned out!! It’s gorgeous with those crisp black lines and dusty, bluish chalk color.

dresser-close-side-before

dresser-after-side-close

Chalk paint really is revolutionizing home decor and design. It’s a craze for good reason, it makes for nice finishes and easier to keep and look clean.

finished-dresser-chalkpaint

What’s even more amazing is that this dresser was picked up from someone’s curbside trash.

curbside-dresser-garbage

My cousin, Greg, is the one that completed this project. It was his idea, his design and his work.

One day, he was driving by and saw that someone had thrown out this old, faded, damaged ugly dresser and he picked it up and took it home to give it a new life.

curbside-dresser-before

With a few supplies here’s what he did:

supplies-dresser-refinishing

  • Chalk paint in choice colors (he used FolkArt ‘home decor’ brand and Cascade color for the blueish and Maui Sand for the black lines). These dry to an ultra matte finish.
  • Wax (FolkArt ‘home decor’ brand)
  • Sandpaper (150 grit for a slight weathered look)
  • Paintbrushes
  • Painter’s masking tape

Using this particular chalk paint makes home decor jobs much easier because it eliminates several steps in prep work and painting.  With this particular paint, no priming or prep needed. You can paint over existing lacquer. And a heavily pigmented paint provides one coat coverage on most surfaces.

The trim lines were also chalk paint and done very carefully and methodically with masking tape. He made note of original lines first to try to replicate during the refinishing process. I personally love the lines as it gives the dresser even more character.

painting-dresser-lines

masking-tape-on-dresser

He was able to weather or age the chalk paint sandpaper. A simple extra step, but a great one!

Once it was fully painted and aged, he waited one day before applying the wax coat. You can brush on wax to add durability and protection to the finished project like he did here. It is a highly recommended step. Wax buffs to a soft glowing sheen.

In the end, you can turn trash worthy of the curb to a treasure worthy to a new life!

before-after-refinished-trash-dresser

See more DIY projects in our DIY project gallery! 

 

curbside-garbage-dresser-turned-gorgeous-refinished-dresser

Items mentioned in this post:

Filed Under: DIY Projects, Furniture

Previous Post: « Crushed Cookie Pudding Cups with Homemade Pudding Recipe
Next Post: 9 Gorgeous DIY Wood Walkways »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Charlotte Burkholder

    Nice! My aunt does great projects like this. I’m trying to re do a dvd stand so I asked her for some advice. Thanks for sharing at Family Joy Blog Link-up. Remember to leave your host a comment to up your chance of being featured.

    Reply
  2. Melissa

    That is quite a transformation! I love chalk paint and the way it transforms old pieces of furniture. Y’all did a great job!!

    Reply
  3. Jacky at Joyful Savings

    I’ve always wanted to do a project like this, and I’ve always liked the look of the chalk paint. Great result! You make it look easy!

    Joyful Savings recently posted: Did You Ever Think Of Using This To Organize Small Items Around The House?

    Reply
  4. Cheryl D

    This is the kind of thing I love. !!! You took something that was ugly and ready for the trash and with a little work turned it into something BEAUTIFUL !!!!! It does not even look like the same dresser NICE JOB !!!!!! Most of my furniture is all redone chalk painted furniture and it makes my home so wonderful

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Read About Our New Book

Read About Our New Book

Check Our Our Podcast!

Check Our Our Podcast!

Get a Deal on Our Book Now!

Looking for Inspiration?







Our Most Popular Articles

Our Most Popular Articles

Copyright © 2025 · The Thrifty Couple · Please check out our Privacy Policy and our Disclosure Policy.