A DIY Dog Bed for Your Furry Friend
, by Amy Howard, 8 min reading time
In about 2.5 hours, your dog will be living in luxury in their new doggy bed. You’ll also get a beautiful antique piece that looks more stylish than functional (but you’ll know it’s both!).
Materials Needed:
- Clean Slate
- One Step Paint in Linen
- One Step Paint in French Blue
- Toscana Milk Paint of your choice
- Antiquing Glaze
- Light Antique Wax
- Chip Brushes
- An old dresser drawer
- A cushion that fits drawer
- Optional: Finials to create “feet” on the bed
How to Make Your DIY Dog Bed in Less Than 3 Hours
- Remove hardware from your dresser drawer and clean the surface using Clean Slate and a lint-free rag.
2. Apply a base coat of One Step Paint in Linen. Use a nylon or synthetic brush with the One Step Paint to achieve a smooth finish. Allow 30 minutes of drying time.
3. Mix Toscana Milk Paint with water, making the water and powder an equal parts solution. Mix together extremely well.
Pro tip: Add more or less water to adjust consistency.
4. Using a flat chip brush, apply an even coat of the Toscana Milk Paint mix to the entire surface of the drawer. Allow the milk paint to dry at least 30 minutes. The color will lighten as it dries. Do the same to the feet if you are using them for your dog bed.
5. Dip a chip brush into the Antiquing Glaze and splatter the surface. Allow 5 minutes of drying time.
6. Saturate a sea wool sponge with the Antiquing Glaze. Gently press down, lift up, and gently press down again. Never drag or move the sponge around, as this will ruin the aged look.
7. Using a lint-free rag, carefully blot up any excess glaze. The glaze adds a bit of color to the finish, so you want to make sure there aren’t any dark spots.
8. Add feet to your drawer if you would like to lift the drawer off of the floor a bit. Paint your feet with a base coat of the Amy Howard at Home One Step in Linen and then a light top coat of French Blue. Set aside to dry.
9. Seal your Toscana Milk Paint finish with the Amy Howard at Home Light Antique Wax. Use a flat chip brush to apply a very light, even layer of the wax. Let it come to tack (about 15-20 minutes), then buff the entire surface with a soft lint-free rag to achieve an alluring sheen.
10. Once all surfaces have cured, it is time to attach the finials/decorative feet and the hardware. Depending on the finials/feet you use, you may need screws or wood glue.
11. To finish the project, add a cushion made of complimenting colors to the dresser, making sure to find one that fits snuggling in the dresser while leaving enough room for your pup to get comfy.
In about 2.5 hours, your dog will be living in luxury in their new doggy bed. You’ll also get a beautiful antique piece that looks more stylish than functional (but you’ll know it’s both!).
Show off your DIY dog bed on Facebook and share a picture of your dog relaxing in it! Don’t forget to tag Amy Howard At Home so that we can see it. Share your project on Instagram with #amyhowardathome and tag @amyhowardhome on Instagram for a chance to be featured.
