Chest of Drawers Makeover in 3 Hours or Less
, by Amy Howard, 4 min reading time
Do you have an old chest sitting in storage but haven’t brought it out because it just doesn’t blend with your décor? Amy has you covered! In this DIY chest makeover tutorial, Amy is sharing a fun, short project that will give your chest of drawers new life — and a new look.
Do you have an old chest sitting in storage but haven’t brought it out because it just doesn’t blend with your décor? Amy has you covered! In this DIY chest makeover tutorial, Amy is sharing a fun, short project that will give your chest of drawers new life — and a new look.
Materials You’ll Need
- A chest of drawers (wood, not veneered)
- Lint-free rags
- Clean Slate™
- Chip brushes (at least 3)
- Artist brush
- Better With Age solution
- Cerusing Wax
- Gilding Size
- Silver Leaf
- Light Antique Wax
- Dark Antique Wax
11 Steps to a Whole New Chest of Drawers
1. Clean your raw wooden surface of any dust, grime, or dirt with our Amy Howard at Home® Clean Slate™.
2. Dip the tip of your chip brush into the Amy Howard at Home® Better with Age solution. Offload excess before applying.
3. Using long, even strokes, brush Better with Age solution onto your raw wooden surface for full and consistent coverage. Allow approximately 30 to 45 minutes for the solution to dry before moving to the next step.
4. After the wood has completely dried, apply an even coat of the Amy Howard at Home® Vintage Wood Mercantile Cerusing Wax with another (clean) chip brush. Make sure to keep the coverage even across the entire chest. Allow 1 hour of dry time.
5. Lightly buff your surface with a clean chip brush or a lint-free rag. For more sheen, you can use steel wool and rub with the grain.
6. Using an artist brush, apply Gilding Size to the edges of your piece or wherever you want to have a slightly silver metallic shine. (This looks great on the edges of drawers or on hardware!) Wait for 20 to 30 minutes for Gilding Size to come to tack. It will feel slightly sticky and oily, but not wet.
7. While Gilding Size comes to tack, cut strips of the Silver Leaf sheets to the correct size of the Gilding Size-covered area.
8. Apply Silver Leaf to Gilding Size-covered areas, using your finger or the end of a brush to press it onto your chest of drawers. Brush off excess with a clean chip brush.
9. Seal only the gilded areas with a gentle layer of Light Antique Wax™. Apply evenly and lightly and let the wax come to tack.
10. Accent the edges of your chest of drawers with a light coat of Dark Antique Wax™. (Of course, always make sure to offload wax before applying and use different chip brushes for different waxes!)
11. To finish, lightly buff waxes using a lint-free rag. You do not want too much of a sheen, but just enough wear to look authentic.
In approximately 2.5 hours, you’ll have an entirely new chest of drawers to show off. The Better With Age solution, gilding, and waxes all work together to give your piece an aged but modern look. Follow Amy’s steps for a beautiful finish you’ll be proud of.
Show off your new chest of drawers on Facebook! 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.
