Upholster your dresser in Vintage Sheets

Enjoy this fun tutorial from Melissa at Under Construction Blog.   

Before (boring):

After:

 

Directions:

Choose a piece of furniture without any engraved or textured elements. The drawer faces are curved on this piece but a contoured drawer edge would be difficult. Also, choose something with drawers that overhang the front of piece (as opposed to inset drawers).

Gather your supplies: sandpaper, large paintbrush or foam brush, mod podge, scissors and pieces of lightweight fabric large enough to generously cover the drawer faces. I used scraps of vintage sheets for a cheap and cheerful option that matches the vintage sheet quilt on the bed.
 

Remove the drawer pulls or other hardware and take the drawers out of the dresser.
   

Lightly sand your drawer faces. Four-year-old assistant is optional (and not all that helpful) (no idea why this photo is sideways)

**NOTE: if you are working with a lightweight or light background fabric (like a sheet!) and you intend to paint your dresser, paint the drawer faces at this point. I learned from my mistake--the wood grain shows through my fabric and is quite obvious against the white paint.**

Cut rectangles of fabric to the size of your drawer front plus a few extra inches on each side. You’ll trim it later.

Roll a tube of scrap paper and stuff it into the holes from the hardware. You don’t want to fill the hardware holes with glue!


Brush the entire drawer face with a thin, even coat of mod podge. (pretend those paper plugs are already in the holes in this photo--I was learning as I worked).

Pull the plugs and lay the fabric over the drawer face using your hands to smooth out any bubbles. Do not leave this task to a four year old.

I found that adding another coat of mod podge on top of the fabric led to an unpleasant, rough texture. Therefore left the fabric uncoated which means the dresser will be easy to stain and hard to clean but the fabric feels nice.

Once the front is smooth, trim the fabric so it wraps around and meets the drawer sides without bunching up. Notch the corners to remove bulk.

Spread mod podge on the back edges of the drawers and wrap the fabric around folding the corners to make them look tidy. A binder clip can help hold the fabric in place while the glue dries.

If you’re going to paint, paint the rest of the dresser and the hardware. Allow to dry.

Once the mod podge is dry on the drawers, you’ll be able to feel a dimple at the hole for the hardware. Use something pointy (scissor tip?) to poke through the fabric and replace the hardware.

Enjoy your beautiful new dresser!

Thanks Melissa!

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