How to Add a Rustic Top to a Dresser

I had my husband pick up these dressers off of Craigslist a couple months ago after not even looking at them myself. When he got them home I LOVED them, but the tops were awful. I had this vision in my head of a beautiful, rustic wood top... but just had to actually put that into action :).

My parents came to visit a few weeks ago and my Dad, who can fix just about anything, was lucky enough to tackle the job for me ;). I think he thought I was absolutely crazy for wanting to do what I had planned, but was nice enough to humor me and do it anyway. Thanks Dad!

It always makes me nervous when I have a "vision" because I never REALLY know if it's going to turn out or not. Sometimes it does, sometimes... not so much! In this case, I'm THRILLED with how it turned out and even more thrilled that it SOLD the very next day we took it into the boutique.

The nightstand is still in the works, I wasn't expecting to sell the dresser that fast so I never got pictures of the two together, but here's a few pictures of the process. I'll do my best to explain it...

Before

Steps of Painting: 

 Sanded. Used my Porter Cable spray gun to spray prime with Kilz. Sprayed with Behr Premium Plus paint in Porpoise. Glazed in black. Sealed with Minwax Polycrylic.

Rustic Top: 

Supplies:

Wood (2x4's, 2x6's, etc.)

Screws (make sure you get long enough ones. Ours were about 2" and 2.5"

Drill & Bits

Stain

Sealer (Polyurethane) 

Rag

Paintbrush 

1. When I finished painting the dresser, we measured the top and had Lowe's cut our 2x4's the exact length we needed. We actually had to use two 2x4's and one 2x6 because of the size of the top of the dresser. I wanted it to overhang on all sides a little bit, so we had them cut the pieces bigger than the actual top of the dresser.

2. Then we pre-drilled holes into the dresser top to make it easier to put the screws in from underneath...

3. After the holes were done (we went in sections, only drilling holes per 2x4 we were placing) my dad placed the screws in the underside of the dresser into the pre-drilled holes to secure the 2x4's ..

And my mom pushed down on the top while I watched :) Don't worry though, my husband and I finished the nightstand all by ourselves! ...

4. Keep doing that until all your boards are screwed in. The back and front boards were the hardest to screw in, but it was still doable...

5. After the boards are all in place, sand down the wood if you need to with fine grit sand paper. 

6. Place painters tape (I like the green Frog Tape) around the edges to protect your dresser.

7. Stain top using your paintbrush and rag to wipe on, let sit for a minute, and wipe off. Let dry.

8. Seal with polyurethane (I like Minwax), it's an oil-base sealer that's the most durable for this kind of project. I used 3 coats for this top.

Here she is was in the store next to Jourdan's fabulous Stencil Dresser and a few other fantastic pieces from Posh Barn.

*I hope this tutorial was an easy one! It really wasn't that difficult to figure out, just took some time and man power. The nightstand was a bit of a pain... my husband's arms were shaking for quite a while when we finished :). If you have any questions about it I'd love to help! Email us or leave a comment if you'd like.

Posted by: Ashley

If you'd like to pin this post here's another picture...

 

Linking to:
Miss Mustard Seed
The Southern Institute
Handy Man, Crafty Woman
Funky Junk Interiors

Under The Table And Dreaming
Lolly Jane Boutique