Things You'll Need:
- 1 solid wood dresser (avoid veneer and wood inlay furniture)
- 1 gallon white primer
- 1 gallon pastel paint in color of your choice
- Hand sander
- Paintbrush
- Washcloth
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Step 1
Choose a dresser that will accommodate the look to match your room. Popular shabby chic finds are generally well worn used wooden dressers. These can be found at estate sales, flea markets or antique shops. It does not matter if the piece is not the desired color that you are looking for or has a lacquered finish---do not let that be a determent from obtaining the piece. Inspect the overall structure and function of the piece. Make sure the legs are solid and the drawers are in good working order.
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Step 2
Pick out a paint color. Popular shabby chic colors are pale and faint. Choose light colors such as mint, pink, off-white and a very light yellow. A base coat in white is recommended so that it will cover up any dark colors in the grain of the wood.
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Step 3
Prepare the dresser. This should be done by wiping the piece down with a damp cloth then drying completely. Remove all knobs and hardware. Sand off the original finish and work your way down to the bare wood. Wipe off any remaining sawdust.
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Step 4
Apply the paint. Start off by applying the primer or a coat of white paint. Allow the primer to dry completely. Proceed to add the primary color. Use light brush strokes. Apply two coats if necessary. Allow to dry completely. Make sure to cover the entire piece for uniformity.
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Step 5
Distress the piece. Once the paint has dried, begin to make the piece look slightly used and weathered. Do this by lightly sanding down certain areas of the dresser such as the top, sides and corners. Use a flat head screwdriver to add weathered wedges to the corners and sides of the dresser---this will give it a distressed look. Sand lightly and allow the white paint and the natural finish of the dresser to come through.
