'DIY: Old dresser'

Do you have a couple hours to spare? Would you like to introduce a new piece of furniture to your home, but don’t have the budget right now to do so? Or have you bought some recession furniture at a garage sale and would like to incorporate into your home?

If the answers are “yes” to all these questions, then I have another do-it-yourself project for you . DIY meets: that old dresser.

Here’s what you will need:

- Wallpaper

- Dressers with flat drawers, otherwise wallpaper will not stick appropriately

- Mod Podge

- X-acto knife

- Rubber hand-roller used for flattening

- Foam brush

- Newspaper

- Cardboard

- Pencil and ruler

Here’s what you do:

1. First, remove all the drawers and remove any knobs or other hardware on the drawer. This is where the screwdriver will come in handy.

2. Roll the wallpaper face down on a flat surface and position cardboard underneath (for protection).

3. Position the drawer facedown on the paper and line the drawer with the edge of paper to guarantee cutting a straight line in the pattern.

4. Use the X-acto knife to cut the wallpaper around the drawer. The drawer, in this case, serves as a sort of tracer. (If you would rather trace the outline of the drawer on the paper with a pencil before cutting, you can do so. Use a ruler after tracing to make sure the dimensions are even and then cut.)

5. Now, place the drawer face up on a sheet of newspaper.

6. Take the strip of wallpaper and put only a small coat of Mod Podge on the edge of one side of the paper with the foam brush. Adhere this side of the paper to the drawer. Working your way down the drawer, coat the paper with the foam brush and smooth out the paper onto the drawer. Repeat for the other drawers.

7. After you’ve applied the wallpaper to the drawers, take the rubber hand-roller and smooth out any bubbles or creases formed. Let the drawers dry overnight.

8. The next day, replace the knobs or any other hardware on the drawers. Put the drawers back in the dresser.

*Tips: Test out the look by applying wallpaper to only one drawer and leaving the other as is. Or play with combinations and apply wallpaper to every other drawer. You decide!

-S. Gonzalez

*Photos courtesy of redbookmag.com