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DIY Refurbished Dresser Chair & Ottoman

Paige

Do you have an old chest of drawers that could use a little updating?  Maybe it has a broken drawer?  Don’t throw it out…give it new life and turn it into a cozy chair and ottoman.

DRESSER CHAIR
You Will Need:
  • Brad nail gun
  • Brad nails (or finishing nails)
  • Hack saw or jig saw
  • Hammer
  • 1”x2” piece of wood
  • Plywood (3/4” or thicker will work)
  • One sheet of beadboard
  • 3 yards of fabric (your choice on the color/style)
  • Hot glue
  • Glue sticks
  • Marker (Sharpie)
  • Pillows/cushion
  • Paint (optional)

How To:

1. Take your old chest of drawers and remove all drawers. Do not discard them…you will need them for the ottoman later.

2. You will need to remove the top next. You can do this by either using a hammer to hammer it off from the bottom up, or you can take the jig saw and cut it out.

3. Depending on how many drawers you have, you will need to cut out the center pieces that hold the drawers up and separate the drawers from one another.

4. If your dresser has side rails, you are good to go. If it doesn’t, you will need to cut two pieces of 1”x2” at the length of the depth of your chair. These will act as reinforcement pieces to be used to hold up the seat.

5. Cut your plywood to fit inside the dresser, resting on the reinforcement side pieces.

6. Make it slightly smaller than your space since you will be adding fabric to it, which will make it slightly bigger.

7. Take your beadboard and cut a piece to fit the backing and the sides. Set aside.

8. For the bottom cushion, set the plywood on top of the batting and draw an outline with a marker.

9. Cut out the batting. If your batting isn’t thick enough, add layers and layers until you reach your desired size.

10. Lay the plywood on the fabric and use your marker to draw around the plywood. You will need this to be larger than the plywood, so mark about 5” LARGER than plywood all the way around.

11. Lay the fabric on a flat surface, lay the batting on top of the fabric and add the piece of plywood.

12. Use the hot glue gun to secure the fabric around the plywood by folding it over. You can use the brad nail gun to secure into place.

13. If you want to add paint to your dresser, now is the time to do it and let it dry.

14. Add your beadboard to the back and sides of the chair with wood glue (or liquid nails) and hold in place with brad nails. Make sure to get the correct size of nails so that they do not go through the back of the dresser.

15. Place the bottom cushion on the dresser.

16. Decorate with cushions or pillows and enjoy your new chair!

DRAWER OTTOMAN

You Will Need:
  • Brad nail gun
  • Brad nails (or finishing nails)
  • Hack saw or jig saw
  • 4 Bun feet for table legs
  • 4 Bun feet attachment kits (table leg hardware)
  • Plywood (3/4” or thicker will work)
  • Fabric
  • Beadboard
  • Hot glue
  • Glue sticks
  • Marker (Sharpie)
  • Staple gun
  • Paint
  • 2 crystal-type drawer knobs

How To:

1. Take your drawer that you set aside from your dresser.

2. Measure the top and bottom of your drawer. You will need to make two pieces of plywood your reinforcement pieces for the top and bottom. (cut your plywood yourself or give the measurements to your local hardware store and they will cut it for you)

3. Take the bottom piece of plywood and attach it to the bottom of the drawer, securing it with brad nails. (If the bottom of your drawer has a nice piece of particle board, don’t throw it away…you can use this to spruce up the bottom side of the ottoman cushion)

4. Take your four bun feet attachment kits and add them to the four corners of the bottom of the drawer.

5. Attach your bun feet to the hardware by screwing them in place.

6. Measure the three sides all the way around the drawer for your beadboard.

7. Cut your beadboard to size with a circular saw or a jig saw.

8. Attach the beadboard to each side of the drawer (except the front side).

9. Take out the existing drawer pulls and set aside. (You will replace with the crystal drawer pulls after your paint.) These will come with their own screws to screw into place.

10. Paint all sides of the ottoman. (As shown: a white dry brush technique with a blue dry brush over the top)

11. Once the front is dry, replace the drawer pulls with the crystal drawer pulls. These will come with their own screws to screw into place.

12. For the ottoman cushion, set the plywood on top of the batting and draw an outline with a marker.
13. Cut out the batting. If your batting isn’t thick enough, add layers and layers until you reach your desired size.

14. Lay the plywood on the fabric and use your marker to draw around the plywood. You will need this to be larger than the plywood, so mark about 5” larger than plywood all the way around. Cut the fabric to size.

15. Lay the fabric on a flat surface, lay the batting on top of the fabric and add the piece of plywood.

16. Use the hot glue gun to secure the fabric around the plywood by folding it over. You can use the staple gun to secure into place.

17. Take the bottom piece of the drawer (if it was in good shape) and cover the backside of the cushion to hide your fabric.

18. Add two pieces of 1”x2” to the middle of the underneath of the cushion. This should be one inch smaller than the size of the cushion. These will allow the cushion to stay in place and not wiggle around when someone puts their feet on it or sits on it.

19. Place the bottom cushion on the drawer. This is removable so it also serves as a storage ottoman!

20. Sit back in your new chair, relax and enjoy your new ottoman!

For more DIY Inspiration head on over and visit my pinterest page. We want to see your DIY creations at home! So make sure you follow us on Instagram and Twitter@paigehemmis & #DIYfengshui #DIYhome

Missed the episode? Check it out on Home & Family!

XOXO,

Paige

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