Materials: Rast Chest of Drawers, 1 Roll of Gift Wrap, PVA Glue, Gloss Black Spray Paint
Description: In my bedroom there was an excess of shelves and hanging space, but no drawers, which I much prefer.
Cue trip to IKEA for the most student budget friendly chest made (Rast, obviously).
Once home it basically sat bare for about 6 months while I figured out what to do to it. Finally came up with a design that took bits from a whole host of makeovers already available online.
Originally I planned to use fabric on the drawer fronts, but then I found this gift wrap and liked it a lot.
This is what I did to my Rast, all within an unseasonably warm British afternoon:
1) Make up Rast following instructions, except leaving fronts and bases off the drawers, and keeping to one side the knobs and the funny little plastic things the drawers run on.
2) Wipe down all the wood for dust & dirt
3) Use multiple coats of spray paint on the main frame, back&sides of the drawers and knobs (I cheated a bit on the inside of the frame and the drawers and only did the bits you were most likely to see)
4) In between coats on the frame, paper the drawer fronts. I covered both sides of the fronts, wrapping them almost like I would a gift. Spread glue using a paintbrush VERY thinly on the wood rather than the paper to avoid it turning into a soggy mess (it took me a couple of tries to get it right). Use something with a long straight edge (eg. magazine) to help prevent creases/ bubbling.
5) Once everything is dry, finish putting it all together. You will have to make holes in the paper where the pre-drilled holes are on the back of the drawer fronts.
And voila! It was done and touch dry within a few hours (I could put it together that day), and looks pretty cool. The best thing is, it was so cheap that when I finally graduate I won't have to feel bad if I replace it or try a different look with it.
Total cost: �15 ($23 US) for the chest, plus about �7 for the paint and �3 for the paper = �25
~ Ali, Manchester, UK
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