Hello, beautiful friends!! I spent the better part of the weekend putting away all the Halloween things, so I’ve pulled out a French script dresser that I just love to share today!
Here is how this dresser started:
It was sitting outside of the Goodwill just waiting for me to come along. It was priced at $65, which I thought was a great deal for such a cute piece. But THEN, as I was standing in line to pay for it, the cashier announced that all furniture was half off! How lucky was that??
As cute as it appears, it is not a very well-crafted piece. The drawers are made of thinner wood and no dovetail joints, but I do love the charm it has!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Clean and prep
The first thing I did was give this dresser a good cleaning with White Lightning.
I mixed one TBSP into a half gallon of warm water and used a terrycloth applicator pad to wipe everything down…
They’re like a sponge covered in a washcloth and are perfect for cleaning!
Then, I swapped out my water for fresh water to give everything one more wipe down to remove any remaining residue. All clean!
Missing veneer
Next, I had a few areas of missing veneer inside the drawers:
I used wood glue to secure what was loose and then patched those areas with Dixie Mud (avaialble in brown, black, and white).
Once those areas were completely dry, I sanded them smooth with 220 grit sandpaper.
Covering the Smell
This dresser came with a smell that reminded me of an old stick up. Do they still make those? It had an overpowering flowery scent to it that I didn’t love. So, I enlisted the best thing there is to cover any odor: Dixie Belle’s BOSS!
It’s available in white, gray, and clear, and I opted for the Clear formula.
I applied one coat to the entire inside cavity of the dresser with a brush:
It goes on milky but dries clear on unfinished wood. It will leave a slight haze over darker stains.
BOSS Prime for Potential bleed-through
The next step in this dresser makeover was to apply a coat of the White BOSS to the exterior.
Because this is an older dresser, I wasn’t sure if it was a potential bleeder or not, but I decided to play it safe and go ahead and BOSS it just in case:
Not only will BOSS block odors, but it is a stain blocker as well, and is the best thing for preventing the tannins from bleeding through your paint job and has NO harsh smell. I allowed that to dry overnight as proper dry time is KEY!
Using the white under light colors will save you a coat of paint also.
Paint
Finally, it was time for paint. I chose the color Fluff for this one:
Fluff has excellent coverage for a white and it generally covers in just two coats.
It isn’t as bright a white as Cotton but more of a vintage white.
See my video for how I paint furniture below:
If you have any trouble viewing, you can see it on YouTube HERE.
Adding a Transfer
I knew just the transfer I wanted to use on this piece when I found it.
I wanted a French script dresser, and this gorgeous My Heart transfer was just the look I wanted:
Isn’t she so pretty?
Unfortunately, when I laid it out, it was a tad taller than I wanted:
To make it fit, I decided to cut the floral part out:
And I love that I was able to make it more neutral this way!
I started at the bottom burnishing it in place with the included tool…
I cut the transfer where the gaps were with a razor knife. This made it easier to apply.
To make the transfer work seamlessly after removing the floral portion, I did have to alter it in a couple of places, including moving this part down a bit to center it better:
Seal
Once I had the transfer applied, I sealed with two coats of Clear Coat in Satin using the Applicator Sponge:
If you cut the top of the sponge flat across, you can get right up under the lip at the top!
Gator Hide and Transfers don’t mix!
Just an FYI…the water repellent properties that Gator Hide is know for can cause transfers to lift. In the case of a dresser like this one, if you are adding a transfer to the front, Satin Clear Coat is plenty of protection. If your dresser will get lots of abuse, you can always Gator Hide the top and stick to Clear Coat on the front and sides.
If you are applying a transfer to a table top or something that needs the heavy duty water repellent protection of Gator Hide, you can apply a coat of Clear Coat first, and then follow up with Gator Hide.
French Script Dresser, The After
Here is how this pretty little lady turned out:
I love the sweet simplicity of this one!
The original hardware was lovely, so I just painted it in the Fluff also:
I used my fingernail to scratch some of the paint off here and there to distress them, and then gave them a quick seal with Best Dang Wax in Clear.
I kept them white so they wouldn’t fight for attention with the transfer.
Glass knobs would have been cute here too, but these pulls were too pretty not to keep and were FREE!
And you may have noticed that the transfer isn’t quite centered top to bottom, but had I done so, the pulls would have covered the all the corners! So, I decided to move it down a bit.
The Drawers
Of course I had to pretty up the drawers too! And because I had to use Dixie Mud to fill some missing veneer on a couple of them, I decided paint was the answer.
The insides and outsides were painted in Silk Conch:
It looks light here while wet, but it dries as almost an exact match to Tea Rose from the Chalk Paint line.
I love Silk for drawers since they are often unfinished wood, so you don’t need to sand first, and no topcoat is required since Silk has a built-in topcoat!
And what did I do with the floral transfer piece I cut out?
It was perfect to embellish the top drawer!
Google translate tells me it says this:
“Nothing can separate us. I will never be able to forget you. You will stay forever in my heart. I know that our story will last all our lives. From the depths of my heart I tell you never will we be separated.” (Thank you, Charlene, for fixing Google. 🙂 )
I hope y’all enjoyed seeing this beauty today!
If you’re thinking about adding a transfer to your next project, I have over 200 to choose from in my Etsy shop HERE! Just click the tab that says “transfers”!
Join me next time to see what I did with this round of smalls!
UPDATE: NO NEED TO WAIT…SEE THEM ALL HERE NOW!
See you then!
XOXO,
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Mary Kaiser says
Oh my gosh I LOVE this dresser!! I love that you googled what the script says, how beautiful is that in french script! Love the colors you picked for both the outside and the color inside the drawers! Great job as always!
Christy says
Thank you so much, my friend!! The sentiment is really sweet for sure! XOXO
Janice Holt says
Such a sweet pretty dresser. Never disappointed. Hate to think of you having to store all the Halloween things. What a job but man does it look great each year.
Christy says
Aww thank you, Janice! It is always sad to see it all come down, but now I’m ready for Christmas! My sister is decorating this weekend. I’m not quite that enthusiastic lol. XOXO
Christine DiTrinco says
The transfers are so flexible! It’s great that you can cut them and reorganize to fit your project! Love it!
Christy says
They really are! You can cut them up and use them any way you like. Thanks, Christine! XOXO
Marisa says
If you look at the dresser as a whole, I think you did right by moving the transfer, because you have an almost equal amount of white space above and below the transfer. Looks good to me!
Christy says
Thank you, Marisa! True! XOXO
Marina Lee says
What a beautiful dresser makeover. I love your style.
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Marina! XOXO
Sue says
I am always so excited when I see your email with another diy! This chest of drawers is so sweet and the colors are soft and romantic! thanks for the translation what a perfect sentiment for this piece!
Christy says
Oh yay! I love that, Sue, thank you! This is a really sweet piece for sure and I love the sentiment! XOXO
Mari says
The dresser turned out so beautiful. I love the colors you chose and that you placed the floral transfer on the inside top drawer. Really turned out nicely. Thanks so much for being so detailed in the process.
Christy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one, Mari, thank you! It was nice to end up with that coordinating floral piece that I could use in the drawer! XOXO
Charlene Godby says
Sometimes you have to correct Google! The last line says. “Never (jamais) will we be separated.” You know me, Christy, I’m French! LOL I love this French script dresser!
Christy says
Thank you, Charlene! Google actually translated it as “never will we move apart” which sounded weird lol. I appreciate your expertise so much, my friend, and have updated the post. XOXO
Susan Duffy says
Wow! Over-the-top on this one. Love it, Christy.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Susan!! XOXO
Denise Zdziennicki says
Love the dresser and the sentiment! And the inside drawer detail is the icing on the cake! Beautiful as always my friend! 🤗💙
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Denise! Have a great week, my friend! XOXO
Susie Pease says
Love the dresser. Was tired before and utterly fresh now! Beautiful!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Susie! XOXO
Mary King says
Beautiful! Love the hint of pink!!
Christy says
Thank you, Mary! XOXO
Lizzy says
It’s gorgeous. You are SO talented!
Christy says
You are the sweetest, Lizzy! Thank you so much! XOXO
Michele M. says
Love love love love it!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Michele! XOXO
MARIETTA says
Must you always be so perfect!?! I so love this. You got me this time. I thought for sure you would put the flowers on the top of the dresser. You are becoming very unpredictable!
LOL!
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Marietta! Now you know things don’t always go according to plan, but we adjust and keep working lol! And I’m glad I can still surprise you…it never occurred to me to put the flowers on top, but I love that idea! XOXO
Ruth Anne says
So beautifully done! I’m sure it will fly right out of your shop space!
Christy says
Thanks so much, Ruth Anne! XOXO
Zefi Famelis says
Absolutely wonderful!!!!
Christy says
Good luck, Zefi!! XOXO
Karen Moore says
Very pretty! Years ago women would put sachets in the dresser drawers. That’s probably what the smell was.
Christy says
Thank you, Karen! You might be right! XOXO