Kids Desk in OFMP

DIY Furniture Flip: Refinished Solid Maple Dresser in Classic White

In this tutorial, I’m sharing how I completely transformed a solid maple, Canadian-made dresser into a fresh, modern piece that’s both timeless and functional. Originally a tired chest of drawers, this sturdy maple beauty got a full makeover — from sanding and priming to a crisp classic white finish and new stainless steel bar and knob hardware . The result? A clean, elegant dresser with five easy-glide drawers that looks right at home in any bedroom, guest room, or entryway. Follow along to see each step of the refinishing process and how a little paint and hardware can give solid wood furniture a brand-new life.

This sweet hand made kids desk was brought to me to custom paint for a customer who is going to donate it to her sons preschool fundraiser. How sweet is that?

Step 1 was to scrub it all down well and do repairs including rebuilding the long drawer shown here glued and clamped and later staples to secure further.

She was open to any colors but mentioned she really liked the fun milk painted end table I just finished. I wanted to use milk paint as the vintage pieces look fabulous in it so chose Old Fashioned Milk Paint in tavern green and federal blue for this desk.

The colors blended so well to give a layered look.

When dry a sponge sand was done to smooth the surface.

An aerial view show the colors once dry

If you have used milk paint, you know it has a mind of its own and will chip where it wants ;) I did touch up some of the larger areas but in keeping with its age, the chippy paint looks authentic.

To seal it I chose polycrylic for a smooth surface with a semi gloss sheen for a bit of shine. I applied 3 coats with a sand between each when dry for the perfect durable finish.

Here it is all ready to head to the fundraiser!