Jumbo Wood Tray

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 gorgeous wood tray was purchased at a local church thrift sale. It had such beautiful grain and size I could not pass it by.

Somewhere along the lines it must have had handles of some sort. I filled this with wood filler and sanded the tray smooth.

I will add this sleek new silver handles but which orientation? I did a poll on the Creative Moment's Instagram and Facebook pages; there were loads of votes but both were split about 50/50.

We decided to go with on the side for ease of handling, easier storing and better stability. My handyman drills new holes for the hardware and I installed it.

I had envisioned the word GATHER on this tray. Using my script stencil I moved it around to see where it would look best. My sister suggested the lower corner which I loved!