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Hall Table Repurposed Dresser

ByGail Wilson Published on Updated on
71 Comments

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I have a fantastic repurposed furniture project to share with you. It’s a hall table (sofa table) made from a dresser.

I love cutting up furniture. Although this hall table made from a dresser wasn’t too hard, it was a little more complicated than I expected.

Yard Sale Dresser Repurpose

I scored a $10 dresser at a yard sale. When I purchased the old dresser, I had no idea I would be upcycling it into a hall table!

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Designing the Upcycled Dresser into a Hall Table

It wanted to be a hall table, but I didn’t want to build a base for it, so I started by removing some of the drawers.

I LOVE what I do! There’s something about furniture demolition that is very rewarding!

Related Content: Before & After Furniture Makeovers

Cut the Sides from the Dresser

First, I used my jigsaw to cut out each end of the dresser. It’s not the best design execution, but it’s all good!

These pieces fell to the ground as I cut the sides to make a new hall table.

To cut away the pieces, I drew a line right on the edge of the support pieces and drilled a hole to allow my jigsaw blade to start the cut.

Can you See the New Hall Table Taking Shape?

This is what I was left with. Do you think it’s looking like a hall table (sofa table)?

I used a scrap piece of plywood to create a bottom shelf.

There were some veneer issues to deal with.

Time for Painting!

Next, I mixed up some DIY chalky paint primer using some blue oops paint from Home Depot.

This was the strangest oops paint I have ever used. When I opened the can, the color (see the lid) did NOT resemble the fingerprint on the lid. This can was very full, and I had difficulty stirring it. You’ll see the messy can in the picture below.

The top of the can says the name of this color is Dark Denim. I’ve heard people in the paint department add extra colors to change the original custom paint. I suppose that keeps the customer from returning it and coming back to buy it later.

It seems to be true since this can of oops paint was so full. I had to stir, and stir, and stir to get the pigments to blend to make the correct color. Oops! I made a huge mess! But I finally got rid of the really bright blue paint and got the prettiest blue ever!

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I gave everything a light sanding and prepared to paint the new hall table with my Homeright Finish Max.

turning a dresser into a hall table

Using the Plaster of Paint mixture as a primer, I applied two light coats of blue. I also applied a primer coat of blue to a cabinet door that I was making into a But First. Coffee sign.

Sanding & Patching

I prefer to patch my pieces after the primer coat to see exactly what shows up. I did two coats of spackle, sanding in between.

All in all, I applied three light coats of paint with my paint sprayer.

I almost always paint my pieces’ underneath for a more finished look.

TIP: to get the best coverage on the top of a dresser or table, lay the piece down so you’re spraying vertically instead of horizontally.

This is after two coats of the chalky paint primer.

I considered the handles in the above photo, but they were too big for the small drawer sections.

I know the drawers are wrong here, but this is the way they fit best.

To achieve a smooth surface, I like to sand it with brown craft paper before spraying the top coat of paint.

DIY Like a Boss
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hall table

I added some pulls to the former dresser and new hall table, which I purchased from my friends at D. Lawless Hardware.

I would love it if you would PIN this!

Upcycled Dresser into a Hall Table

blue hall table from a dresser MyRepurposedLife.comAfter seeing how Mindi painted the outside of her drawers, I decided to try it with this project. I typically dislike doing this because the drawers tend to stick. I only did one light coat of chalky paint on the sides of each drawer.

repurposed furniture ideas turn a dresser into a hall table, sofa table MyRepurposedLife.com

What do you think? I’ve made many dresser projects, and I currently have one more “dresser in waiting.”

dana's dresser

This dresser is in the queue for projects; what would you like to see me do to it?

gail

Sharing here:  Refresh Restyle Inspiration Monday

Here are more repurposed dresser ideas.

Sharing here: Elizabeth & Co. Be Inspired  DIY Like a BOSS

Check out some more dresser ideas here

Gail Wilson is the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. She is obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believes that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again, including herself!
Gail reinvented herself during a midlife crisis and has found purpose again. She hopes you will find new ideas for old things and pick up a few tools along the way.

71 Comments

  4. This is an old post, so this may never be read. However, I’m curious as to what you used for the top two coats? I saw you used that Oops blue paint to make some chalk paint primer, but is that the same thing you used for the top two coats? Love it and just now experimenting with DIY chalk paint. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Connie,

      Surprise! I read all my comments, no matter how old the post is. 🙂

      To clarify, I used the oops paint mixed with Plaster of Paris as a primer.
      THEN, I used the paint “out of the can” for the topcoats. It’s been my favorite paint technique for years now. It’s an easy way to primer with the same color you’re using to finish the project.

      I sure hope that clears it up.

      Always here to help,
      gail

  6. I love the “blue”…………I’m more of a cottage white or black, but this is a refreshing change. My question or comment is: I assume you like your Homeright paint sprayer………..I ordered on, but it did not spray as I had thought, I found it difficult to use and also kind of messy. I’m sure I didn’t know what I was doing because SO MANY are using it, do you have any helpful suggestions?……………also I have been repurposing furniture for many years……….but I still love all the NEW ideas, …….especially the way you “take apart furniture”……..LOVE IT
    Thank you for always sharing
    Mary

    Reply

    1. Ohhh Mary! I wish I could visit you and give you a personal lesson. You are so right, I love, love, love my Finish Max. Can you expand what you mean by difficult and messy?

      In a nutshell:

      Strain paint
      Fill cup about 1/3 – 1/2 full
      Dilute with a little water (for latex paint)
      Attach paint cup to sprayer
      Turn thumb screw all the way open (sprays more paint that way)
      Plug in and Spray!

      If you can be more specific, I’d be very happy to help you work through it.

      glad you liked the blue!
      gail

  7. I love this! I have been looking and trying to decide what kind of entry table I wanted, well this is it!
    Hope to be able to get close to what you have done. Thank you so much.

    Reply

  8. Love the step by step on this transformation and the end result is beautiful. The oops paint was a great color and looks beautiful in the finished pic against your wall which brings me to my question. What is the name of the paint color on your wall? We are in the stages of picking a new paint color for the walls in our home and I’m having the hardest time making a decision.
    Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Jenny,

      Thanks for stopping by to check out my hall table made from a dresser! The gray on the wall is an oops color (mistint) at the store. I’m sorry, I can’t give you a name or more information. The trick with grays is looking at the neighboring colors on the paint chip samples. I prefer grays that are with blacks. Some grays actually have a lavender hue to them, which I found how the hard way when I painted my kitchen island.

      I hope this helps!

      gail

  11. I love this!!! I have an old desk that I picked up for free…. solid wood, that I wanted to do something different with because I do NOT like fixing drawers. I think I may see if I can do something like this with it.

    Reply

  13. This is my dresser! It was purchased for me with the complete bedroom suite when I was 10 years old (1974)! it was quality stuff in those days and I am amazed at how you transformed it! Currently my son is using my dresser. I wish I had you talent & vision, you did a beautiful job!

    Reply

    1. How special! I’m so sentimental, that I would never do these type of things to “family” furniture. 🙂

      I had my moms antique dresser, and briefly thought about painting it-but my daughter asked me not to, so I refinished it.

      gail

  16. That is very cool with the bottom drawers taken out. I love the colour, too! I would be too nervous (chicken?) to cut out the sides like you did, but it really turned out beautifully.
    P.S. A jigsaw cuts neater on the back side, but I’m not sure you could have gotten in there anyway. Another solution for stopping the tearing that occurs with plywood is to put masking tape, pressed on firmly, over the cut line and cut through the tape.

    Reply

    1. Julie,

      Yeah, I know both of those things about the jigsaw. I couldn’t have done it from the inside, and when I’ve used tape, it didn’t work so well. So I just went with it.

      Thanks for the input for those who try this at home. 🙂

      gail

  19. I love, love, love this piece, and that color is so gorgeous. Do you think you could ever replicate that color again, because I’m sure you are going to want to use it again. I love the way you cut the sides out instead of building legs and a base. I have often wondered if that could be done. Beautiful job.

    Reply

  21. What a GREAT idea!
    It looks FABulous!
    -What is this “snow delay” you speak of?
    We got 6.5″ yesterday and looks like we’ll finish at 6 more today. : p
    h a t e i t…..(oh my aching back!)
    Catherine

    Reply

  23. Love this! I will remember this idea the next time I find a dresser in distress!
    Idea for your next dresser in waiting… a coffee station, or a wine rack/bar/cabinet.
    Thank you for sharing your projects with us!
    Will pin this one!

    Reply

  24. Hi Gail! I am so happy to have found your site! You always have the most original ideas and excellent taste in finishing things. I’m a new bee to the DIY world and I’m always jazzed to see what’s trending . You and your fellow DIY bloggers are an inspiration and very helpful with instructions on how tos’ . Keep up the good work!!!! Sincerely Gail S.

    Reply

  27. Wow, what a creative idea, and amazing transformation! You’ve definitely inspired me to look at my dressers differently (I can already hear the ‘uh-oh’ from my husband…) 😉
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

  28. Very clever and a nice blue. The only critique I have is that I would have taken off the bottom apron (is that what you call it?). It doesn’t quite seem to match the clean straight lines of the rest of the piece, especially with the more modern drawer pulls.

    Reply

    1. Kate,

      I don’t disagree with you.

      I actually did it this way to KEEP that apron or skirt or whatever we should call it. But at the time, I didn’t have a clue what kind of hardware I would be using.

      thank you for your honest and sincere input. I truly appreciate it. 🙂

      gail

    3. I appreciate Kate’s POV, but I’m voting with Diane here, Take off that skirt and it’s just another plain table. Without distinction. Anyway, not many people will stand back and look right at the front from a distance and, more important, they won;t judge it. It would be a great piece to keep, but if you sell it, I hope you let us know how long it takes and if any lookers have a problem with it as it is……..interesting market research and useful……

    5. I assumed you would need that piece to add to the stability of the table. As I was reading and looking at the pictures, I wondered about the new legs and how sturdy they would be. Don’t most dressers rely on the drawer supports to keep them from beginning to lean one way or the other? Did you consider adding cross braces in the back before painting, or am I completely off base with my concerns?

    6. Wendy,

      When you say “new legs” do you mean the existing legs, but are new because I did the cut outs? The dresser is very sturdy, and no it never occurred to me to do a cross brace.
      I had the piece up on it’s end several times as I was cutting it, as well as rolling it around on a furniture dolly without any sense of it not being sturdy. I believe a friend is buying it, so I’ll be keeping an eye on it and will update the post if there is a problem in the future. 🙂

      I appreciate your input, and concern. That’s why I love reading comments–y’all think of things that I don’t!

      gail

    7. Yes, that’s what I meant about the legs. I believe you when you say it was sturdy. Not that I have that much experience (or any really 🙂 ) with projects like this one, but the legs seemed thin for the potential weight of the drawers. That may be more a statement about my hoarding than your craftsmanship. For what it’s worth, I think cross braces would have looked good. I think the piece is beautiful! Something I would proudly display and use in my home.

    1. That turned out very nice…I absolutely love the color…whenever you buy some oops paint you can asked them to shake it for you and also look at it b4 you buy,…and sometimes you can get the color combo and well so if you need again they can make it for you or at least color match…what coat did you out on top of the table?

    2. Copper,

      Thanks for your interest in this project. Whenever I use my DIY chalk paint, I always end with the topcoat (semi-gloss) so that the piece is properly sealed, no waxing needed. 🙂

      It’s the best thing about making your own chalk paint.
      When I asked Home Depot about oops paint, I was told that it’s up to the clerk that RE-mixes the paint that the customer declined or returned. That they generally just add a dark color to change the hue so that the original customer can’t come back and get it at a discounted price. I generally just grab it and run. I recently got a gallon of the newer scuff paint (?) FREE Yep! can you imagine that!? I really grabbed that one and ran.

  33. Yay!! I have been waiting for this makeover!! Gail it is amazing!! I love that you kept the original dresser for the legs and notched out the sides, so clever!! And of course I love the blue, so pretty! You know I was looking at the dresser into bench that I made and was thinking the other day that I could have kept the legs longer and turned it into a soft table, I would have really like it that way… ha ha! Great minds… 🙂

    Reply

    1. I am so happy that you are finding things to inspire you here on My Repurposed Life! It’s why I do what I do. The handles sort of chose themselves because of thos small little sections on the drawer fronts. It really limited me to what handles I could use. I’ve seen those vintage handles on a lot of pieces, but not quite that tiny!
      Thanks for your sweet comment Melissa!

      gail

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