Antique Wardrobe Makeover

How To Paint An Old Wardrobe: A Quick And Easy Guide

Sometimes, the old and worn-out pieces of furniture need a new look. You don’t have to spend much money to change them. Follow these tips and learn how to give an antique wardrobe a makeover.

This particular wardrobe has five drawers and one large door. I had never seen this extraordinary pull-out hanging rod inside a cabinet before. Isn’t it genius for it’s time? If you’re short on closet space for your kiddo, this is perfect! I’m guessing this might be from the late 40s or early 50s. What do you think? Some kids had beaten up this poor little antique wardrobe for sure.
You will notice that most images will have the kid’s wardrobe on those handy furniture wheel dollies. When the drawers are out of the armoire, it’s not very heavy, but it is awkward to move around.

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Here’s a closeup of the sliding hanging rod. I suppose you could remove the hanging rod and add shelves, similar to what I did with the camper closet shelves.

Remove Drawers & Hardware

To begin the makeover on the sad-looking antique armoire, I removed the drawers and their knobs. Did I mention this antique was a curb find? So, yeah, it was free. Would you have dragged it home for FREE?

Sand Furniture to Smooth out Old Paint

Not only was it beaten up by some kid, but I think the same person may have painted it. My goal was to remove all hint of the old color so that the new owner wouldn’t know the shape it had been in. I may or may not have succeeded.

In addition, I needed to try to smooth out the layers of paint where it was chipping. I used sandpaper, sanding sponges, and an orbital sander. You could strip the paint ifp you want to give the antique furniture new life.

More Chippy Old Paint

The top of the antique wardrobe was a challenge, especially the header in the back. Do you call this type of furniture wardrobes, armoires, or chifforobes?

The bottom of the cabinet needed a few repairs. Maybe it was a hideout for the kids?

How Do You Clean an Old Wooden Wardrobe

Of course, the kid’s wardrobe was a little “grimy.” So, I used HTP surface prep, applying it with a chip brush and removing it with an old cloth.

We’re getting closer to painting the wardrobe!

Painting Kid’s Antique Dresser

Although the paint may look white, it’s actually All In One Paint (Peony), a very light pink. I prefer using these small rollers for the flat surfaces. It gives the perfect finish. Using the rollers is helpful to keep the paint ONLY on the drawer fronts.

After doing a light first coat with the roller, you can see it doesn’t cover everywhere. But I’m okay with that because rolling is so much faster.

Due to weather conditions, I had to bring the drawers in to do their final coats of paint. Aren’t they pretty? Hardly any hint of blue left. More about that later.

Peek-A-Boo Drawer Sides

I apologize for the poor image quality. Do you remember when I did the peek-a-boo drawers on the gray desk? I did those with paint. I decided to use tissue paper for the kid’s antique wardrobe drawers. The drawer on the left is finished. The ones on the right are getting two coats of Mod Podge.

I let the Mod Podge dry thoroughly between coats.

I bought a variety pack of tissue paper on Amazon. This is Watercolor Petal.

After the Mod Podge was dry, I placed a large sheet of tissue paper on the side of the drawer and “ironed” it on with my easy press. Next, I used a sanding sponge to break off the edge of the tissue paper.

Cricut Easy Press

The easy press was set at 210° for 30 seconds. You could use your clothes iron for this as well.

Why Did I Use Iron on Method for Mod Podge?

I used the iron-on method of Mod Podge to get a smoother finish. Because the tissue paper was on the side, I needed to ensure it was smooth enough to not interfere with opening and shutting the drawers.

In this image, you can see what I was talking about using the large sheet and then sanding off the edges to make it fit. If you were to try to cut it first, it would be nearly impossible to apply it straight.

Because I wanted the color to be muted, I used the back side of the tissue paper. It’s duller in color and less shiny. I think it’s cool to have double-sided tissue paper in extra-large sheets!

Decoupage Antique Wardrobe Knobs

After painting the wooden wardrobe knobs, I cut the same pattern out of the tissue paper for each knob. Use a dab of Mod Podge to hold the tissue paper. Allow to dry. “Sand” off extra tissue and apply a couple of topcoats.

Finish Painting the Antique Wardrobe

Better weather conditions allowed me to finish painting the antique wardrobe outside. Laying it on a work table made seeing all the places I missed on the first coat easier. Luckily, I didn’t have to repair the veneers. I used the roller and my favorite small paintbrush for the final coats. There is a lot of heavy lifting when doing a furniture makeover.

Sadly, there are still some dents left from its previous home. With more layers of paint, it lessened.

To make the interior brighter, it was painted white. Notice the wheel dollies are not in use today. They were needed for another awkward, heavy project. These furniture sliders allowed me to scoot the antique wardrobe on the driveway, down the sidewalk, and into the house.

After years of moving furniture by myself, I’ve got it down pat. The legs have felt pads on them. So, I scooted it to the porch, lifted it, replaced furniture movers, and scooted it more–into the kitchen. Then, I could easily slide it on the hardwood floors without damage. BUT don’t attempt this with the drawers in it.

Little Girl’s Antique Dresser with Hanging Storage

Isn’t the pink antique wardrobe so much better than the blue one it was before?

Do you love the decoupage drawers and knobs as much as I do?

The amount of storage this little girl’s dresser offers is fantastic!

I can also see this used for an adult; what would you use the ample storage for? I think it would be great for quilts, blankets, and more!