For the past few weeks, I’ve been working on a makeover on our primary bedroom and one of the projects recently finished is this painted rattan paneled dresser.
Originally it was a dark charcoal stain which didn’t work with the coastal vibe I was trying to create in this space. The dresser came with the house when we bought it back in 2022 (see these pics which show the original bedroom).
I shopped around a bit for a replacement but then came to my senses and realized since it fit the wall perfectly, all it needed was to be painted white and elevated to a coastal style with the addition of rattan to the drawer fronts. I saved myself over a thousand dollars by giving it a makeover, here is is before, rather dark and uninspiring.
Pottery Barn sells a similar white and cane dresser on their main site and this white and cane dresser pictured below on PB Kids for $1699. The look is a classic one so I repeated the same white paint plus rattan front combo.
I updated my dresser for less than $100 with primer, a quart of paint, and a little patience applying the rattan.
The priming and painting steps were simple: one coat of Zinsser water based primer and two coats of ‘Swiss Coffee’ in the Benjamin Moore Advance formula (the best for cabinets and furniture).
The more difficult task was applying the rattan. I thought it would be simple, like wallpaper, but I was wrong. Rattan, being a natural woven material, is thick and will fray if you’re not careful. I read online that it’s important to wet it first, so I soaked it in warm water for 20 minutes, then let it dry out on a towel, forcing it to lay flat by holding the corners down with heavy objects.
I worked with a 5 foot roll of rattan I purchased here. I cut it carefully with sharp scissors but found the natural rattan still wanted to curl, so to apply it to the drawer fronts and make it stay, I used a thick amount of tacky glue applied with a craft paintbrush, and then forced it to lay flat with small weighted objects, I found drinking glasses filled with water worked well.
I repurposed the original drawer pulls, but instead of leaving them dark, I spray painted them gold.
I’ll share more images from this primary bedroom makeover next week. :)
Curious to know tools you used for the priming and painting part to get such a smooth finish. It’s beautiful and I’d love to attempt it with our dark bedroom side tables but fear the obvious brush strokes I’ve encountered on past projects. Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
Hi Karen, with this project I wasn’t too concerned with brush strokes because the texture of the piece was rustic, you can see it a bit in the up close photos. Knowing that I wasn’t as careful in the application as with past furniture makeovers.
However, I have painted cabinets and furniture in the past and in those circumstances where I want the smoothest finish I do the following. Prime with a foam roller, this gives you the smoothest application and wherever you need to fill in the gaps, use a really good paintbrush, the Purdy brand is my go to. If the primer leaves any bumps, sand them smooth with a medium grit sanding wedge. Then you’re ready for paint. I think there are two tricks to painting for the smoothest finish, one is buy the right brand. I’ve tried various brands in the past and the Ben Moore Advance is still my favorite because it acts more like an oil based paint, it levels very well and dries very hard. Two, use light strokes and thin coats in your application. This may take more time, it does require more patience, and sometimes you’ll end up doing three coats instead of two but it’s worth it because you’ll get the smoothest brush stroke free finish with that technique. Hope this helps!
Thank you! I think the foam roller will be a game changer and you are so right about the paint. Now I just have to locate a place to purchase some patience 🤪
Perfection♥️
Aw thanks!
I love this and can;t wait to see the rest of the bedroom! Can you tell me what glue you used…I’m not exactly sure what you meant by tacky glue.
Hi Susan, I used a tacky glue (fast dry formula) I found at Michaels, I linked to the brand in the post. I applied it as a somewhat thick paste so it would grab the rattan then weighted it down to allow it to dry flat. It dries clear so it didn’t affect the paint color or the color of the rattan. Hope that answers your question!
I like yours better than PB. You always do the most creative and inspiring projects.
Nice job, Kate!
I’m wondering if a nice rough grasscloth (not the obvious vertical kind, but the ones that look more like your rattan with a 2-way weave) would work as well? Those would probably still want to curl or fray around the edges as well, though . . .
grasscloth would absolutely work! and it would be easier and still provide texture!
I’ve been following your blog since 2009 and this may be my favorite makeover yet! Thanks for always sharing tips on the parts of the project that are challenging. The dresser looks beautiful and yay for saving $$$!
Beautiful results! Did you sand before priming? Two coats of primer and paint? Thanks.
Love this! Can you please share the spray paint you used on the hardware?