I’m on such a furniture makeover kick right now! Even as I was still finishing up my mid-century dresser makeover, I was already planning my first attempt at a faux campaign dresser!

I had my eye out for an actual vintage campaign chest, but there weren’t that many available, and the ones that there were seemed like they needed more work than I was prepared for. If you want to try a faux campaign dresser makeover, look for a piece with straight lines and a wide frame around the drawers. I found this dresser for $30 on Craigslist – the finish on top was pretty heavily damaged, but the rest of it was in good solid shape, and I planned to paint it anyway.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• High quality paint brush
• 4” foam paint roller set or try out this amazing painting pad I found – it paints quickly and gives a great smooth finish!
• Rags
• gloves
• TSP or other deglossing solution
• Sandpaper – medium and fine grit
• Bonding primer designed for slick surfaces
• Latex paint – mine is a semi-gloss in Benjamin Moore Fieldstone 1558
• Campaign corner brackets – depending on the size of your dresser, you may be able to get away with using these inexpensive brass brackets. My dresser is big and has a wide frame, so I bought more specialized ones from Horton Brasses. I also saw some on Etsy.
• Campaign drawer pulls – the authentic pulls are recessed into the drawer fronts, which exceeded my skill level, so I used these surface-mounted campaign-style pulls

Here’s how to do it:

• Clean off dirt and dust
• Remove hardware
• If you are changing hardware, fill in the old holes and drill the new ones
• Sand the surface with medium grit sandpaper
• Wipe with surface with deglosser such as Gloss-off or TSP
• Apply primer using a brush for small corners or details, followed by the roller or paint pad for as smooth a finish as possible. I did two coats of primer and let it dry thoroughly overnight
• Sand lightly with 400 grit sandpaper and wipe off dust with a rag
• Paint several coats of latex paint using your brush and roller or painting pad and let dry thoroughly 
• Add drawer pulls and brass corner brackets, and you are done!

I forgot to take proper “before” picture, so this is the closest I have:

This new dresser is the perfect neutral background for a fall display! One more sent of painted dressers coming up soon!

Julie aka “Jewels”