Putting together a nursery is not cheap as baby furniture can be very pricey. But there's another option for designing a gorgeous nursery, on a budget. Instead of brand new, look for good quality second-hand furniture for a fraction of the cost. It is not difficult to breathe new life into it and I'll show you how.

Today I'm sharing how we gave a makeover to a solid wood dresser found on Facebook Marketplace for a third of what it would have cost brand new. The used mid-century modern dresser is a perfect candidate for a chic baby change table upcycle, customized to the nursery colors.

Mid-Century Modern Dresser Nursery Change Table Upcycle

My son and daughter-in-law are in the process of designing a gorgeous mid-century modern-style nursery for our grandbaby due in August. So far we upcycled a mid-century modern bookcase and now this dresser to match.

They also found a gently used mid-century modern-style crib that just needed cleaning for far less than it currently retails brand new. We've color-matched the paint for the upcycled furniture pieces to match.

Can You Paint A Changing Table

Yes, both the nursery dresser change table and bookcase are painted with chalk-style paint. It has low to zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds) making it a good candidate for painting baby furniture. It has a durable matte finish and dries very quickly so a makeover doesn't take a long time to complete.

Ultimately, you want to look for furniture that has not been previously painted because you don't know if it may have been painted with lead paint. Look for either unpainted wood or factory-finished pieces.

This is what the dresser looked like before. Someone had already taken the time to paint the solid wood 4-drawer dresser with what I believe is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in the color Napoleonic Blue. I'm assuming they must have given up on the makeover because the paint hadn't been sealed with anything yet.

With a little elbow grease and custom white and teal paint colors, it has a fresh modern look that retains its mid-century modern style charm.

This post contains affiliate links so you can see what products I used or recommend for this project. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

Can You Use A Dresser As A Changing Table?

Absolutely! You can easily repurpose a short chest of drawers into a changing table by adding a changing pad on the top.

How To Turn A Dresser Into A Changing Table

Step 1 - Prepping The 4-Drawer Nursery Dresser For Paint

When doing dresser makeovers, I always do the following things first:

1. Remove the drawers and label the back of each drawer with chalk so they go back in the same order they were removed.
2. Remove the hardware and set it aside in a container so they don't get misplaced if the plan is to reuse them.
3. Place a piece of painter's tape over the hardware holes on the inside of the drawers so the paint doesn't seep inside the drawers.
4. Vacuum inside the dresser and the drawers.
5. Give everything a good scrub with 1 part white vinegar, 2 parts warm water, and a drop of Dawn dish soap. Thankfully because the dresser was recently painted, it only required a quick wipe.
6. Once it's dry, lightly sand the dresser and drawer fronts with 150-grit sandpaper to give the paint some bite. Remove the dust with a damp lint-free rag.

The previous paint finish on the dresser must have been rolled on because there were several roller lap marks that needed sanding smooth.

Because the dresser is going to be painted white over the dark blue paint, I primed it first with one coat of water-based Zinsser Bullseye 123 Primer. I offer many more tips on my tutorial page for how to prep furniture for chalk paint.

Now that the dresser is cleaned and prepped, it's time for the fun part.

Step 2 - Painting The MCM Nursery Dresser

Both the dresser and the nursery bookcase are painted with Behr Chalk Decorative Paint. The nice thing about this particular paint is that it can be color-matched to almost any color. We took a small piece of the crib to Home Depot and they were able to custom match the white paint color perfectly.

Instead of rolling the white paint like it had been done previously, I brushed it on with a Zibra Palm Pro Paintbrush. The paint is a little thick so I thin it a little before each dip into the paint can by dampening the brush with my favorite misting water bottle.

The paint has a one-hour wait time between coats. Before applying the second coat I sand lightly with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth the finish. It took four coats to completely cover the dark blue paint.

Step 3 - Painting The Dresser Change Table Drawers

While I was painting the outside of the dresser I also painted two coats of the same white paint on the sides of the drawers. Painting the sides a pretty color adds that special touch and element of charm when the drawers are open.

After letting the last coat dry overnight, I applied delicate surface frog tape along the top to protect the fresh white paint when painting the drawer fronts.

We also took a Cloverdale paint swatch (0668) called Wish Upon A Star with us to Home Depot to have it color matched in Behr Chalk Decorative Paint. Such a fitting name for nursery furniture, isn't it?

The drawer fronts were painted with four coats of the pretty teal color and sanded smooth between coats. The camera didn't do a true capture of the paint color as it is a dark teal color. 

Step 4 - Staining The MCM Dresser Tapered Wooden Legs

Before transporting the dresser to our house the legs were removed. I left them off because it's so much easier to paint or stain them a different color when they are not attached to the dresser.

Unlike regular stain that penetrates into the wood, gel stain sits on top like paint. I figured I could simply apply the dark walnut gel stain over the dark blue paint and call it a day but it took on a purple hue.

In order to make the tapered wooden legs match the stained MCM nursery bookcase, they needed sanding to the natural wood. It took mere minutes to remove the old paint using an 80-grit sanding pad on my favorite mouse sander.

I applied three coats of gel stain with a lint-free rag and let them dry overnight before moving onto the next step of the makeover.

Step 5 - Protecting The Teal And White Nursery Dresser

We used an interior water-based non-yellowing clear coat in a semi-gloss finish to protect the paint and stained wood legs. My go-to is Varathane Diamond Wood Finish applied with a paint sprayer. Another option for applying a clear coat without getting brush marks is using automotive detailing wax pads.

Step 6 - How To Clean Original Brass Hardware

The accent color in the nursery is bright gold. While the dresser came with clear glass knobs, thankfully they left the original mid-century hardware inside a drawer. It had been previously painted an antique gold color.

The plan was not to use either the glass knobs or the original mid-century hardware. But I knew underneath that dirty painted original pulls and knobs was a gorgeous brass finish and I knew just how to get it back.

I have an old electric frying pan in the workshop designated for melting wax and cleaning hardware. I filled it with approximately 4 parts water to 1 part white vinegar and turned the heat setting to simmer.

Once the water reached a simmer I dropped the old hardware into the water for a 5-10 minute bath. One by one I carefully removed them with tongs and gently scrubbed away the old paint dirt and grime with an old toothbrush. For more stubborn spots I used fine #0000 steel wool. What a difference!

Step 7 - Lining The Baby's Room Dresser Drawers

Last but not least and completely optional is to line the drawers with cute nursery paper. I used a pretty removable polka dot contact paper. It has handy gridlines on the back making it easy to cut to size. Because it is removable, it lifts easily to readjust as you are laying the paper.

For a third of the cost of buying a brand new nursery change table, my son and daughter-in-law have one that is customized in their teal and white nursery colors. But even better is that their nursery has a story!

If designing a nursery on a budget or having a one-of-a-kind baby nursery is your goal, then upcycling secondhand furniture is the way to go.

Thanks for stopping by the Interior Frugalista today! I hope you were inspired by this budget-friendly nursery furniture idea. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top to drop me an email. I love hearing from you!

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