Build it or Buy it: Drawers

When moving into a new apartment, townhouse or even home, you always get stuck with those terrible metal shelves that seem to leave your closets looking bare even when they're full. So while we were planning out our custom closets, I stumbled onto a decrepit dresser while making a run to the local landfill. This dressers base was rotting, but the 6 drawers were beautiful, strong and solid wood (made in Canada to boot!). These drawers and some inspiration from Anthropologie became my weekend project.

What you'll need:

[   ] Old drawers                           [   ] Wood Finish                   [   ] Sharpie Pen and Pencil
[   ] Sander and Sandpaper             [   ] Rag                               [   ] 2" Caster Wheels & Screws   
[   ] Drill with 1/2" Drill bit              [   ] Screwdriver                    [   ] 1/2" Jute Rope
[   ] Jig Saw (if necessary)

1. Measure the width and height of each drawer to determine whether they can fit under your bed (don't forget about adding the wheels to the height and bedside table to the width). 

2. Remove the handles from each wooden drawer. If the front panel on your drawers extend past the sides, top and bottom, use a jig saw to cut them away. If your handle holes are too close together, fill the holes with wood filler and glue, let dry, and then with a small knife or a saw, cut off whatever extra is sticking out of the hole. 

3. Sand front face (and edges, if needed) and drill two new holes centred and 4" apart. 

4. Rub stain all over the drawers using a rag; if the sides are plywood don't bother to stain them. But if you prefer to, only do one coat, as it will soak into the wood faster than the front and leave dark spots. You can blend in the darker spots by rubbing them with lacquer thinner. Let dry. 

5. Either print, stencil or free hand draw numbers onto the front panel. Using a sharpie, fill in the outline of each number. Give it a rough sanding to 'age' the numbers.

6. Turn over and screw down a caster wheel at each corner of the drawer. 

7. Cut a 8-10" long jute rope piece, knotting a handle through the two holes in the front panel. Fill it up and enjoy!

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