DIY Painted Chippy Farmhouse Dresser

This mustard yellow dresser was such a fun easy project! From the powdered milk paint, to the way it chipped, and those stained legs! Here’s how to create your own DIY painted chippy farmhouse dresser.

Check out our list of DIY dresser makeover ideas to turn your makeover into a cheerful touch to any room. This happy hue is bright and lively, making it the perfect accent piece. Let’s dive into the tutorial!

Dresser with broken back leg before makeover

This yellow dresser just makes my heart happy. It’s not only perfect for springtime, but it’s perfect for summer, fall AND winter when you need a pick-me-up through the cold months.

To create the chippy finish on this dresser we used a one-of-a-kind paint that will do its thing and chip where it wants to. If you’re a perfectionist, this might not be the project for you.

This paint literally does what it wants. When you think you know how to control it, it does the opposite of what you’re going for.

Table of Contents

Supplies Used For DIY Painted Chippy Farmhouse Dresser

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Citristrip
Painters Tape
Pre-Taped Plastic
Shackteau Interiors Milk Paint in Dusty Yellow
Zibra Paint Brush or your Paint Sprayer if experienced
Dixie Belle BOSS or your favorite CLEAR Stain Blocking Primer
220 Grit Sandpaper
Waterbased Varathane Polyurethane

To start out, one of the legs was broken off. Thankfully the broken part was still with the dresser, so I glued and clamped it on tight until the glue was dry.

Learn more about repairing old furniture and repairing damaged furniture here, and here are broken dresser ideas to inspire you to transform your old pieces.

In the beginning, all I really knew about this dresser is that I wanted to keep the little feet in a wood finish. So I stripped down the legs with my favorite paint stripper.

Check out this post on how to refinish wood furniture legs to learn more about how to give your legs a wood finish.

After the legs were completely stripped down, I wrapped them in tape and plastic to keep paint from getting on them.

Prepping Dresser for Milk Paint

Then I prepped the rest of the dresser for paint by cleaning, wood filling, sanding, and priming for bleed through with Dixie Belle BOSS primer. Learn all about how to prepare furniture for painting here and how to stop stains from coming through paint here.

I love Dixie Belle BOSS primer because it comes in clear, and it doesn’t smell as bad as shellac does.

Shellac is definitely my go-to clear bleed-through primer when I have access to paint outside though! Here’s a list of the best primers for painting furniture and their pros and cons.

Dresser on top of upside down pails with wrapped and taped legs

I also taped off the drawers so I could spray the milk paint. If you’re brushing the milk paint on, then you can skip this step. Here’s more on how to prevent overspray when painting furniture.

Painting Dresser with Milk Paint

I painted on 3 thin coats of Shackteau Interiors Milk Paint with my paint sprayer. If you’re spraying, be sure to filter out any paint clumps before putting it through the sprayer. Learn how to thin paint for a Wagner sprayer in this post.

dresser sprayed with yellow milk paint — This is what the milk paint looks like sprayed on. I went back over some of the super thin and runny areas with a paint brush to level out the paint.

I’m still new at spraying this type of milk paint. It definitely goes on a lot faster, but the clumps in the milk paint, combined with how thin it got after I filtered out most of the clumps, made it a job for someone who has a lot of experience with their sprayer.

I’m still perfecting the best way to spray milk paint. So I ended up going back with a brush to smooth out spots that were too wet and runny.

But if you aren’t experienced with a paint sprayer, no worries!! Milk paint goes on great with a Zibra paint brush. Their fan, round, and triangle brushes are so good for getting into details!

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If you’re looking for an extra chippy finish, a great little tip is to use a hair dryer to heat the paint in random areas while it dries.

The heat makes the paint dry faster, which makes it crackle and fall off. In some areas, it doesn’t work, (remember, milk paint has a mind of its own) but in a lot of places it works. For more ideas and inspiration, check out these crackle painted furniture makeovers.

After all the coats were dry I sanded the paint down with 220 grit sandpaper to create more chipping and to smooth the paint. If you like the chippy style and want more farmhouse furniture inspiration, check out these rustic dresser ideas.

dresser in paint booth painted yellow with chippy finish

Last but not least, I sealed the milk paint with a few coats of my favorite topcoat, Varathane polyurethane. Learn ALL of my tips and tricks on how to spray polyurethane here!

Learn more about how to use milk paint on this chippy gray milk paint dresser. Complete with a video of working with the milk paint.

Side view of chippy mustard yellow dresser

Full view of mustard yellow chippy dresser

Closeup of chippy yellow paint and black knob

If you want to add more yellow dressers to your home, here’s our list of yellow dresser ideas! And if you have another tall dresser you want to transform, check out these tall dresser ideas.

Can you mix different colors of milk paint together?

Supposing you want a different shade of yellow or want to create a unique color, you sure can mix different colors of milk paint together! But before you get started, there are a few things to keep in mind.

First, make sure you mix the powdered paint colors together before adding water. Test out a small amount first to make sure you get the right shade.

It’s a good idea to mix only small amounts at a time so you can adjust the color as needed and don’t waste too much paint. Keep track of the ratio you use for each color so you can recreate the same shade if needed.

Check out our guides on mixing milk paint and mixing milk paint colors for more detailed steps and tips.

Painters Tape

Pre-Taped Plastic

Waterbased Varathane Polyurethane

What are some common mistakes to avoid when using milk paint on furniture?

If you’re new to using milk paint on furniture, you may run into a few hiccups along the way. One common mistake is not mixing the powdered paint well enough with water. This can result in clumps and uneven color on your furniture piece.

Another mistake to avoid is not testing out the color before painting your entire piece. Different milk paint brands and shades can behave differently, so it’s a good idea to test it on a small area first.

Using too much or too little water can also affect the outcome of your milk painted furniture. It’s important to follow the recommended ratio for mixing milk paint, and if you need to thin it out a bit, gradually add small amounts of water until you reach the consistency you want.