DIY Emerald Green Dresser

This DIY Emerald Green Dresser packs a punch with its bold green painted finish and some antiquing glaze. Find out how to paint your furniture just like this, including how to glaze furniture to give it a cool look.

Get more Green Painted Furniture Ideas here!

Isn’t this empire dresser so cool? We bought it from Facebook Marketplace for only $40! It has a little secret too… in between those two tiny drawers on top… there’s a secret drawer!

Anyway, let’s dive into how to recreate this emerald green painted dresser on your furniture.

Table of Contents

Supplies Used For DIY Emerald Green Dresser

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Krud Kutter
220 Grit Sandpaper
*Wild Clover Limited Edition Color by Country Chic Paint (Update – Wild Clover is no longer available, but they created a very similar color called Fireworks!)
*Liquorice by Country Chic Paint
*Clear Glaze by Country Chic Paint
*(Use Graphite Glaze – Black Tinted Glaze – Instead of Clear Glaze and Licorice mixed together)
Varathane Polyurethane
Matte Poly

Prepping Dresser for Painting

While cleaning the dresser with Krud Kutter to get it ready for paint (you can read more about exactly how to clean furniture before painting and how to prepare furniture for paint here) I put the dresser on its back since I had a sneaky suspicion that there was a secret drawer in between the two top drawers.

After inspecting it more I could tell that it was a drawer, I just couldn’t figure out how to open it up! So I called for my husband and asked him to try it out.

While he was moving the drawer as much as he could, I looked at the dresser from a different angle, played around with a spot on the dresser, and all of a sudden the secret drawer started opening! Whoa!!

Now that you know there is a secret drawer, I can’t tell you how to open it, now can I?

But if dressers with secret compartments are your thing, check out this WW2 Dresser with a secret compartment in this how to paint over oil based paint post.

After a few happy dances and playing around with our new discovery, I went back to work prepping the dresser.

I scuff-sanded the surface to remove the shine so the paint would stick better.

Read more here about why it’s important to scuff sand before painting furniture.

Then I removed the dust.

The Best Green Chalk Paint

We used the color Wild Clover for this piece. It’s the best hunter green / emerald green. It’s bold, but not too in your face.

And Country Chic Paint has some of my very favorite chalk paint. It adheres well, it’s thick (so I like to add some water to thin it out for spraying) and Country Chic’s colors are so good!

Check out my honest and detailed Country Chic Paint Review here.

Here are more of the Best green chalk paint for Furniture here. For more green chalk painted furniture ideas and inspiration, check out this post.

Spraying Chalk Paint onto a Dresser

Then I added some water to the chalk paint so I could put it in my entry-level, budget-friendly sprayer.

Learn more about the best HVLP paint sprayers here.

Learn how to thin paint in a paint sprayer, and how to paint furniture with a sprayer here.

The first time I sprayed, it was overwhelming… but I didn’t have these resources back then! Then I sprayed 2 coats of the chalk paint onto the dresser. This dresser took almost a full pint of paint.

Then I let the chalk paint dry completely.

How to Glaze over Chalk Paint

Need to SEE how to glaze? Check out this video on how to glaze over chalk paint.

After I lightly distressed the edges of the dresser with 220 grit sandpaper, I sprayed on a couple coats of my favorite water-based polyurethane.

Here are 6 distressing furniture techniques you can do.

Sealing the chalk paint with water-based polyurethane is crucial before you put glaze over chalk paint.

Learn ALL of my tips and tricks on how to spray polyurethane here!

What Does Glaze Do To Paint?

I wanted to add a bit more character to this piece, and glaze was the perfect way to achieve that. Glaze comes in clear, black, brown… and honestly whatever color you want it to be.

It’s a transparent or semi-transparent coat that you put on top of paint to give it a faux antiqued or washed look. It can also add depth to your paint.

Check out my comparison between glaze vs wax over chalk paint to learn more.

Tinting Glaze with Paint

I started with clear glaze and mixed some black paint into it to tint it to a black glaze.

I like having clear glaze on hand instead of glaze that is already tinted black or brown, so then I can choose what color I want it to be.

You can add any color you want to the glaze. And you can use latex paint, or chalk paint.

So I mixed Country Chic’s Liquorice (black) paint with some clear glaze according to the instructions on the back of the glaze container.

How to Apply Glaze Over Paint

Using a cheap brush, I brushed on the glaze, making sure it got into every detail of the dresser, and then I used baby wipes to wipe it right back off.

I made sure to leave a bit of glaze in the corners and on the edges, but wipe most of the glaze away.

In some spots, I went back with the brush that had very little to no paint on it, and lightly brushed some more details on.

(Learn MORE about how to glaze over chalk paint with this tall blue-painted dresser.)

I gave the glaze plenty of time to completely dry (about 24-48 hours) and then I topcoated it all up with General Finishes matte poly.

top view of the green painted dresser with farmhouse decor

full view of the emerald green chalk painted dresser with farmhouse sign and decor

More Before And After Makeovers

Click any of these “before” photos below to view the “after” of that makeover.

closeup of the secret drawer on the dresser

closeup of the DIY emerald green dresser painted with black glaze

side closeup view of the green dresser with extra glazing in the corners and edges

side view of the emerald green dresser showing empire curved legs

One of my favorite things about green though is that it’s a neutral color. Yes it’s neutral!

We use greenery and plants all over our homes to bring our home and decor to life. I think this dresser does that too!

This dresser is now so unique, bold and sassy! It’s the perfect pop of color, but it’s also elegant and fun!