How to Add Feet to a Dresser

Adding feet to a dresser can make a dresser taller, add extra character and even change the style of the dresser. Here’s how to add feet to a dresser!

Get more of my favorite ideas for DIY dresser makeovers here.

Adding feet to a dresser doesn’t need to be hard, or a long process! This DIY dresser makeover was quick and painless with only a couple of general tools (a hammer and a drill) needed!

I love adding bun feet to a dresser! It’s one of my favorite ways to makeover a dresser, so I’ve compiled a list of the best wood legs to add to furniture.

I narrowed it down to about 20+ wood legs to add to furniture, so you don’t have to go around searching for them.

Supplies Used for Adding Feet to a Dresser

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• Old Dresser
• Bun Feet
• 4 Furniture Leg Plates
• Hammer
• Screw Driver (I love this little electrical one! – it makes for a great gift too!)
• Drill with Drill Bit
• Paint (Bedford in Fusion Mineral Paint)

Remove Bottom Skirt of Dresser

First, remove the dresser drawers, and put the dresser on its back. Now you can get a good look at how the bottom of the dresser is attached.

On this dresser, and many others, the bottom skirt was attached simply with screws.

Unscrew all the screws that are holding the bottom skirt onto the dresser.

(I love this little electric screwdriver so much! It is powerful and makes screwing and unscrewing things so fast. It’s also lightweight and small so you don’t have to get your large electric drill out.)

Sometimes the bottom will come off without any other work. Other times it is glued on as well, so you have to grab a hammer to knock off the bottom.

It usually comes off super easy as long as everything is unscrewed. If the bottom skirting is more than just screwed in (like if it’s part of the dresser) you can use a saw to cut the bottom off.

That is how I removed the bottom of this dresser in this post on how to easily add legs to dressers, by cutting it off. This saw makes it super easy to cut off!

How to Attach Feet to Dresser

Now you should have a flat surface to attach legs to the dresser!

If there are any rough areas, you can take a minute to sand those areas down smooth so you don’t get any splinters when moving the dresser around.

These legs came with mounting plates (different than what I’m used to) so I thought I would try them.

I like that they are small and that they sit closer to the dresser so there isn’t a gap between the dresser and legs.

I’ve also listed the best wood legs to add to furniture to help you decide the perfect one for your project.

But it was a pain to drill the larger hole for the plate to sit into, compared to just screwing the furniture leg plate to the dresser.

So if your legs don’t come with furniture leg plates, these are the ones I recommend and I use them often.

Decide where you want to put the legs and then mark where the leg plate should go.

If you’re using the mounting plates that came with these legs, drill the main hole with a 1/2″ drill bit, so it can sit down into the hole.

When the plate is in place, drill small pilot holes for the screws (so the screws can easily go into the wood and not split it) and then screw the screws into place.

If you are using the leg plates that I recommend, you only have to drill pilot holes for the screws to go into, and then screw the plates in place.

Once the plates are secured, simply twist the legs into the leg plate!

If your legs don’t have screws in them, here is a great video on installing hanger bolts.

All done!! Now you can paint your dresser!

Paint Dresser and New Feet

To easily paint your furniture legs, unscrew the legs and stick the bolt into a cardboard box. Then you can get paint in the hard to reach places on the legs.

Before painting, you will want to prepare the dresser for paint by cleaning, sanding and getting all the dust off too! We painted this dresser in Fusion Mineral Paint in Bedford and added new knobs.

This color is in the green family, but it has a lot of grey to it as well, and it acts like a chameleon color, changing with different lighting from green to grey.

Learn how to paint a dresser with Fusion Mineral Paint in this post about stenciling painted furniture.

More Before And After Makeovers

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

How to Add Feet to a Dresser

Print

Adding feet to a dresser can make a dresser taller, add extra character and even change the style of the dresser. Here's how to add feet to a dresser!

Materials

• Old Dresser
• Bun Feet
• 4 Furniture Leg Plates
• Paint

Tools

• Hammer
• Screw Driver
• Drill
• Drill Bit

Instructions

1. Remove the dresser drawers and put the dresser on its back. Now, with a good view of the bottom of the dresser, you can unscrew the bottom skirt. You may have to use a hammer to knock it off.
2. Sand the bottom surface smooth. Decide where you want to put the legs and then mark where the leg plate should go. When the plate is in place, drill small pilot holes for the screws and then screw the screws into place.
3. Once the plates are secured, simply twist the new feet into the leg plate!
4. For painting the feet, it is best to unscrew them from the dresser and stick them into a cardboard box so you can get paint in the hard to reach places.
5. Prepare the dresser for paint as well by cleaning and sanding. Paint the dresser then attach hardware.

Recommended Products

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  Bun Feet
• 
  Drill Bit Set

More Resources for Adding Legs to Furniture

In the past, I have added legs to nightstands, dressers, and buffets. I’ve even used multiple methods to add legs to furniture.

Like this way of adding legs to a nightstand that involves creating a new base for the legs to attach to (If you have a skirt around the bottom of the dresser that you don’t want to remove).

OR this way of adding legs to a cedar chest when the base sits at an angle.

You can also check out how to add legs to a cabinet where we added pieces of wood instead of plywood for support.

But this way of adding feet to a dresser is so. stinking. simple. Hopefully, your dresser is the same!! If not, the other two resources listed above are golden!

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