How to make a dresser look like wood carving, the DIY way. I discovered a way to make a plain dresser look like it was wood carved, the product I discovered is Wood Icing™. Update – this product is no longer available, so I am sharing another great substitute that I have used. Maison Blanche Glacage is a great embossing cream product that I have used on many projects.
I stumbled across this product on the internet and was so excited to try this out on my boring plain dresser drawer fronts. I love this product and how it transformed my dresser drawers.
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I purchased 2 dressers from Goodwill that were plain and boring and I had no idea at the time what I was going to do to make them pretty. Once I started to have ideas, I discovered the Wood Icing™ and knew this product would be the answer for these dressers.
I was so excited to start this project but the weather has been damp and cold and was preventing me from working in my garage, so I decided I would start the dresser drawers and bring them in the house. See how plain these are. The dressers were solid wood and in good shape, so I could not pass up the deal in spite of boring.
DIY Wood Carving
Materials
- Embossing Cream
- Metallic Paint
- Stencils
- Glaze
Tools
- Spatula
- Sanding Block
Instructions
- Prep surface - Lightly sand and clean surface
- Tape stencil to clean surface
- Apply an even light coat of embossing cream over stencil
- Remove stencil and wipe clean
- Allow raised stencil to dry overnight
- Paint and finish surface
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I started by priming the drawers. If you are using chalk paint, you can skip this step. I decided to use Modern Masters paint in Champagne, and they recommend priming before painting. The next step was to paint on 2 coats of my base paint (Champagne).
I would recommend applying the base coat before applying the wood icing product so you will have a uniform color all around the edges of the product.
Now the fun begins! Place your stencil on your project and secure it by using a spray adhesive or securely taping your stencil so it does not shift while you are applying the texture paste. I used the Micah Classic Panel from Royal Design Studio for my stencil.
Apply a generous amount of the texture paste over the stencil. Using the “off-set knife” at a slight angle, evenly remove the extra texture paste. You can place the scraped-off texture paste back into the jar. Once you have the texture pasted smoothed and even, carefully remove your stencil. I would recommend wiping off the remaining paste from the stencil with a baby wipe, so you are not rinsing all the product down your drain.
Let the texture paste dry completely, overnight. Use medium-grit sandpaper and sand over the pattern to smooth out any peaks and rough surfaces. Apply 2 more coats of paint over the design. The great thing about this product is it can be stained. You could use it on wood furniture and stain it to match your wood piece. The possibilities are endless!
I applied furniture glazing in black over the painted design. I sealed the drawer front before applying. Usually, when using a light color paint and a dark glaze, sealing may be required to give the glaze a longer working time. This glaze has a quick dry time, so this was needed for this piece. I used a small slightly damp sponge to apply the furniture glaze, applying on the edges and over the raised design. I can’t wait to finish the dresser frame and share the completed project.
Stopover to the Wood Icing™ site and blog to see the great project ideas. They also have a great selection of colors in the furniture glazing along with fissure size and other products. I will be using this on more decorative pieces as well as plain boring furniture.
I used the Micah stencil from Royal Design Stencils, for these dressers. Stopover to see the completed dressers.
Make sure you take my FREE Workshop – How to Prep Furniture Workshop by visiting my online painting workshop.
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Awesome! It’s so simple! Thank you for sharing.
Adele, you are welcome!
I have been debating whether to purchase appliques, but I may have stumbled upon a much better alternative! Thank you for the info.
Karen, I am so glad this helps. I also would always look at appliques and decided to do the embossing.
I am a beginner with chalk painting with only a few pieces completed. One of my goals is to use the stensil technique when I find the right piece of furniture. Thank you for your info and demo. So helpful. MJ, Texas
MJ, I am so glad you found it helpful and good luck once you find the right piece of furniture.
What a beautiful transformation! Wow! Can you tell me if anything special has to be done to make the wood icing stick to the wood? I would hate to make a piece like this and then have the design, or pieces of it, start peeling off.
I did not have to do anything special to make it stick. The product is designed to adhere and stay.
I just found yor site ang Love it. Can you use any stencil?? Still looking for one that I like.
Yes, you can use any type of stencil. I prefer to use a heavier weight(10 mil) since they are easier to clean and last longer.
Dreeser looking very beautiful..from where i can buy wood icing in toronto are
Teena, You can go to their website and see where they sell products. woodicing.com
I haven’t gotten my stencil yet…(ordered already) but I am so looking forward to doing this on many drawer projects. I’ve also gotten my “Wood Icing”, but my question today is:…………..Can I use spackling compound, I’ve seen projects like this using compounds that can be sanded, painted, stained etc.?
Just curious.
Thank you, and keep sharing
Mary
Mary Ross, yes, you can use a spackling compound. Just make sure it is one that does not crack or shrink when drying.
I was looking at your post this morning and I’m so glad I’ve joined YAY…………..now my question is…..did I see in one of your post you bragging about how you love your Ryobi Air Nailer ? If so and it was your post,…………..which style? I went on Home Depots site to check them out and oh my, my there were
so many to choose from………….and I also like the fact if your using it, then it will be light weight and I’ll LOVE that.
Thank,
Mary……………………and I’ll be checking in almost every day for more “deliciousness”
Mary, I am so glad you have joined! Welcome! Yes, I LOVE my Ryobi air nailer. I use it all the time and now wonder how I ever got by without it. Yes, they have a few versions and this is the one that I use- http://fave.co/1jvkPS8
Lovely! Wish you had posted a pic of the whole dresser done! 🙂
Cathy, Thanks for the reminder. I need to link the finished dresser to that post. Here is the finished piece. https://designeddecor.com/dresser-makeover-touch-sophistication/
How do I buy these products , stencils and wood icing. Julia
Love your creative projects! Wonderful website!
Thanks for stopping by Mary!
so, so neat!!! what a cool product!
Beautiful! This looks absolutely stunning…thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jodee, now I need to finish the base!
Absolutely stunning effect! Love your work, Thank you for sharing.
This is elegant and simply classic!