DIY Nautical Whale Dresser

Complete your nautical-themed nursery with this DIY dresser makeover! With the help of Kylon, you can transform an old dresser into beautiful sea-themed furniture with a little paint and your Cricut! This whale-painted dresser is going into the nursery for the new grandson!

This post is the second in a series of posts sponsored by Krylon however all projects and opinions are my own.

How to DIY a Nautical Dresser

There are so many different ways to give old furniture new life! Craft companies have really brought it with their ever-evolving paint options.

For this project, I started with a dresser that had seen better days. It is several years old and is in desperate need of a makeover.

When Krylon sent the Honeydew, I knew immediately what my project would be. I wanted to tackle a dresser like this and the color palette could not have been more perfect for the nursery my daughter is working on.

You can find all of the Fusion paint colors by clicking here. The Fusion paint is for plastic but also for wood and so many more surfaces.

Supplies needed for a nautical dresser

• Old dresser
• Krylon spray paint
• Sand paper
• Tack cloth
• Cricut
• White Vinyl
• Transfer tape
• Scraper

Step 1 – Sand and paint dresser body

I started by dragging the body of the dresser outside and giving it a good sanding. I then removed any and all sanding dust with a tack cloth. The dresser then got several light coats of Honeydew one right after the other. Be sure to make LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT coats. That will make your surface turn out amazing without any runs or imperfections. Just be patient. It probably took 5 to 6 light coats for the honeydew to look great on the dresser. 

Step 2 – Update drawer fronts

For the drawer fronts, I used Oxford Blue in the Cover Maxx. You can click here to see the full color line in Cover Maxx. I love this blue as an accent to the Honeydew. 

Once again, I followed the same steps as with the body of the dresser. Sand, clean, and use several light coats. These probably took 4 to 5 coats for complete coverage. You want to allow everything to dry and cure before continuing with this project. I recommend allowing it to cure for at least 24 hours. 

Step 3 – Create cut file

While the paint dried and cured, I went to Cricut Design Space and searched for “whale”. In the example below, I used design #M40FEA1 for the whale with the spouting water, but you could use any image you want. I really like the simplicity of this whale design.

Depending on the size of your dresser and what you want the whale to look like, you can cut additional water droplettes to add to the spout.

This whale matches the canvas whale wall art I also made for the nursery, you can find the full cut file instructions in this nursery art post.

Step 4 – Add vinyl

After creating the file, I used my Cricut machine to cut the whale and water out of white adhesive vinyl. I then added the vinyl to the drawer fronts using transfer tape and a scraper.

Step 5 – Finish and enjoy!

After the vinyl, I added the new handles that I picked up at the home improvement store and this nautical dresser was ready for the new baby’s room!

See how those super-light coats lead to a clean, smooth finish! You can paint furniture with spray paint and have it turn out amazing. This entire dresser was painted in about 2 hours y’all. So quick and easy! Just be patient and that amazing finish will come.

Be sure to click here to see those whale storage boxes that I made from felt as well. They look perfect with this whale-painted dresser! Y’all stay tuned to see some additional projects that I have planned. If you love whales and nautical decor, you won’t want to miss any of the fun! Be sure to like Krylon on Facebook for more ideas!