3 Easy Steps to Give Your Old Toy Chest an Instant Makeover

Do you have an old toy chest in need of some serious tender loving care? Has your toy chest seen better days, or does it need a new look?

When I was a baby my mom bought me a toy chest that was Holly Hobby. She decorated it special for me and even stenciled my name. This toy chest followed me through life, and even was changed a few times so I barely recognized it was my original toy chest. With the birth of my first child I decided it was time to give the tired-looking chest a face lift.

With three easy steps I was able to transform my chest from frumpy to fabulous and you can too!

Step 1 - Apply a fresh coat of paint. This sounds very elementary, but most everything looks better with a new coat of paint. Your chest is no different. If you need to save money on paint, use some of the paint you've saved in your garage from other projects, or consider purchasing paint from a paint store that was not mixed correctly and is sold for a discount. Depending on the size of your toy chest a quart of paint should be enough to cover the chest even including a second coat. If your toy chest has paint chipping off, be sure to sand or scrape any excess paint before you begin painting.

Step 2 - Stencil a Design. A toy chest is only as unique as you make it. My baby had a theme in her room of pink, yellow and white. I decided to paint the toy chest white and use the same pink color I used for the walls on her toy chest in a very simply pink diamond stencil. You can achieve the same result by using a stencil to design your box, or to save money you can make your own design using painters tape. Either way, make sure you use light strokes and brush away from the borders of the stencil or the tape. This will help you keep the borders of your stencils clean and crisp.

Step 3 - Personalize your chest. This is your chance to let you mind run wild. Use your creativity to personalize your toy chest. In my example, I decided to use a vinyl application of my baby's name. I purchased a vinyl decal on eBay of may baby's name that I simply rubbed onto the toy chest. It looks clean and crisp, and was so easy to achieve. A money-saving alternative is using stickers, stamps, or sponge techniques to personalize the chest with creative flair.

By using these 3 easy steps, your toy chest has a new look and matches your decor. These steps aren't limited to just a toy chest, you could also use the same techniques for a bookcase, dresser or nightstand.