Decoupaged Knobs For Vintage Dressers
It’s my favourite time of the month again… time for the Thrifty Chicks project challenge. Yay!
On the second Wednesday of each month I join some very talented blogging friends for a project challenge, and with a different theme each time it’s really a lot of fun.
If you missed any of the past projects you can find them here.
I can’t wait to see what my blogging friends have come up with for this month’s hardware challenge. You’ll find links to their projects at the end of this post. Be sure to visit and check out all the fabulousness!
But first I’ll share my hardware project with you, which I’m so excited to say is decoupaged knobs.
Why am I so excited about decoupaged knobs?
Because about 3 years ago I found two vintage dressers and I combined them with some bifold doors to create two dresser shelving units for the master bedroom.
My poor naked dressers have been without knobs ever since. I’ve been waiting for just the right ones to find me, and they finally did!
I’ve included a list of supplies that I used for this project near the end of this post so be sure to check it out.
Here are the fabulous vintage knobs that I found. Sixteen for a whopping $3. I really couldn’t believe my luck.
I knew when I saw them that some wonderful person had donated them to the thrift store just for me to find them.
Thank you wonderful person… whoever you are.
They’re porcelain or ceramic and have a very nice weight to them.
The gold circle is lovely and I thought it would make a perfect outline for a floral.
How To Create Decoupaged Knobs
Decoupaging knobs is not hard, but there are a lot of steps.
First you have to find a graphic that you love. Mine is this french floral design that I used on my reverse decoupaged chandelier crystal ornaments.
I printed out a bunch of them the size that I needed on a couple of sheets of ordinary copy paper.
Here’s a close up of the design. Isn’t it pretty?
It’s from the Graphics Fairy and you can find it here.
Then I needed something circular that was just the perfect size so the floral would fit inside the gold circle.
No freehanding circles for me. Now that would pretty much be a disaster. lol.
After hunting around and coming up empty I found the perfect thing in my coin-heavy wallet. When the powers that be retired our $1 and $2 bills a few years ago and changed them into loonie and toonie coins they really weren’t thinking about us ladies and our purses.
But hey, for once I was happy about all this coinage because I discovered that a toonie was the perfect size. Who would’ve thought a $2 Canadian coin would save the day.
I did two sheets of circles to make sure I ended up with enough good ones after I cut them out.
Which wasn’t as easy as it sounds. At least not for me. lol.
I’m sure it would be a lot easier for you, but I must have cut out twice as many as I needed.
But that’s ok, because I ended up with sixteen perfectly good enough cut outs.
It’s actually better if they’re not perfectly perfect because it gives the decoupaged knobs a more hand done look.. which I prefer.
Perfection is highly over-rated and should be tossed to the wind.
Applying Graphic for Decoupaged Knobs
To apply my floral graphics to the knobs I put a light coat of Mod Podge on the back of the paper only.
While I have to say that I do love Mod Podge, in this case too much is not a good thing.
The graphic will just slide around on the knob and the paper could get way too wet and start tearing.
After placing my graphic, I smoothed it down with my hand inside a plastic sandwich bag.
For me this method just seems to work better than using my bare fingers.
Here’s a before and after when I was half way done.
When I was done all my knobs I let them dry thoroughly, and I didn’t apply any Mod Podge as a top coat.
It certainly wouldn’t hurt if you did, but because of the next step it really wasn’t necessary.
Protecting Decoupaged Knobs
On a nice calm day I took them outside and gave them 4 light coats of a semi-gloss clear spray.
I let them dry for about 30 minutes between coats.
Because my knobs are porcelain or ceramic I didn’t worry about spraying the undersides.
I really just wanted to protect the graphics.
And here are my finished knobs.
To me they look like they’ve always been this way.
I’m using 14 for my two dressers, and the other two will be used somehow in the bedroom in the future.
And here are my supplies that I used for my decoupaged knobs.
NOTE: For your convenience this post contains some affiliate links to items that I’ve used to create this project. If you purchase anything using a link below Thrifty Rebel Vintage will receive a small commission, but it won’t cost you a penny more. See my full disclosure here.
Decoupaged Knobs Supplies
– dresser knobs, mine are vintage porcelain but wood or plastic or any material would work too
– Mod Podge
– Rustoleum Semi-Gloss Ultra-Cover Spray Paint 
– Graphic of your choice printed on regular copy paper
– 1″ Foam Brush
– pencil, scissors, toonie (Canadian $2 coin)
– plastic sandwich bag (not in pic)
– 8-32 X 1-1/4″ Machine Screws/Bolts
Installing Decoupaged Knobs
My knobs came without screws so I found these at the hardware store.
It looks like the size reads 1 3/4″ long but they’re actually 1 1/4″. I had to put on my reading glasses for that one.
The size needed depends on the size of the holes and the depth of the drawers.
And here are my decoupaged knobs on the smaller dresser in the master bedroom.
To me they look like they belong there.
When I turned the dressers into the shelving units that I mentioned earlier I left the holes from the knobs that came with them, so I was able to reuse those holes.
No drilling required. Yay! I love it when that happens.
And here are my decoupaged knobs on the larger dresser.
They go so beautifully with my antique porcelain floral floor lamp.
And they don’t go half bad with my vintage teacup lampshade floor lamp either, which in on the other side of the room.
Thanks to my floral decoupaged knobs my master bedroom dressers are naked no more. Yay!
After three years they’re finally finished, and I can check this long awaited project off the list.
Now be sure to check out what my friends did with their hardware projects.
Just click on the links below to check them out.
Please pin to your favorite board and share with your friends!
Thanks so much for reading, and until next time…
keep on keepin’ on!
XOX
Pretty, pretty, pretty! You made those knobs look so pretty, Tuula! And they really enhance the dresser, too!
Thanks so much Gail! I’m so glad that my dressers finally have the finishing touch that they really needed.
I love these tuula! Great job on this month’s challenge!
Tania
Thanks very much Tania!
As a fellow Canuck, it makes me happy that a Canadian Toonie saved the day! It really does look like the pretty decoupaged florals were always there, Tuula. Especially with the gold circle. Can’t beat that $3 price tag either! Pinned to my Decoupage Tips board 🙂
Thanks Marie! Yes, it was such a surprise when I saw that a toonie was the perfect size. Who woulda thought? Thanks so much for pinning!
What a great idea…love your design…thanks for sharing.
Thanks very much Pam!
So pretty! They really finish up the dresser; so nice to complete a job on the to-do list! That baggie trick…good idea!
Thanks Lora! I use baggies because my fingers tend to get sticky, and I find it works so much better.
How Gorgeous. If you wouldn’t tell anyone, they would think that you bought them that way. Absolutely Stunning and they so well together with your dresser.
Love that floor lamp as well and your new make-over knobs go really well together.
Some day, you mind giving more information on that floor lamp?
Thanks so much Colleen! I do plan on sharing the lamp in a future Fabulous Finds post, so look for it soon.
Beautiful and one of my favorite kinds of knobs!
I “refinished” a hutch once with a pecan staining kit and found beautiful clear pink glass knobs shaped like daisies. Each petal was outlined in gold.
Thanks Judi! Those knobs sound absolutely gorgeous! You had me at pink, but then to add daisies and gold. Awesome!
Your knobs are just darling, Tuula–pink and floral, right up your alley, too. Such a very creative idea!
Thanks so much Diana!
Well, this is a fantastic idea. I love the idea of making customize knobs. Now I am so glad I have saved all the old knobs from furniture. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Debra! The only way I could find knobs that worked for what I was going for was to create them myself, and decoupage is a great way to do that.
I love this idea. I never would have thought of it. You’re SO clever.
Thank you so much Laura!
Great idea, really like the outcome.
Thanks so much Linda!
Absolutely gorgeous! Looks like they came that way! Pinning, girl! Dona
Thanks Dona! I’s so happy to finally have knobs on my dressers. Thanks for pinning!
Okay these are seriously AMAZING!
Hmm…I never thought to thank all those people who left items at the thrift shop that now fill my home! Food for thought!
I hope you will come over and link up this post at Thursday Favorite Things!
Have a great day!
Thanks so much Amber! I often wonder who and where my thrifted treasures came from. It’s fun to think about. Thanks for the invite to the party. I’ve linked up.
These are lovely! You are so creative. I love your style. AND I had never heard of Canadian toonies. I used to live near Canada, but now I’m far, far away and very rarely see Canadian money. How interesting.
Thanks very much Terry! My purse gives me quite the weight lifting workout with all the loonies and toonies. lol. Thank goodness they retired our penny coin because that helps lighten it a bit.
Love the knobs, great idea.
Thanks so much Pamela!
I love these! You make it look so easy! If I saw them in an antique shop, I would think they were vintage. I am not sure I could pull that off so perfectly, and I never thought to make my own to match my room either! So clever.
Thanks very much AnnMarie! I really love decoupage. It makes the possibilities pretty endless when it comes to getting any look you want. And once you get the hang of it it’s pretty easy to.
Every project you do comes out amazing. These are so pretty!
Thank you so much Debra!
Wow Tuula! You did it again. A perfect knob for your dresser. Love the floor lamp too. Cheers.
Thank you so much Karen! Cheers to you!
I absolutely love these, Tuula! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm–pinned!
Thanks very much Cecilia!
Good morning, I just wanted to let you know that you are being featured today at TFT! I hope you will join us again this week. Have a great day!
Thanks so much Amber! I have popped over and linked up. 🙂
Your knobs are gorgeous! and so beautifully photographed with the doily! I just had to read your post to see how you did the gold circle edges– : ) Already on the knobs! Nice!!
Thanks Liberty! Yes, the gold rings that came on the knobs were perfect. I was so lucky to find them that way. 🙂
These are so lovely and your tutorial is great, too. Thanks for sharing at Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make Party. I’m featuring this at today’s party. Hope you’ll join us!
Thank you so much for featuring my knobs Beverly!
Your knobs turned out so cute. I love these. Thank you for sharing at Snickerdoodle Create Bake Make.
Thanks very much Amy!
Just saw this post again. Really love those knobs. Wanted to say you need a good little pair of craft scissors! ; ) So hard to cut circles with big ones. Of course you managed though, lol.
Thanks Debra! Yes, I managed with the regular scissors. I do have a better pair now. 🙂