We recently replaced my daughters dresser with a storage unit for her toys. That meant we needed some drawers to house her clothes. We have always wanted to build a built-in dresser for her walk in closet and now it was go time. I decided to build a 5 drawer dresser with two smaller drawers at the top and three larger drawers below. This setup provides a ton of storage and while plywood is extremely high right now, I was still able to build this unit for a little over $400 which saved me thousands if we were to have it custom made. Read on to see exactly how we did it.
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Full Project Video
Wanna see how it all came together? Check out the full project video below and don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube so you won’t miss future videos!
Time to Complete
1 Wknd
Estimated Cost
~$400-500
Skill Level
Intermediate
Printable PDF
Tools
Materials
- (3) 3/4” x 4’ x 8’ Pre-Finished Plywood
- 3/4” x 4’ x 8’ Paint-Grade Plywood
- (5) 18” Drawer Slides (pair)
- Iron-on Edge Banding
- (5) Drawer Pulls
- 1-1/4” Pocket Screws
- 3” Wood Screws
- 1-1/4” Brad Nails or Staples
- 1-1/4” Wood Screws
- DAP WeldWood Wood Glue
- DAP Premium Wood Filler
- DAP Alex Flex
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Dimensions
Cut List
I would recommend breaking down the plywood as needed for this project. Some pieces will need to be cut to fit.
I also recommend breaking down plywood with a track saw or circular saw with straight edge guide into smaller pieces before moving to the table saw.
How to Build a Built-In Dresser for a Walk-In Closet
- Assemble Base
- Drawer Box Assembly
- Drawer Box Assembly
- Install Drawers
- Installation and Trim
- Cut and Install Top
- Finishing
All of our drawer fronts were primed and painted before install.
Before primer and paint on the unit I filled and nail holes, joints or imperfections in the plywood with DAP Premium Wood Filler and sanded smooth. DAP recommends using a putty knife for wood filler application.
To give the unit a truly built-in look we needed to caulk it in place. We did so using DAP Alex Flex which is a crack-proof sealant formulated for trim. DAP recommends using a finishing tool for caulk application.
We applied this around the top and sides.
Then we applied primer and paint to the exposed wood.
- Drawer Fronts and Hardware
Questions? Comments?
As always, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to comment below and especially don’t forget to post pictures of your finished products in the comments!
