Well, we recently took on the biggest nursery project to date and we lived to tell the tale. This post is a bit of a two-fer, since it not only details how to stain any wooden or veneered piece of furniture but also touches on how to paint anything that’s wood or veneer since we did a two-toned treatment on a dresser that we hunted down on the cheap.
That’s right, we stained our “new” six drawer dresser with a deep rich brown tone and painted the top a crisp and glossy white color. Here’s how it all went down.
First we had to search for something to add tons of storage space to our tiny-closeted nursery, so we measured the wall that we knew we would be dedicating to a nice double dresser and hopped on Craigslist chanting “less than sixty inches” and crossing our fingers. Our hope was to find something that was up on little legs (so it felt airier and less heavy than a legless version) and we also needed it to be deep enough to accommodate a 17″ wide changing pad since part of the dresser top will also be used as a diapering zone. We had a budget of $150 or less in mind, so we hoped to find something that was a few decades old and solidly made (as opposed to something more flimsy from Ikea circa 2005). We also wanted a piece with nice clean lines to work with our crib which is a bit on the modern side, so a super curvy dresser might feel a little out of place. A few days of stalking Craigslist turned up this listing:
The little legs along with the 54″ length was perfect, plus the clean-lined look of the dresser would work amazingly well with our crib. And did you see that price? Twenty bucks?! Yes please. I said a little prayer to the Craigslist gods and shot off an email right away. Less than three hours later we heard from the dresser’s owner and he said we were first in line if we still wanted it. We just had two more questions: what was the depth of the piece (just to be sure it wasn’t too narrow to accommodate our 17″ changing table pad) and was the dresser made of solid wood (since that’s a lot easier to refinish than something covered in laminate or thin flaking veneer).
The good news was that it was just deep enough for our changing pad. The bad news is that it was veneered (although still extremely solidly made with dovetailed joints, etc). Oh well, it was $20- what did we expect? The verdict: we said we’d love to take a look at it and again found ourselves crossing our fingers (this time in hopes that that the veneer was nice and thick so it could take some sanding and staining). See, the plan had always been to stain the dresser and paint the top a glossy white ever since we got our two toned crib and loved the look. But unlike solid wood, if veneer is too thin it’s pretty hard to sand and restain without going right through it and hitting the plywood underneath during the sanding step.
Luckily when we got there to check out our new Craigslist crush the dresser had amazingly thick veneering (about 1/4th of an inch) which made it easy to determine that we could totally sand it down and restain it without any trouble. Note: to check how thick your veneer is just open a drawer or look at the back of the piece where you’ll hopefully be able to see if it’s paper thin (aka: not-sandable) or thicker than a dime or so (aka: sandable).
Now certain that our dresser hunt was over and this was “IT”, we handed over twenty beans to our nice Craigslist friend and took home our “new” double dresser (thanks to John’s sister’s borrowed SUV- love you Emily!). Then it was time to refinish her. Here she is hanging out on the patio atop a nice big piece of cardboard to catch any stain, paint or primer drips during the muti-phase project:
You can see that the veneer is scraped and stained in a few areas and of course the finish isn’t deep and rich like the rest of the wood tones in our house (including the drawer on our new crib in the nursery). Hence the refinishing idea. Oh and it bears mentioning that this little staining & painting tutorial will work for any solid wood items as well as anything that’s veneered as long as the veneering isn’t paper thin. Note: this method is not recommended for any laminate furnishings because that material cannot be successfully stained since it’s not a true layer of wood.
The first thing we did was wipe everything down with a moist rag (both inside the drawers and out) just to remove any spiderwebs, old pen caps & pennies in the drawers, etc. Of course everything was about to get coated in sanding dust again momentarily, but it was a nice “reset” for the dresser and we were able to take things like random paperclips out of the drawers so they didn’t fly around when we got to our big sanding step. Oh and while we wiped things down we came across this label inside the top right drawer:
It turns out our twenty beans had scored us an original 50’s or 60’s mid-century dresser. Cool right? We thought so. And that explained why it was so well made and had such nice thick veneering (they just don’t make ’em like they used to). Anyway, the next step was to break out our trusty sander and some extra sandpaper to get to all those crevices that it couldn’t reach by hand. We used 80 grit sandpaper to rough everything up and followed that with another soft sanding with 200 grit paper just to smooth things out. Oh and be sure to always sand WITH the grain of the wood for a nice natural look (nothing screams bad refinishing job like round sander circles that soak up stain and look even more obvious when you’re done).
Here’s a shot of our set-up. John got to work sanding the top, sides and front of the dresser along with the flat fronts of the drawers while I was in charge of getting into all the smaller crevices and built-in bentwood drawer pulls where the bulky electric sander couldn’t reach. We also set up a staining station for me to work on drawers on another piece of cardboard nearby (don’t worry, Mrs. Prego wore a mask to avoid inhaling anything nasty).
Once things were sanded down with both 80 grit and 200 grit sandpaper (with the grain of the wood) it was time to wipe everything down with a moist rag once again, this time to remove all that sanding dust. Then when things were thoroughly dry (you don’t want to stain a moist recently-wiped down drawer) it was staining time. We picked up a cheap-o synthetic 2″ angled brush (knowing that stain would likely ruin it) along with a pack of rags (which we used to wipe the stain off once we applied it) and a quart of Minwax Wood Finish stain in “Red Mahogany.” Note: we picked our stain color by taking a pretty true-looking photo of the crib drawer with our digital camera and bringing our camera with us to use as a reference while standing there in the stain aisle.
This kind of stain necessitates a coat of poly on top of it to seal everything and add a nice glossy finish but we intentionally opted for it because we knew we could use our eco-friendly Safecoat poly (which is lo-VOC, no-odor and 100% non-toxic… more on that later). We could have chosen to buying a stain with a poly sealer built right in, which is unquestionably the easier approach since it doesn’t call for the extra polying step at the end, but it’s also undeniably more fume-y and chemical-y, especially for something that will live in a nursery.
But it’s definitely worth noting that if you’re looking to take on a staining project and don’t mind the smellier chemicals in the poly-plus-stain-in-one option, just visit your local home improvement store to check out those “shortcut” products (also made by Minwax, although their color palette is a lot more limiting than the ones without poly worked in). We also tend to prefer liquid stain (like the one we chose above) over gel stain because we have more experience working with it, but we’ve heard that gel stain can also be amazing- especially for items that can’t be thoroughly sanded or those on a vertical plane (like wood trim) since the liquid stain can be too runny and messy. So definitely talk to the pros at your local home improvement store or do some preliminary google stain research to pick the right one for the job before you start.
But back to the matter at hand: staining our dresser. After everything was wiped down and dried completely I just used my 2″ brush to apply one thin and even coat of stain WITH the grain of the wood on each surface that I wanted to stain (the fronts of the drawers and the sides and front of the dresser). It went on incredibly smoothly since stain is very watery and the sanded veneer happily soaked it right up. Note: if your wood or veneer isn’t soaking up the stain you probably haven’t sanded it thoroughly enough, so go back and be sure to really sand through the existing poly so the wood underneath can absorb the stain.
Next we let the thin and even coat of stain sit on every surface that we applied it to for twenty full minutes. We wanted to achieve the richest and deepest absorption possible (which we reasoned would hide the most flaws and leave us with a nice saturated dark tone).
Then after those full twenty minutes we used a clean dry rag to gently rub- again in the direction of the wood- every plane of the dresser that we stained to remove the excess stain. Since we waited so long for ours to soak in we didn’t pull very much stain off at all (our rag was still dark brown but we didn’t see much of a change in tone on the dresser, for which we were extremely grateful). It’s important to remember that you should be gently running the rag along the surface to catch any excess stain but you shouldn’t be applying a lot of pressure (which will result in a streaky and worn down look). Slow and light is the name of the game.
Presto. When you get to this step you have officially stained your item of furniture. In other words, at this point there was a victory dance in progress on our patio. Of course there’s always the option to apply another coat of stain following the same steps outline above (brush on stain, let penetrate for a set amount of minutes, wipe away excess with clean dry rag) if you’d like a deeper or more uniform look. So if you’re left with a piece that is a bit to light or a bit too streaky for your liking we suggest going for a second coat and letting it sit at least 20 to 25 minutes to really soak things up before gently wiping it down again.
Now on to how we painted the top of the dresser (we’ll get back to polying the stained portion of the piece in a moment). We had already thoroughly sanded the top of the dresser before we began staining so the next step was to apply one thin and even coat of oil-based primer to the top of the dresser with a small foam roller (while being careful not to get any on the recently stained part of the piece). It’s always smart to work out a game plan so you’re not doing a second round of sanding as an afterthought which could result in your stain getting coated with sawdust. And when it came to priming, I was able to use my foam roller to carefully apply primer without getting any on the stained area, but if you don’t have a steady hand you can hold up a rigid piece of cardboard under the lip of the top of the piece to keep primer from getting where you don’t want it.
One thin and even coat of oil-based primer should do the trick. The coverage won’t look flawless but it’s there to provide tooth and some nice grip so it’s doing its job as long as everything is coated- even if it looks patchy and thin in some areas while other spots are thicker and less transparent. The reason we suggest oil-based primer over water-based formulas (or primer-&-paint-in-one products) is solely based on personal experience. We’ve attempted to paint furniture with water-based primer and have dealt with bubbling, tackiness, and terrible staining and bleed-through but have never had those problems with the oil-based stuff.
Of course the oil-based formulas are stinky and harder to clean up but it’s worth it to us to do the job right the first time instead of having to do everything over again when something bubbles or bleeds through your water-based coat of primer (which you often don’t see until after your last coat of paint dries- talk about annoying!). And obviously taking precautions like applying the primer in a well ventilated area (we prefer being outside) and even wearing a mask while you work is always recommended. Really, it’s nasty stuff so you want to get ‘er done but be as safe as possible while you’re at it.
The next step was applying three thin and even coats of semi-gloss latex paint with a second small foam roller (remember you can use latex paint over oil-based primer without issue, you just can’t use latex paint over oil-based PAINT since it’ll bubble and separate). We were sure to apply the paint extremely thinly and evenly and not to roll too quickly (which can rile up the paint and cause air bubbles). The white paint that we used is Freshaire’s off-the-rack white semi-gloss paint from Home Depot which is also what we use for all of the trim in our house and many other furniture projects. We love that it’s no-VOC and extremely comparable when it comes to the quality and coverage of other less-eco brands.
Then we just let everything dry for 48 hours (we brought the dresser into the sunroom in case of rain, but kept all the screen doors open for some nice ventilation so the stain and paint were both sure to cure up nice and solidly).
After two full days it was time to coat everything (both the painted top of the dresser and the stained base of the piece) with a nice protective, glossy and totally wipe-able top coat of Safecoat Acrylacq. Of course you can use a cheap and easy to find quart of basic water based polyurethane instead (sold in the same aisle as the Minwax stain) but if you’re not familiar with Safecoat it’s definitely worth checking out. We actually first used it here when we made a bathroom vanity from a night table, and we had most of the quart leftover so we happily used it to seal all that stain and primer/paint for a non-toxic, odor free finished product. Note: we found it at a local green boutique called Ecologic but you might want to google around or even check out greendepot.com to see if you can hunt any down for yourself.
We just applied two thin and even coats of the stuff with a brush (giving it ample drying time in between coats- about five hours or so- to avoid any tackiness or drag marks). You should not get brush strokes if you apply this (or any other water-based poly) very thinly- about as thin as an eggshell or a piece of paper. And you definitely want to brush it on WITH the grain of the wood and gently brush out any bubbles that you see (bubbles can dry and remain forever). The only way you’ll end up with a marred finish or unsightly brush stokes would be if you apply it too thickly or don’t allow an area to thoroughly dry before touching it up again. So gently brush out bubbles as you go and apply very thin even coats, then wait to do a second coat and resist the urge to go over areas that you already did a minute or two before to “clean them up” (because you’ll do more harm than good).
Here are our glorious and glossy drawers drying:
We gave everything three full days to completely cure in our well-ventilated sunroom so by the time we brought the dresser into our nursery over 72 hours later everything was nice and solid so we didn’t have to worry about getting rings on the tabletop if we placed an object on it. Plus everything was 100% odor free and non-toxic thanks to those last coats of Safecoat, so it was nice to walk into the nursery and visit the dresser without smelling it from a mile away. You know how we like to visit our recent projects (we hung out in our recently renovated bathroom for weeks after we finished that big makeover).
So here’s our “after” of a dresser living it up in the nursery:
Isn’t the two-tone finish fun? We think it ties in perfectly with our crib, and it sort of has a kitchen island effect (it’s reminiscent of rich dark cabinets with a glossy white countertop). Plus we love that the entire piece is super protected and wipe-able thanks to the Safecoat, so whether the beanette decides to have a digestive explosion while we change her or throw a wood block at the dresser in a fit of rage, we’re pretty sure it’s up for the challenge.
We also love the hardware-free handles since they’re unusual and interesting- and the fact that we get six spacious drawers for storing everything from clothes and diapers to books and toys is really the icing on the cake.
Oh and we know you guys love a budget breakdown, so here you go:
- Dresser: $20 from Craigslist
- Sandpaper: already owned (80 grit and 200 grit)
- Electric Sander: already owned – it’s by Black & Decker from Home Depot for around $50)
- Stain: $7.02 (Minwax Wood Finish stain in “Red Mahogany” from Home Depot)
- Ten cloth rags: $2
- Cheap synthetic brush for stain: $2.49
- Two small foam rollers for primer/paint: already owned
- Oil-based primer: already owned
- Freshaire White Semi-Gloss paint: already owned
- Safecoat: already owned
- TOTAL: $31.51
Not bad right? We totally expected to come in around $175 because our original budget was $150 for a large super-solid double dresser from Craigslist and we knew we’d need some supplies. But our budgetary surplus just means that we have more money leftover for a few other fun nursery projects (we still have art, DIY shelving, a homemade mobile, closet organization and lots more on the agenda). Oh and we actually have a second dresser project to share a little later in the week (lets just say we had the time of our lives lining the drawers so we’ll be back with those details). Stay tuned…
And while we’re on the subject of staining and painting furniture, have you guys taken on any big makeovers of your own? We’d love to hear what you’ve been up to. And since we also owe this dresser makeover to Craigslist for supplying this beauty (we still can’t believe it’s an original 50’s or 60’s dresser) feel free to tell us all about any and all recent Craigslist finds that you guys have snagged. Fun, fun, fun.
Psst: Wanna see our nursery progress from the very beginning? Here’s our painting post, our big shopping spree, our crib hunting rundown, our curtain-making tutorial, and our fun little chair search, our mirror-painting extravaganza, and our DIY faux sheepskin project.
Update: We finally created this Shop Our House page to help you hunt down any furniture/accessories that you see in our house, along with all of our paint colors.
amy says
more drawer stop info:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091209083104AAQ7qVd
and scroll down mid-article to see how he did it himself:
http://www.homeimprovementsdepot.com/how-to-refinish-a-dresser-part-4-minor-repairs/
hope this helps.
i’m really not trying to give you unsolicited parenting advice (i always hated that!), but this is something that i have experienced & i think it’s worth doing. best of luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for those links Amy! Off to check them out…
xo,
s
Caitlin @ That House on The Corner says
Great work! I’m totally inspired! We’re dying to stain our kitchen floors (they are pretty damaged, but we’re hoping that sanding them down and staining a dark mocha color will bring it all back to life!
Gotta love craigslist! I bought my 3 piece wrought iron dinette set for $40! Woot woot!
annie says
as usual… TOTALLY inpsired! and I’ve got two bedside tables that are CL/thrift store finds that need to be tackled. now I feel capable. thank you again!!!
amelia says
love it ;-)
amazing job, looks so good. Love the white top, awesome idea. Looks brand new!!!
pennyrounds says
What an inspiration!!! Thanks for sharing!!
Jamie says
Haha I had the same thought about the previous owner seeing it now. He might wish he’d asked for more than 20 bucks!
I was just wondering, do you put anything on the bottom of the legs or chair legs (like those little stick-on felt type things) to protect your beautiful floors from getting scratched?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jamie,
We do add little felt pads under furnishings that need them (anything that has a jagged feeling that we fear will hurt the floor gets that treatment) but this particular dresser came with small rubber floor-protecting disks on the bottom of each leg already so felt pads weren’t necessary. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Mary Beth says
This is so fun! I have commented a few times on here before as I, too, am expecting a baby girl in mid-May. It has been a blast to track your nursery progress! My hubby and I actually got a VERY similar dresser at a local consignment store (though our vision is a bit different than what you did with yours) and have been referencing your site for the necessary “how-to” steps to paint it. Thanks for being such a wonderful resource for other DIY-ers! :)
micaela @ hishouse;heherlp. says
wow what a great job! craigslist rules yet again. thanks for the tutorial. i just bought a telephone table/chair on craigslist for super cheap and am restaining it! check back on my blog in the next couple weeks and see!
Diapers & Divas says
This is awesome. What a great find on craigslist! Love the dresser! I love the two tone look of the nursery furniture. We almost chose that crib. We opted for espresso crib and I’ve been doing white accents in the nursery to get a similar look. Thanks for the step by step! I’d love to do the same for a bigger dresser in our nursery.
dinah says
SO AMAZING! wonderful beautiful clever work!
great tip Amy! Stops on the drawers are definitely a good idea. My nephew kept pulling drawers allllll the time even though he was way less than 2 years old! and he really loved trying to pull the top drawers out.. T.T
katie says
love the stain / white combo! it’s a great way to coordinate the dresser with the crib without buying a matching set.
i also love craigslist and have had a lot of great finds – recently we bought mid-century credenza/dresser and made a few modifications to turn it into a tv stand. i love how it turned out and it was a fraction of the price of a brand new media stand! http://five2eight.blogspot.com/2009/10/furniture-find.html and after: http://five2eight.blogspot.com/2009/10/furniture-find-modified.html
the only bad thing was that whoever owned it before was a smoker so it smelled horrible. i didn’t think to ask because it wasn’t upholstered so i didn’t think it would matter. we were able to get rid of the smell but it took a lot of extra work. so don’t think that solid wood furniture is safe from absorbing smoke smells – always worth asking!
kat says
Beautiful job! This is a great story for those of us who like to reuse things! Thank you.
Question: I wondered if you have any solutions for musty drawers? I bought a really cute vintage vanity dresser several years ago, and I’ve done everything I can think of to get rid of the musty odor (smells like someone stored mothballs inside it before) but I can’t get rid of the smell and have never been able to use the drawers.
Any suggestions? thanks–
YoungHouseLove says
Kat- We would wipe the inside of your musty drawers down with mineral spirits (you can get a can super cheaply at Home Depot) and then let them air out to dry outside or in a garage or sunroom. Hopefully after a week or so of airing out (placing them in the sun on hot days particularly helps) you should be must free. And you might want to line the drawers for added visual interest and even more of a “new” feeling. Good luck!
Lacey- We think you can darken your piece super easily! Just do another coat of stain and leave it on for 20-25 minutes so it really soaks in. And if that’s not dark enough you can even go in for another coat. Every application should make it richer and darker. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
xo,
s
Lacey says
I love you guys, but it is beyond frustrating that you are so awesome all the time! I mean, I tried staining a piece of furniture dark brown over the weekend and ended up with something light brown even though I picked a color wayyyy darker looking than yours! And you picked red mahogany and it looks PERFECT! How did you know what color to choose? You are amazing…truly.
Sara says
Love the transformation! You guys are really inspiring…I need a new desk and have some great new ideas now thanks to you!
I found this post on Apartment Therapy about DIY mobiles and chandeliers…I’m sure you guys have plenty of ideas and may have already made your mobile but some of the links are pretty neat: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/inspiration/10-diyable-mobiles-and-chandeliers-diy-inspiration-109598
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the link Sara! Off to check it out…
xo,
s
Michele says
that looks amazing. Y’all are very clever.
Michelle Kersey says
I snagged a desk that I’m going to redo (still deciding on how). I want to use it in my nursery as the changing table (sounds familiar) but, also have it available to use as a desk/vanity for my little girl later on in life. I have a chest of drawers for the clothes, so a desk made perfect sense for me!
I found it at a peddlers mall for $50
http://s317.photobucket.com/albums/mm373/mommamgk/?action=view¤t=february015.jpg
My dad thinks the top is laminate, which is disappointing b/c I wanted to re-finished it to a dark brown finish. After seeing your dresser, I might do something similar and just refinish the sides and drawers (which I have tested to be Oil based paint) to a dark brown finish.
I just can’t stand the gold paint on it… and will be getting rid of that no matter what I decide to do!
Thanks for all the tips in this post, much needed. I now understand why a previous dresser I refinished was tacky and showed brush strokes.
Elisa @ whatthevita says
THANK YOU – I have a couple of veneer furniture that I wasn’t sure how to tackle.. now I have a couple of projects I won’t be afraid to tackle anymore.
Got a cool office chair for $5 off craig’s list!
http://whatthevita.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/what-five-bucks-can-get-you/
ania says
wow. this is unbelievably gorgeous!
Audrey says
this is EXACTLY what I wanted to do to the dresser in my sister’s nursery, but we decided that the original stain color was good enough. After seeing this, I’m rethinking!
Lindsey says
Looks GREAT!
What an amazing, inexpensive find!
Lindsey
Molly says
Okay, as soon as I’m done commenting about your amazing before and after project, I’m going on craigslist to see if I can find one of these!!!! AMAZING! Incredible! I love how it looks. So Crate and Barrel! It’s going to look amazing with the rest of your nursery!
theLENNOXX says
Beautiful! I wasn’t expecting a wood stain, as the big trend (for far too long) has been to paint everything either white or a bright color. I’m loving the dark wood look, and the white top is a great touch!!
cynthia says
So glad you posted this! I bought one off of craigslist that looks almost exactly like yours. I couldn’t tell if it was solid wood/veneer from the picture, but it was for $30, so I didn’t really care. (Turns out it was veneer) It’s a bit old and scuffed, and I wasn’t quite sure what I could do to spruce it up. This post helps a lot! I really like the IKEA Trollsta yellow sideboard… so maybe I’ll go w/ something bold. :)
gia says
Another gorgeous addition to your nursery! I love taking old things and making them new, but my husband doesn’t feel the same way, so its been a constant issue when renovating our home. I’m going to share this post to show him that “used” is often way more fabulous than “new”.
Katie says
You guys are genius! Favorite quotes: “throw a wood block at the dresser in a fit of rage” and “we had the time of our lives lining the drawers.” Hilarious :) This is one of my very favorite projects of yours!!
Kristiina says
Stunning…I love the lines of the dresser and the dark stain makes it look so sophisticated :)
Great job and nice tutorial!
Samantha says
I love that dresser. Way to be quick on scooping that up!
Kasey at Thrifty Little Blog says
I’m glad that your staining adventure went so well! I’m planning a big project for the next few weeks and this will be really helpful. Thanks!
heather s. says
And here I was excited about the side tables I bought for $20 each! I love the dresser (exactly what I was looking for so its a good thing I don’t live near you or we would have had a war on our hands!). I was debating about sanding my tables and staining them but I LOVE the look of the stained frame/drawers and the painted top. I may just have to copy you. Great job!
lauren says
I am majorly lusting over this.
Jennifer B says
Amazing, you both did such an awesome job with this dresser, and inspired me to tackle a larger dresser that is a hand-me-down. Like you wrote, they do not make ’em like they ued to, that is why I would rather have hand me downs than anything we couls afford new.
decoriadore says
The dresser looks amazing! And I am like so jealous right now!
Kelli says
Love it!!!!!!
Margie K says
This dresser will be perfect for your baby changing station. Throw a changing pad on top and a basket full of diapers, ointment, etc and you’re good to go. We did the same thing for my daughter Eva and it was wonderful. This is a great dresser that can grow with your child through the many stages of life. Well done!
Matt P says
My CraigsLuck sucks. I never find the dream furniture I want… let alone for $20. That is one awesome find guys. score!!!!
elvira says
This is absolutely stunning. I cried. :-) I know, crazy but I was in this frame of mind. I saw a table at a thrift store that I should have bought right away but didn’t. Now its gone. I still haven’t gotten over it. This made me think about that. :-) This is so beautiful.
Megan says
This is great! And thank you for the tips on staining. I have a dresser sitting in our extra bedroom right now that I bought off Craigslist to refinish for my son’s new bedroom. I used stripper on one of the drawers and I’m not sure that I needed to. Any advice on using strippers (the chemical ones, not the dancing ones)? Do I even need to do that to the rest of the piece or can I just sand it before I stain?
Thanks for all your help and inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
We’re pretty anti stripper (ha, that sounds funny) just because we have never needed to use them because we choose to sand instead and it has always worked for us. The only time you might need a chemical stripper would be if you’re trying to bring a painted piece of wooden furniture back to the original wood color, but even then you might be able to get ‘er done with an electric sander and some high grit paper. We just don’t like the mess or the fumes from chemical strippers so in your case it sounds like you definitely can just sand the rest of the drawers and be good to go. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kristen says
This tutorial could not be more timely. I was given (yes, FREE!) a vintage dresser and matching mirrors several years ago and am finally ready to tackle a re-paint on it. I love the white top look, but what color would you suggest painting the frame of the matching mirror that sits above it? would you stain it the brown or paint it the white?
YoungHouseLove says
We’d definitely paint it white to match the tabletop for a nice half-tone look that feels seamless and chic. Love it!
xo,
s
Lindsay says
This couldn’t have come at a better time! I just bought a mid-century credenza on eBay and don’t like the wood color, but was afraid to ruin a quality piece with amateur staining skills. You’ve made it seem so foolproof. (Your finished product is so lovely.)
The tricky part for me is that mine has tambour doors. Do you have any experience with those? I don’t know how to remove the doors (or if it’s even possible without taking the whole piece apart) and I’m worried about staining and getting into all the slats while the doors are still on. Do you think this is risky business?
YoungHouseLove says
We would say go for it, just don’t use too much stain at any given time so it never drips and seeps around to mess up your finished look. A little bit of stain (think a moist brush, not a dripping wet brush) really does go a long way, so just be slow and steady and apply thin and even coats for a flawless finish. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Lynn Van Slyke says
First I just wanted to let you know how jealous I am that I see a short sleeve shirt on John, :P Not fair….Its only in the low 40’s here. I miss Richmond…
Seriously though, you did a fantastic job on the dresser. It was nice before but now its really one of a kind, Kudos to you!! I may just have to try staining a piece of furniture now that I see its really not that hard.
Marie says
Love the dresser, it looks great! I just searched for modern dresser on the Austin craiglist and came across this dresser: http://austin.craigslist.org/fuo/1623464010.html. It looks just like yours but you got a much better deal on the price!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow, that does look pretty similar! So funny that you hunted down our dresser’s older brother in Austin.
xo,
s
Alina says
This has nothing to do with the post, I just have to publicly acknowledge how cool you guys are. I sent you an email question and got an answer from you almost right away (I didn`t expect one at all, as you receive so many e-mails)
Thanks a lot!
Cate says
Something inside me dies a little when I see people “modernize” wonderful walnut-veneered mid-Century modern furniture, but it’s your dresser and the new finish floats your boat, so…
I just got two teak Swedish mid-Century cabinets off Craigslist for $35 each. I won’t be refinishing them, since they are in amazing shape, and I collect this stuff in part for the original finish. I feel your glee — isn’t it amazing to find just the thing you need on Craigslist?
beks says
Love it!!! I picked up 2 nightstands this weekend from Craigs, mine was $50. BOO! They were an yucky beat up wood color, so I sanded, primed and painted white and plan to change out the hardware. I painted the dressers in a satin finish, was not sure I wanted to go too glossy. NOW, I am wondering if I want to add a gloss finish or after reading yours, should I do the safecoat finish? will they add some gloss and some ‘safety’ for those old coffee rings? Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, it’ll definitely add protection from drink rings along with some nice gloss. We’d say go for it!
xo,
s
Sarah says
This is so funny! I actually tried to buy that dresser from the guy on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago!! I live in chesterfield so when I saw the price and the look of it I emailed him right away. I actually didn’t need it for anything, but I loved the look of it. I have a slight problem/addiction stalking craigslist looking at furniture. Guess you two beat me to it! ;) I love what you did with it.
My husband and I refinished a mid-century dresser before Christmas that was veneer as well. It turned out pretty well, except for a few areas where my husband over sanded. I’ll find some pictures and email them to you. Really love the way your nursery is coming along! Can’t wait to see more!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Sarah,
It’s so funny that you tried to snag our exact dresser from the same guy on Craigslist. I must admit I was squatting the site that day- literally hitting refresh on my “dresser” search every hour or two to see if anything came up. It’s such a small world!
xo,
s
Melissa says
Instead of using a damp cloth for wiping down the dresser after sanding I would recommend using tack cloth. It is just a sticky rag that will pick up all the dust left behind from sanding and you don’t have to wait for your piece to dry and isn’t it always nice to save a little time.
I love the finished look, you two did a fabulous job!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip Melissa! We’ve never used tack cloth but it sounds like a good alternative to a wet rag.
xo,
s
Kitsch Krafts says
Okay, that dresser is pretty fabulous! Now, you guys have me back to stalking the Richmond Craigslist. UGH! I thought I had weaned myself. ;o)
The Virginia House says
I love it, you all did an awesome job! Craigslist is like a dream come true, I always check there before I shop anywhere else. I found my dream coffee table there a few months back. Love it!
http://thevirginiahouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/more-favorite-things.html
{The Classy Woman} says
Awesome job! Wow, what a steal for just $20 and it has so much more character. That is a great piece which you could have for many years to come as your little girl gets bigger.
I’m just getting ready to paint a bunch of mid-century dressers that we already have, I can’t wait to see the finished results, paint and stain make such a huge impact.
Stephanie says
I’m so jealous of your t-shirt wearing, leave the screen doors open weather! It’s still cold where I live :(
Also, I’m amazed at how patient you guys are. When I do stuff like this, I get so excited to get it done, cleaned up, and in the room that I’ll not let things dry long enough and end up with poor results. And then, of course, I’m too lazy to fix it. Sigh…anyway, I remember once you posted about how you don’t have any special talents, you just learn as you go. But I think you guys do have a special amount of patience to take the time and do things right!