Alternate punny post title: Some Midcentury Microdermabrasion. Ok, so yesterday John explained how we hunted down an old thrift store table and repaired its rickety legs. And since we’re nothing if not honest when it comes to keeping things real-time in this little DIY diary of ours (if something takes two days, it earns two posts – and if a kitchen takes four months, it earns about a hundred) here’s the second chapter for our little dresser-turned-media-cabinet. The title of which could be: How I Showed A Dingy Old Wood Dresser Some Sweet Sweet Love. Or Dr $herdog And Her Scrub-tastic Tricks. You know, depending on your mood.
So let’s dive right into how I brought this 50+ year old piece back from scratched and bedraggled territory. Here are my tools. It’s a pretty simple equation.
Yup, you read that right. Ladies and gentlemen, my first weapon of choice was a Magic Eraser. I’ve found that for old beat up pieces like this, it’s great for scrubbing off years of grime. It essentially does the same thing as very fine steel wool or sandpaper does (but seems to be more gentle on the hands). The cool thing is that sometimes what you think are paint streaks and scratches actually can be buffed off with the eraser so the wood is back to looking downright sexy again. For example, see this detail shot that I took of the bottom right side of the cabinet before I did any scrubbing?
Here it is after about five minutes of buffing that area with a damp Magic Eraser:
I did the same buffing thing all over the top, the sides, and even the legs (tip: you might want to test it on an out of the way spot to make sure it doesn’t mess with your piece’s finish, but if it’s dry old wood like this guy it should work just like high grit sandpaper and just buff things down a bit).
Then it was time to clean out the inside of the drawers. Those were musty and dusty, so it was less about buffing them down to their original glory like it was for the exterior, so my approach changed. I just used an old rag moistened with white vinegar to wipe down the insides of each drawer. That removed all the dust, and since vinegar is also great for absorbing/removing musty smells in old wood, it was amazing how that tangy vinegar went on smelling strongly but then dried to have no smell at all (so those formerly musty drawers smelled like nothing at all as well). Huzzah.
Here’s how she looked after about a few hours of working the outside with the Magic Eraser and the inside of each drawer with a vinegar-moistened rag.
It’s a far cry from the muddled old finish that we saw at the thrift store, right? Now you get the post title, right? It’s like I hooked her up with some nice microdermabrasion, right? Dr. $herdog doesn’t mess around.
The next step was letting her sit out in the sunroom with her drawers all open so everything could evaporate and fully dry out (all the vinegar-wiped drawers need to full air out so the bitter smell dissipates). Then about eight hours later we finally (finally!!) brought her into the living room. Nothing like waiting over two years to find the right media cabinet.
We eventually plan to use a drawer or two for the TV components instead of sitting them on the floor (we can either hinge the front of that drawer for easy remote-access to them or use one of those cool RF remotes that work through wood) but this works for now.
And speaking of planning, we also originally planned to paint the top, sides, and bottom of the piece white (while leaving the rest of it in the same wood tone that you see now – sort of like this but wood where the white is and white where the wood is) but now that we’ve scrubbed it down and brought it into the living room we actually like it just the way it is.
We already have a white desk, a white table, and a white ottoman in the room, so the wooden media cabinet balances nicely with the wooden console that we built for behind our sofa along with the wood-framed chalkboard that we made. We even like the original hardware (although you never know if we’ll see something awesome and be completely seduced). Now that I’m sitting here staring at it, I actually think the existing hardware could look great in an oil-rubbed bronze finish since the curtain rods on both sides of this piece (as well as the dark TV on top of it) are that tone. So that’s always a possibility down the line. Either way you know I’ll keep you posted.
I’d also love to use some sort of wood restoring seal/topcoat to coat the cabinet (since it’s pretty dry and not really very glossy at all) – just to bring back even more luster. I hit up Home Depot and grabbed something that I’m dying to try, so I’ll be back with pics and details for ya about that – maybe along with a tutorial for hinging a drawer for those media components or giving an RF remote a try? Might not get around to it for a few weeks with all of our book tour travel coming up, but I can’t wait to get ‘er done.
Oh and as for securing the TV so it’s kid safe, we use this anchor system to keep it in place (here’s a picture of it with our last media cabinet from this post, but it’s the same system, we just unattached it and reattached it higher on the wall to work with the new cabinet). We’ve also had luck using similar systems for tethering desks and dressers and leaning mirrors to keep them from tipping (more on that here).
Now we’re just basking in the glory of a not-too-low TV that actually doesn’t make the whole room feel sofa-heavy (that side of the room always felt more substantial thanks to the teeny old TV table). Ooh yeah, I’m going to stuff those abundant drawers with all of Clara’s games and toys that runneth over. Momma’s excited about that. Oh and as for the old TV cabinet, we just craigslisted it for $30 yesterday! So in the end this new $59 TV cabinet was more like $29 after you put that $30 craigslist payment back in our pockets.
Is anyone else trying to bring an old piece of furniture back to its former glory? Have you ever used a vinegar wipe-down to de-must drawers? Have you tried the Magic Eraser approach on old grungy wood? I’m not sure it would be a good idea on something super shiny (sealed/lacquered) since it might make tiny scratches in the finish, but for old dry wood that looks beat up and battered already, it certainly removed a lot of things that I thought were deeply rooted into the stain (they must have been sitting right on top). Word up to less-beat-up-than-you-thought furniture.
Tom M says
I saw several other good tips on IR repeaters (Matt Rogers had a good one), but also know that there is repeater for your FiOS set top box available here: https://teleproducts.verizon.com/fios/index.cfm/eh/DisplayDetails . One more FiOS tip, there’s an upgraded DVR available with more storage if you’re interested.
I second the tip that good ventilation is key to keeping your electronics happy. Fans may be unnecessary, but holes on the top and bottom in the back should work.
YoungHouseLove says
Great tips Tom!
xo
s
Kathleen says
I’ve used a magic eraser several times on vintage furniture. It’s really amazing what a good job it does. You have to be careful to apply even pressure on your piece so you don’t remove the finish in one spot. Wadded up newspaper left for several days in a closed drawer or even a bowl of baking soda work well for odors also. I had a very stinky craigs list dresser and ended up using all 3 methods but it finally got that musty old smell out!
YoungHouseLove says
So smart!!
xo,
s
caseyj610 says
I think dip dyed legs would be a fun addition to Mia!
http://pinterest.com/pin/442478732108672844/
YoungHouseLove says
Always another fun possibility!
xo
s
leila says
Looks great!! Amazingly similar to our mid-century tv cabinet, which I, inspired by Clara’s dresser, had planned to paint white on the top but after a good cleaning decided to leave alone. Can’t beat it for $20! Cheers :)
Marlena says
If you get a chance while in Austin, check out Uncommon Objects: http://www.uncommonobjects.com/. An amazing treasure trove of goodies. Most of Southern Congress is fun, too!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome!
xo,
s
Ashley E says
I second this!
Jenny F. says
Third this – Uptown Modern has some amazing MCM treasures, as well!
Kimberly Visram says
Great thrift store find! I have a weakspot for midcentury modern furniture. I’ve got some old chairs from my g-parents that I’m dying to bring out of storage but I think they’ll have to wait until we move into a large place…
Heidi says
Definitely test Magic Eraser in a hidden area… I’ve tried it on painted walls and it took the sheen off. But it worked great on stained grout and stainless steel.
Regarding simple refinishing: I have had good luck with Old English Scratch Remover, especially with darker wood “rescued” furniture.
April says
Looks like it fits perfectly. What do you plan to place on the wall above the TV, anything? That’s one of my current struggles on what to put above the TV. I didn’t want to place a mirror because then it’s as if you have two ‘eyes’ or objects to look at.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, I want something not too big or too square/heavy. Hope I find something someday!
xo
s
Janelle says
I’ve seen some TV gallery walls done nicely on Pinterest.
Kristine says
My friend and I will see you tonight at BookPeople. I have read your blog every day for 3 years and will finally get to meet you guys! Sooooo excited!!! Yippee! Must. Concentrate. At. Work.
YoungHouseLove says
Woot! So excited!
xo,
s
Bethany says
I am so jealous of that find – it looks awesome in your space!
-DJ Business Cash’yall ;)
Leah McDonald says
Beautiful dresser! Nice to find a beat up piece of furniture and restore it to it’s former glory. We inherited a few really beautiful MCM pieces from my in-laws. A gorgeous buffet, dining table (no chairs), and a chest of drawers. I’m on the hunt for a dresser and some chairs to add to our collection. I’m always trolling Craigslist, but have been unsuccessful so far! Safe travels!
Kitty says
I’ve never tried magic eraser, but we have a dresser we got second hand in our bedroom that could really use a little microdermabrasion of it’s own! We also have a lot of dings in our paintwork and such (2 cats + a not so attentive to the walls husband) that need some TLC so I think I’ll pick up one when I’m next in town and give it a try!
Your TV looks so much more balanced on it and it looks great.
Kitty says
Just thought I’d pop back (after you mentioned this post in your January superlatives) and say I got some and wow, they do an awesome job! It’s made looking after our home a whole lot easier.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, so glad :)
xo
s
Karla says
Sherry,
I will be visiting Richmond in a couple of weeks. It seems you guys always find great things around your area. Can you recommend 2nd hand stores that should visit while there?
Great find on the dresser. Who knew vinegar could do that?
YoungHouseLove says
Here’s that post for ya: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/02/five-richmond-top-fives/ Have fun!
xo
s
Valarie says
Sorry I can’t make it to the signing tonight :( However, in keeping with the rest of your book tour, you’re bringing the weather with you. We desperately need the rain though, so we thank you for bringing it to us! So generous
emily says
love it! as a fan of midcentury pieces, i’ve always been jealous of your great finds (nightstands, dresser for the book project, now this guy!). looks great!
call me creepy for noticing, but when did you start including your last name in the “posted by” line?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a new thing John’s trying (somehow it helps with “google authorship.” You know us with the trial and error coding! Haha.
xo,
s
Nicole @ Liberty Belles says
it looks AWESOME! have fun in good ol Texas today :)
Ashley says
I use vinegar to clean everything! I never thought of using it with a magic eraser to clean up wood though!!
It looks awesome I can’t wait to see what you chose to seal it – I’ve been looking for some other options besides poly and paste wax.
Michelle N says
Oh Wow! That cleaned up nice. You guys find some pretty awesome pieces.
Off topic question for John.
How have you kept up with your running while on the book tour? Do you run on the treadmill at the hotel? Or no time to run? Just wondering. Thanks
YoungHouseLove says
Running has slacked off a bit since we’re trying to pack light and throwing all of my running gear in there adds a lot when sharing a carry on.
-John
Jenny says
It looks gorgeous, I’m so jealous! I always wonder – how do you guys get this stuff home?? I’m anxious to start thrifting for furniture but I drive a Nissan Versa and my roomie drives a tiny little Honda and I have no idea how I could transport anything :(
YoungHouseLove says
Thankfully John’s dad and sister have bigger cars that come in handy for getting larger items home.
xo,
s
Amelia R. says
Gorgeous. That is an amazing find, especially for the price.
Ginny@ Goofy Monkeys says
1. I LOVE IT
2. Cleaned up nicely
3. Thank you for securing it to a wall – furniture can be such a danger to little ones
4. Much better scale for the room – the other piece looked sorta mini
5. I LOVE drawers for storage in a living room!
Kasey M. says
I’m buying a magic eraser tonight! I have two curb alert dressers in my apartment that could use some TCL. I plan to paint them or sand and refinish them once it gets warm enough to lug them outside for the job, but I’d love to see how much of an improvement the magic eraser makes!
Krystle @ ColorTransformedFamily says
I love that you decided to keep the wood natural but really liked one reader’s suggestion of painting the legs. Even dipping the bottom of the legs would be cool.
We are in the beginning brainstorming phases of searching for a tv stand. I really like the idea of hitting up the local thrift stores first. I”m not sure I could be two years patient though… especially when I have already eyed one from IKEA that will do the job.
Julia at Home on 129 Acres says
Your cabinet came up really well. Those drawers will be super functional for you. I spent my Christmas holidays building a TV stand and drawers were a must. I don’t have any kid stuff, but have lots of husband stuff to hide away!
Katie says
awesome find!! i’m drooling at this very moment! i’ve been looking for either a MCM dresser or credenza to use in our living room! you given me hope! i just love you guys.
Donald says
Have you thought about some brass caps for the feet? Simple paint job would add a great finishing tough…but it looks so great as is too! Hopefully in 20 years researchers won’t decide that using Magic Eraser gives your unborn children lobster claws for hands or something…I love that thing.
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh brass feet caps would be fancy!
xo,
s
Carol says
love that idea…or ORB feet caps, unless you go darker with the floors and that would blend too much.
Sue C says
Have you ever tried the magic eraser on fabric? We got an upholstered chair recently and it has 2 stains on it. I’m afraid to try and remove them in case they spread and get worse. Any words of wisdom?
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm I’d worry it might take the color our of upholstery. Anyone try it?
xo,
s
Meredith says
I tried it on leather (shoes that had gotten a weird line on them), since they were toast otherwise, and it did what Sherry said—it got the stain out but also the color. :(
Sayward says
p.s. have you seen west elm’s new ceramic snails and inch worm? I need roughly 20 of the snails. You could get Clara the worm as her starter animal. #gottastartemyoung
YoungHouseLove says
Totally!
-John
jenny says
never heard the magic eraser trick! What a great tip!
thanks!!!! :)
Lindsey @ arkadian belle woods says
I love this dresser! It looks so perfect in the living room! It always amazes me what a little bit of elbow grease can do for an old piece of furniture!
Langley says
love the non-chemical cleaning solution!!
Donna says
I’ve never tried the magic eraser. That’s a good idea. I bought several large wood pieces from our thrift store. I’ve had a lot of luck with Howard’s restorafinish. I will advise to avoid sandpaper unless you’re super careful. I got over ambitious with one piece and ended up having to refinish it. A LOT of work. Also I agree that the piece balances the room nicely. I have a wooden drawer piece that I’m going to paint the outer portion also. Instead of white though I’m going with navy. Looks great with the orange toned wood. Maybe you can try yours with a dark gray. But it looks nice as is also…
Rachel says
HOly cow, it looks great just with what you did!
Kenz @ Interiors By Kenz says
It’s amazing what changing out one piece of furniture can do. Your room looks so good! It’s an overall improvement. Now, paint dip those legs! Nothing better than 4 sexy legs ;)
Joan says
One thing that you might try on the dry wood is an oil/vinegar combo. I think it’s 3 parts oil to one part vinegar. You can use olive or veggie oil, and white or cider vinegar. Just combine them in a jar and use a soft cloth to rub it in. If there’s any excess, you can wipe it off, but my experimental piece just soaked in the oil. Easy, cheap, and no scary chemicals!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds great!
xo
s
Angela Kintner says
I’ve used this oil/vinegar combo or oil/lemon juice combo and it works great!
Rachel@hammeringourwayhome says
shut your gosh darn face, a magic eraser DID THAT? mind blown. I just found a box of them in my basement. Now to find some old furniture…
YoungHouseLove says
Hahaha, you made me laugh out loud with the shut your gosh darn face.
xo
s
Jessica M says
Wow! Love Miss Mia. She looks great there and her makeover is fabulous!
BreAnne Benzel says
Hey Sherdog,
We used a credenza for our TV cabinet mainly because I hate looking at TV components as well…however I thought I’d let you know, for us, our box overheats so I have to leave the door open all the time while watching TV. Not a huge deal, but a little annoying :) Sooo make sure if you do hide those in there, cut a big hole in the back to let it breathe!
Here’s ours http://theneuzelproject.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/seating-a-sneak-peek/
Keep up the awesomeness!
YoungHouseLove says
Smart tip!!!
xo
s
Erin says
Great posting, I have an old dresser I am trying to restore I am going to dry the magic eraser…can’t wait. I am also dealing with a mothball smell in the drawers, any recommendations from anyone?? I already tried leaving the drawers out in the sunlight, any suggestions welcome. Thanks!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, sunlight and maybe try vinegar too? Someone else mentioned vodka (use cheap vodka! haha!) for helping with that too?
xo
s
Emily R. says
I would love more info. on RF remotes if that is the way you decide to go. I already started googling it.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ll definitely share all the deets if we end up with one!
xo
s
Kristin says
Wow, how many hundreds of your readers are going to rush home tonight and break out the Magic Erasers and vinegar? I would never have thought of that. We “inherited” a bunch of antique furniture from my mother-in-law in 2012. We spent a small fortune getting the nicer pieces stripped, restored, refinished. But the bedroom pieces I just wiped down with Murphy’s oil soap. I will do a test drive of the magic eraser and vinegar tonight! If it works, what a great solution for pieces I love but need a little TLC.
Piper says
Just an idea…you might consider getting a nice thick piece of glass cut to go on top of it and have the edges smoothed. I have a dresser in my daughter’s room that I had that done for that I love how it turned out. It ran me about $100 for just about the same size as the one you have.
Love the new look!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s a fun idea!
xo
s
foobella designs says
That cabinet looks great! I knew that magic eraser was magical on walls, so I am very happy to hear I can use it elsewhere, too.
Also, the cabinet fits perfectly in that spot! It’s just the right scale. What a great find. Now, I challenge you to DIY a big clock for above the TV. And I imagine some nice tall potted plants on either side of the the cabinet. Come on, bring in some mother nature. That room has so much potential!
EFritz says
This is great! My husband brought home a $15 desk that is the same style as your cabinet/dresser. I have not started the cleaning process so magic eraser is going to be my go to. That seems much less damaging then attacking it with sandpaper. I would like to try painting the drawer fronts but I am not sure if it will look super unbalanced. I will clean it up this weekend and see what happens!
Kristin Cadwallader says
That fits the space perfectly! WOW! What can’t you use a Magic Eraser on?! Great tip! xo Kristin
Karen says
… and I just fell even more in love with Magic Erasers :)
Julie says
Wow, I just saw a very similar dresser in West Elm’s new section for $800. Good find!
Jenny @ We G Three says
You guys have amazing thrift stores! You’d never find a piece like that here, and if you did, it wouldn’t be $59! Our thrift stores have gotten… not so thrifty…
Mia looks fantastic all cleaned up!
Claire says
I’m dying to run home and try that Magic Eraser trick on this gorgeous but grimy retro table I bought from CL this summer. The table top is beautiful in most places but you can definitely tell which places at the table were used the most due to a layer of grime that most certainly won’t come off with a damp cloth.
I love this media console! Works well in the space and a great deal to boot!
Terresa says
LOVE IT!! It looks so great in your living room. I wouldn’t change a thing. except maybe a wax finish to bring out a little lustre like you said. Score!!!