This gorgeous dresser was given to me and I couldn’t wait to get started. There were a number of obstacles that needed to be overcome, but considering the lines and styling of this dresser, I knew I had to make it work. 
For starters, the back of the dresser was damaged and wet, as it had been in a damp basement. Before it even came into the workshop, I tore the back off and discarded it. In doing so I found that almost all of the drawer stops and some of the rails were “independent” of the dresser. Finally, there was some mildew on the sides of the dresser.
First things first, I tested for lead paint. The test was negative, so I washed the entire piece down with water and bleach to clean it and remove the mildew. Once I had a clean and safe piece to deal with, I could repair all the damage and get started on the color scheme. If you follow this blog you know I LOVE Waverly Chalk Paint in Mineral. It is the perfect shade of grey/beige and it really highlights almost any color stain. I chose Mineral for the body of the dresser, and a slightly browner shade for the top two drawers, the decorative spindles on the front and the front legs. It is a super subtle contrast, but it is exactly what I was looking for. Finally, I chose General Finish Java Gel stain for the top and remaining drawer fronts.
Sanding the drawers and top was an absolute bear!! The paint was super thick and the heat of the belt sander made it gummy. Once I got those areas sanded down to bare wood, I applied the stain. Next came the trim color. Finally, I completed the body with Mineral.
I wanted to reuse the existing drawer pulls and stain them to match the top and drawer fronts. I dropped all 12 into a Ziploc and poured in Citristrip. Those “marinated” for several hours and still were coated in paint. I moved on to other things and truth be told, I forgot about them for 2 days. When I came back, all the paint was dissolved. SCORE!!! I stained them with Java Gel and applied a coat of Polycrylic for durability.
I think the finished piece looks balanced and highlights all of the interesting lines of this dresser. It’s all ready for a new home!
Hold my wine, I’ve got this.
Amy
If you enjoy these posts, please like, share or comment. If you would like to receive my blog posts via email, you can sign up here.
