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How to refinish a dresser . . .
Flea markets and estate and garage sales can be such affordable ways to acquire vintage furniture. The downside: Sometimes the best deals need elbow grease. And sometimes, the furniture you’ve been living with for years just needs a makeover. Case in point: the hand-me-down dresser, shown above left. Most recently updated in the 1980s with heavy coats of textured, faux granite spray paint, the dresser gets our sincere vote for one of the ugliest we’ve ever seen.
The owners had shopped for several years looking for a new dresser and finally found one they liked in a glossy, dark-brown-wood finish. The price tag was glossy, too: $9,000.00. So instead of buying the new dresser they enlisted the help of refinisher James Matar of Dover, New Jersey-based Family Heirloom Restoration (973-366-6636 or heirloomrestorationstoo.com) to oversee a makeover. If you tackle this yourself, it will take a three-day weekend (with time to spare) and less than $150.
Before You Begin Set up in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area; protect the floor with a drop cloth. Sufficient drying time is a key to a professional-looking job, so make sure you have both room and time to leave the dresser overnight. (Allow more drying time on humid days.) Vacuum all surfaces to remove dust, cobwebs and even (alas!) insect eggs. Wear gloves, old clothes, a mask (during sanding and dust removal), and a good respirator mask (if you decide to use a spray-on polyurethane).
Mix Master Premixed stains are easy to use and are available in a variety of colors and shades. You can slightly influence the appearance by using 150- to 180- grit sandpaper for a darker finish or 120- to 150- grit for a lighter look. Or, you may want to consider mixing your own stain using premixed colors, as Matar did (two parts Ebony 2718 to one part Red Mahogany 225 Minwax Wood Finish stains) to precisely match the dresser to the new super-dark, sleek brown drawer pulls. Follow the steps through number seven, then mix your stain and check the color on an unobtrusive part of the dresser to make sure it’s to your liking before proceeding.
1. Follow the directions for the specific products you’re using. Matar used Minwax (800-523-9299, minwax.com) and Formby’s (800-290-1105, formbys.com). Remove the old hardware, then evenly apply two coats of stripper. Wait about five minutes between each coat.
2. The old finish will bubble up. Remove it by scraping it off gingerly with a putty knife. Do not scrape so hard that the putty knife scratches or makes grooves in the wood.
3. Lightly scour all surfaces with a #3 steel wool pad. Clean the dresser with your paint-and-polyurethane remover wash, then gently remove remaining residue with a soft cotton cloth.
4. Make any necessary repairs to the dresser, and fill the old hardware holes with a stainable wood filler and putty.
5. Measure (twice for accuracy!) to determine the exact placement of all the new hardware.
6. Drill holes for the new hardware. Grief-saving tip: Attach all of the drawer pulls now, before you stain. Once everything aligns, detach the pulls, and save them for step 10.
8. Apply the stain. Let it soak into the wood for about five minutes, then wipe up excess with a soft cloth (a clean white cotton T-shirt or cheesecloth); let dry overnight. For a darker finish, apply a second coat of stain.
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7.
Sand all the surfaces twice, first using a 120-grit sandpaper, then
220-grit. Vacuum, or if using an oil-based stain, remove dust with a clean
rag dampened with mineral spirits.
9.
Apply three coats of either spray- or wipe-on polyurethane. Between each
coat, let dry six to eight hours, and lightly sand with 220- to 320-grit
paper. Remember to remove dust after each, sanding as in step seven.
10.
After the final coat of polyurethane has dried, shine by rubbing on paste
wax and polishing with 4-0 steel wool. Finally attach the stylish new
hardware.