. You can see the wood is still kind of tinted a darkish color. Thank you so much, and Im so glad that this post has been helpful! Thanks for taking the time to share both the highs and the lows and the before and after and photos. I noticed some of your drawers look a tad lighter in some spots. Apply a thin coat with a foam brush or roller, making sure to not go back over what you just covered or else youll leave rough patches. Enjoy!! I always dread stripping and finishinground objects. You need at least 4 coats to get a good finish. Thanks. All you need is paint, power tools, and thrift stores.read more >, Mid Century Modern Dresser Makeover Stripped and Refinished. Plus for $40 you really cant beat it. On the inside fronts, I quickly sanded those, too, to make the insides clean. Hey, I linked back to your post from my blog, because I found this exact same dresser (without the pulls) I used to be at prettyediblediy.blogspot.com but have since moved to turningithome.blogspot.com. Just right. I was introduced to it when I bought an old dried out mid century piece and love it more than Danish teak oil for general maintenance of teak, rosewood and walnut. 
Ive been using this soy stripping gel lately and I like it a lot. 
. . After two coats, I was left with this: Step 7: Prime and Paint Top of Dresser Since the top of the dresser was covered in some type of laminate, I ended up having to paint it. The question is, will I attempt to fix this, or will I keep it movin? Since I started off nervous about sanding through to plywood, I applied almost no pressure, but then I realized I wasnt getting anywhere (let me tell yaafter an hour, that was an awesome realization). Is a veneer finish common? [] it was solidly built of wood (except for the yucky laminate top, but I dealt with that during my last furniture refinishing adventure, so no big deal there). (And if all else fails, I can just paint them -am I right?) Its beautiful. The green mineral spirits I used may have contributed to the ashy, cloudy appearance of the wood. that is, until it started to dry, and I realized that the top didnt look quite so lustrous. Ive used Citristrip before and that is made to smell citris-y, but even Citristrip, if sniffed for too long, starts to make me feel a bit sick to my stomach. Do a light sanding in between with 1000 grit wet/dry paper or some very fine steel wool. Your local hardware store experts can guide you to the products and materials you need, but at least this test allows you to go to the store armed with some information. Be sure to work in sections because you dont want it drying on your wood! For the legs and for the smaller ledges on the dresser, I used a piece of sand paper and sanded them by hand. Good luck with your projects! And Ive definitely passed up a bunch of pieces because I wasnt sure how I could fix it. Once I stained everything, they became pretty invisible. You have inspired me to refinish a thin-veneered credenza my husband picked up off of the side of the road! And always sand in the direction of the wood grainin the case of the drawers, this meant I sanded everything lengthwise. First with 100-grit sandpaper, but after seeing no progress, I switched to a stronger, 60-grit paper. So your saying you need to sand the fake wood (veneer)? Thinking of sanding flush then filling. Super informative for my coffee table project. 
After stripping, use graduating grits from 80-150. and maybe a quick pass with a 220. I consent to Thrift Diving Blog collecting and storing the data I submit in this form. When you apply your new stain, the old stuff is still in some of the grain and you will get a blotchy finish. With a brush? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Want to stalk us?! 
Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. But once it dried, the following day it was clear that something has gone awry. Before I even started, though, I did some searching and came acrossthis tutorialfrom Bunches of Joy. At this point, my Bad Mamma Jamma flag was starting to waver. Personally, I hate poly. Be sure to wipe in the direction of the grain. I wanted it nice and glossy, so I chose to use MinwaxsWater-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss. I store crafting supplies in it! Wow! what do you do if you have areas of chipped veneer? Wow, that guy makes it looks so pretty! Now go check your email for those freebies! Yepyou just need to sand off the finish so that the wood veneer will absorb the stain. 
I must live with this and figure outwhy it happened so it never happens again. $40 is such a steal!! Hey, thats my old dresser! Your comment just completely brightened my day (and might just give me the inspiration to tackle another refinishing job)! When you sand off an existing finish, instead of stripping, youre not removing the old stain from deep down in the wood grain (btw, that veneer you did is walnut). Have you ever refinished a mid century veneer dresser? Sand! I couldnt figure out why the drawers looked so ashy. In the past, Ive been known to move my orbital sander of a piece of wood at lightning speed. Lets look at the bright side: the side veneer is rather striking, isnt it?? I happened upon this blog post while doing what you say you do researching a project! Not bad, right? _QG/O}+MpLQX=r.l@H
KcoLgc3{2`^~xj`:6{|^ |M@Ct<3uv{gq' 9,6{?ei1c*}njgLWx:c.vo6+vaLKa=62\534vl8Ag:7'vsk5% 7EkD0QZd} Ive stripped furniture before on smaller scales, so I knew what materials to pull together: The easiest way for me to strip this dresser is to remove all 9 drawers and set them out on a tarp. Youll be surprised how fast it comes off once you get started. 3pc sofa set, Whether youre starting from scratch and furnishing an empty space, or youre upgrading a few individual pieces, we also give compiled tips and ideas about how to choose living room furniture for your home. I just wanted to thank you for the step by step, and great photos. I think you did an awesome job and as long as you learn from the mishaps your next project will be that much better! Should you get a tacky spot, a touch of the oil on a rag briskly rubbed will fix that. The more I work on it, the more I want to know what it is called, etc. Ill show you how I made the drawer handles in another post, but for now, heres the total cost breakdown for my first project: I just happened across your blog. LOL. I really want to master this thing called wood refinishing.. I am amazed that you say you are a novice in furniture refinishing. But you can see the oily spots. My usual go to is Dark Walnut but since I wasnt applying my stain to raw wood and it already had some color to it, I went with this color instead. I slathered on a coat, let it do its job, andBOOM!removed it with the dulled-down putty knife (so it doesnt gouge the wood) after about 15 minutes. Im talking maybe 7 coats (spaced our day 24 hours) so that you get maximum shine, which is what I wanted. Im doing a dresser thats almost identical and I was wondering how i was going to handle to laminate top! Im a big believer in using pre-stain wood conditioner. 
What would you do? So there you have it, folks: although my mid century modern dresser makeover didnt go exactly as planned, it still turned out pretty nice. Once the rounded drawer pull areas were sanded, I found they were also going to be mismatched from the rest of the dresser, too. Awesome. I also applied the gel stain to the sanded drawer edges where there was no veneer. They are a pain to do, but priming is the key. I followed the instructions: mix 50% tung oil with 50% mineral spirits for your first coat, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off, the bottle said. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Well, its hard to tell because I didnt try staining any pieces without it. Then, apply light, even coats of the latex paint of your choice (I used Lowes Olympus low-VOC paint in Semi-Gloss in the off-the-shelf white). . Once I sanded everything down with the 100-grit sandpaper, I then switched to the 220-grit in order to get a really smooth finish. [] 9. After removing the old finish, now you can actually see the awesome pattern of the veneer. How would it look once I put tung oil on it?? There are definitely still some imperfections with the dresser but they arent super apparent and I like the character it gives it. I use local varnish here at my place and its the same look as yours. 
document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 BREPURPOSED. I suggest working on this project outside or somewhere that has good ventilation. Hopefully you were able to shore yours up! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started! Try and do the sides of the drawers as well. . 
The next day, I also noticed spots that I would have betmoney onthat I had sanded away, but somehow, theyd mysteriously reappeared after 24 hours. Once I had sanded it down, I then primed it with Kilz Oil-Based Primer with a foam brush (I hate cleaning brushes after using oil-based paints, so I always use foam ones so that I can just throw them away). Mine is stamped as having been made in 1972 by Drouin Furniture Ltd. any chance yours is too? All these mcm dresser like this have the same finish. Step 3: Clean the Dresser Before I started, I gave the dresser a quick wipedown with just a damp rag, removed the drawers, and removed all the drawer pulls. Hey thanks for this advice! Then, let it sit for a few minutes (the directions advise anywhere from 1-5 minutes; I left it on for 3 minutes) so that it can soak in. Be very careful along the edges, lest you burn through the veneer. Which means, tung oil applied there wouldnt have the same result as it would when rubbed on the veneer. The drawers look dried out, with wet looking glossier edges. modern living room furniture, If you are moving into new house or looking to redecorate a bit and looking for cheap furniture our site is the site. If your veneer is really thin, I would stick to a medium or even fine grit sandpaper. Before I get into it I need to apologize because I was a terrible blogger and forgot to take before pics. 
Or Deft acrylic top coat. The veneer on this piece was super thin, and I used a medium grit and the sanding went SO quickly. They are just better products. Make sure you apply it to every part that you plan on staining; for me, this was everything except the very top of the dresser. So..have you ever done a mid century modern dresser makeover? You always make it look so easy, but youre seriously a wizard with this stuff!!! The result left me disappointed and scratching my head on what to do next. Even on Craigslist, a good mid century piece can go for hundreds of dollars, so any time I find one for under $100, I have to give it a chance at a new life! (LogOut/ . Good luckIm sure it will come out great . I found the 6 drawer lowboy at a thrift store recently and have already removed 3 layers of latex paint that it came with. You could also use a sanding block but what I like about using a piece of paper is that you can wrap it around the legs and cover a lot of surface area at once! And do you prefer furniture stripping or painting furniture? watch the 13-minute explanation in my YouTube video, taller of the two dressers got a gorgeous makeover with tung oil and white paint, General Finishes ARM-R-SEAL Oil & Urethane, Build a DIY Bathroom Vanity Part 1 Attaching Legs and a Base. LOL. Bookmarking this for spring when I can tackle my dresser project. . Once its dry (I let it dry overnight), do a quick sand of it with 220-grit sandpaper to make sure there are no brush marks. Once the second coat is applied and scraped off, use After Wash to clean off the residue from the stripper. Of course, dont forget to protect your lungs. Instead paint it a deep gray/charcoal. For future reference, heres an article from a guy who specializes in it. The taller of the two dressers got a gorgeous makeover with tung oil and white paint, but I really wanted to practice my stripping and refinishing skills on this longer one. I followed the same procedure as beforeapply, let sit for 3 minutes, and wipe away with even pressure. Outdoor furniture also called patio furniture or gerden furniture, is a type of furniture specifically designed for outdoor use. Seal that baby up. I just didnt realize that it would look crappy once it dries! Thats a beautiful dresser. Youre not alone). Very nice! Step 4: Sand. . Excellent! Nice, huh? A little late to this post but great help for me. Im thinking that once the oil has fully tried, Ill go back with a wax or maybe another topcoat to see if I can add awet-looking shine that will make it less noticeable. I am gonna try this with my coffee table (it was free and not in very good shape). This is where I think things started going wrong. It had great bones and all the hardware and all the drawers worked properly. Looks good! The Blue Bear Paint & Urethane Stripper never makes me feel ill and isnt strong-smelling. What youdont see in this picture is the spottiness, along with the unevenness of how to tung oil soaked into the wood. I love sanding inside of drawers and on the sides, too, when theyre a bit messy or yellowed! Using the 220 went much faster since I had already sanded off everything I was trying to remove; the 220 was just to get it as smooth as possible. Nothing worse than opening up a nice re-done dresser drawer and seeing fingerprint stains or overspray or paint drips! But its really not as scary as it looks. I only had a few areas of chipped veneer and since they were so small, I just decided to ignore them. You have to apply thin coats though, and do enough to get the coverage you want (I went a little overboard and did 7 separate coatsyes, Im crazy). And that is why I rarely start new projectsmy research usually makes me too scared of somehow screwing up and ruining my life (no seriouslysometimes I get that dramatic about it). Make sure you have your painters rags (or cut-up old t-shirt) handy, and rubber gloves arent a bad idea here either (and definitely a must if youre using oil-based stain). Serena doesnt want to look at another piece of wood furniture for quite some time. . Im just beginning a project on a 1940s Sellers bakers cabinet and wanted to refinish it instead of painting. thanks for your thorough and honest listing of the good, bad & ugly parts about this project!! Much appreciation, Michele, It looks fab!!! I fully appreciate your thorough, detailed instructions. (if you go too fine, you actually close the pores of your wood). Its just gorgeous!! I got it back when we lived in Erie just before I was about to pop, so its been a little neglected. (Yes, we bloggers have those fears, too. I think that was probably due to the fact that I got a little lazy with my sandingparticularly on the legs and curvy parts of the dresser. I will save that link. HA! I applied two coats of this and let it dry outside overnight. Yes, I still have the dresser (it has moved all over my house). How did you apply the stain? This mid century modern dresser had been sitting in my garage for awhile, but prior to that, I had used it for my basement office makeover to hold my television. Wish I had connected with you before the trip- it would have been nice to met in person. This was exactly what I needed! Even the smallest of particles stay floating around after sanding! The dressers themselves are gorgeous, the color just looks like something the dog hacked up lol. Glad you like it, and youre rightmistakes are what make the next project that much better! There were a lot of scratches and dents and it was just in overall not great shape. Again, consider yourself warned. Dont use it on open grains like oak or mahogany or youll be wiping down for hours, possibly days, that oak table haunts me to this day. I couldnt wait to get tung oil on these drawers! Heres a shot of the side halfway through sandingnote again the difference between the lighter left side and the darker, still-shellac-covered right side: Even though the top of the dresser seemed quite different than the rest of the piece, I still decided to try and sand it. Thanks! Then, let the Wood Conditioner set for at least 30 minutes before moving on to the next step. Your email address will not be published. LOL. Apply your conditioner. GASP. Maybe next time I tackle a similar project Ill skip this part and let you know what happens. The spots on the top are the same. 
Sorryjust seeing this! BUT, now that I have the Mr. by my side with his carefree, devil-may-care attitude, Ive learned to loosen up and just go for it. Keep sanding. And thanks for mentioning the feather print artist. You can scroll through my Before and After Gallery and click on the link. The bright side of this mid century modern dresser makeover is that you can finally see the gorgeous veneer grain! 
The first problem I encountered was after sanding the body was realizing that the front edges of the dresser hadno veneer. . Handles small round antique brass knobs. Serena has to re-sand the whole dresser and 9 drawers. You may also wish to try Odies Oil every few years to keep it fresh rather than poly as bedrooms have few sitting water risks. Its still possible but youd be doing a LOT of sanding by hand which can be a major pain. I loooove that grain! This gave me the motivation I needed to finally get to work on this guy. Then, just apply the stain with a foam brush in the direction of the grain and keep an eye on your watch.
Ive been using this soy stripping gel lately and I like it a lot. . . After two coats, I was left with this: Step 7: Prime and Paint Top of Dresser Since the top of the dresser was covered in some type of laminate, I ended up having to paint it. The question is, will I attempt to fix this, or will I keep it movin? Since I started off nervous about sanding through to plywood, I applied almost no pressure, but then I realized I wasnt getting anywhere (let me tell yaafter an hour, that was an awesome realization). Is a veneer finish common? [] it was solidly built of wood (except for the yucky laminate top, but I dealt with that during my last furniture refinishing adventure, so no big deal there). (And if all else fails, I can just paint them -am I right?) Its beautiful. The green mineral spirits I used may have contributed to the ashy, cloudy appearance of the wood. that is, until it started to dry, and I realized that the top didnt look quite so lustrous. Ive used Citristrip before and that is made to smell citris-y, but even Citristrip, if sniffed for too long, starts to make me feel a bit sick to my stomach. Do a light sanding in between with 1000 grit wet/dry paper or some very fine steel wool. Your local hardware store experts can guide you to the products and materials you need, but at least this test allows you to go to the store armed with some information. Be sure to work in sections because you dont want it drying on your wood! For the legs and for the smaller ledges on the dresser, I used a piece of sand paper and sanded them by hand. Good luck with your projects! And Ive definitely passed up a bunch of pieces because I wasnt sure how I could fix it. Once I stained everything, they became pretty invisible. You have inspired me to refinish a thin-veneered credenza my husband picked up off of the side of the road! And always sand in the direction of the wood grainin the case of the drawers, this meant I sanded everything lengthwise. First with 100-grit sandpaper, but after seeing no progress, I switched to a stronger, 60-grit paper. So your saying you need to sand the fake wood (veneer)? Thinking of sanding flush then filling. Super informative for my coffee table project. After stripping, use graduating grits from 80-150. and maybe a quick pass with a 220. I consent to Thrift Diving Blog collecting and storing the data I submit in this form. When you apply your new stain, the old stuff is still in some of the grain and you will get a blotchy finish. With a brush? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Want to stalk us?! Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. But once it dried, the following day it was clear that something has gone awry. Before I even started, though, I did some searching and came acrossthis tutorialfrom Bunches of Joy. At this point, my Bad Mamma Jamma flag was starting to waver. Personally, I hate poly. Be sure to wipe in the direction of the grain. I wanted it nice and glossy, so I chose to use MinwaxsWater-Based Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Gloss. I store crafting supplies in it! Wow! what do you do if you have areas of chipped veneer? Wow, that guy makes it looks so pretty! Now go check your email for those freebies! Yepyou just need to sand off the finish so that the wood veneer will absorb the stain. I must live with this and figure outwhy it happened so it never happens again. $40 is such a steal!! Hey, thats my old dresser! Your comment just completely brightened my day (and might just give me the inspiration to tackle another refinishing job)! When you sand off an existing finish, instead of stripping, youre not removing the old stain from deep down in the wood grain (btw, that veneer you did is walnut). Have you ever refinished a mid century veneer dresser? Sand! I couldnt figure out why the drawers looked so ashy. In the past, Ive been known to move my orbital sander of a piece of wood at lightning speed. Lets look at the bright side: the side veneer is rather striking, isnt it?? I happened upon this blog post while doing what you say you do researching a project! Not bad, right? _QG/O}+MpLQX=r.l@H
KcoLgc3{2`^~xj`:6{|^ |M@Ct<3uv{gq' 9,6{?ei1c*}njgLWx:c.vo6+vaLKa=62\534vl8Ag:7'vsk5% 7EkD0QZd} Ive stripped furniture before on smaller scales, so I knew what materials to pull together: The easiest way for me to strip this dresser is to remove all 9 drawers and set them out on a tarp. Youll be surprised how fast it comes off once you get started. 3pc sofa set, Whether youre starting from scratch and furnishing an empty space, or youre upgrading a few individual pieces, we also give compiled tips and ideas about how to choose living room furniture for your home. I just wanted to thank you for the step by step, and great photos. I think you did an awesome job and as long as you learn from the mishaps your next project will be that much better! Should you get a tacky spot, a touch of the oil on a rag briskly rubbed will fix that. The more I work on it, the more I want to know what it is called, etc. Ill show you how I made the drawer handles in another post, but for now, heres the total cost breakdown for my first project: I just happened across your blog. LOL. I really want to master this thing called wood refinishing.. I am amazed that you say you are a novice in furniture refinishing. But you can see the oily spots. My usual go to is Dark Walnut but since I wasnt applying my stain to raw wood and it already had some color to it, I went with this color instead. I slathered on a coat, let it do its job, andBOOM!removed it with the dulled-down putty knife (so it doesnt gouge the wood) after about 15 minutes. Im talking maybe 7 coats (spaced our day 24 hours) so that you get maximum shine, which is what I wanted. Im doing a dresser thats almost identical and I was wondering how i was going to handle to laminate top! Im a big believer in using pre-stain wood conditioner. What would you do? So there you have it, folks: although my mid century modern dresser makeover didnt go exactly as planned, it still turned out pretty nice. Once the rounded drawer pull areas were sanded, I found they were also going to be mismatched from the rest of the dresser, too. Awesome. I also applied the gel stain to the sanded drawer edges where there was no veneer. They are a pain to do, but priming is the key. I followed the instructions: mix 50% tung oil with 50% mineral spirits for your first coat, let it sit for 10-15 minutes, then wipe off, the bottle said. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Well, its hard to tell because I didnt try staining any pieces without it. Then, apply light, even coats of the latex paint of your choice (I used Lowes Olympus low-VOC paint in Semi-Gloss in the off-the-shelf white). . Once I sanded everything down with the 100-grit sandpaper, I then switched to the 220-grit in order to get a really smooth finish. [] 9. After removing the old finish, now you can actually see the awesome pattern of the veneer. How would it look once I put tung oil on it?? There are definitely still some imperfections with the dresser but they arent super apparent and I like the character it gives it. I use local varnish here at my place and its the same look as yours. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2021 BREPURPOSED. I suggest working on this project outside or somewhere that has good ventilation. Hopefully you were able to shore yours up! Use these 5 printables, checklists, and ebooks to get started! Try and do the sides of the drawers as well. . The next day, I also noticed spots that I would have betmoney onthat I had sanded away, but somehow, theyd mysteriously reappeared after 24 hours. Once I had sanded it down, I then primed it with Kilz Oil-Based Primer with a foam brush (I hate cleaning brushes after using oil-based paints, so I always use foam ones so that I can just throw them away). Mine is stamped as having been made in 1972 by Drouin Furniture Ltd. any chance yours is too? All these mcm dresser like this have the same finish. Step 3: Clean the Dresser Before I started, I gave the dresser a quick wipedown with just a damp rag, removed the drawers, and removed all the drawer pulls. Hey thanks for this advice! Then, let it sit for a few minutes (the directions advise anywhere from 1-5 minutes; I left it on for 3 minutes) so that it can soak in. Be very careful along the edges, lest you burn through the veneer. Which means, tung oil applied there wouldnt have the same result as it would when rubbed on the veneer. The drawers look dried out, with wet looking glossier edges. modern living room furniture, If you are moving into new house or looking to redecorate a bit and looking for cheap furniture our site is the site. If your veneer is really thin, I would stick to a medium or even fine grit sandpaper. Before I get into it I need to apologize because I was a terrible blogger and forgot to take before pics. Or Deft acrylic top coat. The veneer on this piece was super thin, and I used a medium grit and the sanding went SO quickly. They are just better products. Make sure you apply it to every part that you plan on staining; for me, this was everything except the very top of the dresser. So..have you ever done a mid century modern dresser makeover? You always make it look so easy, but youre seriously a wizard with this stuff!!! The result left me disappointed and scratching my head on what to do next. Even on Craigslist, a good mid century piece can go for hundreds of dollars, so any time I find one for under $100, I have to give it a chance at a new life! (LogOut/ . Good luckIm sure it will come out great . I found the 6 drawer lowboy at a thrift store recently and have already removed 3 layers of latex paint that it came with. You could also use a sanding block but what I like about using a piece of paper is that you can wrap it around the legs and cover a lot of surface area at once! And do you prefer furniture stripping or painting furniture? watch the 13-minute explanation in my YouTube video, taller of the two dressers got a gorgeous makeover with tung oil and white paint, General Finishes ARM-R-SEAL Oil & Urethane, Build a DIY Bathroom Vanity Part 1 Attaching Legs and a Base. LOL. Bookmarking this for spring when I can tackle my dresser project. . Once its dry (I let it dry overnight), do a quick sand of it with 220-grit sandpaper to make sure there are no brush marks. Once the second coat is applied and scraped off, use After Wash to clean off the residue from the stripper. Of course, dont forget to protect your lungs. Instead paint it a deep gray/charcoal. For future reference, heres an article from a guy who specializes in it. The taller of the two dressers got a gorgeous makeover with tung oil and white paint, but I really wanted to practice my stripping and refinishing skills on this longer one. I followed the same procedure as beforeapply, let sit for 3 minutes, and wipe away with even pressure. Outdoor furniture also called patio furniture or gerden furniture, is a type of furniture specifically designed for outdoor use. Seal that baby up. I just didnt realize that it would look crappy once it dries! Thats a beautiful dresser. Youre not alone). Very nice! Step 4: Sand. . Excellent! Nice, huh? A little late to this post but great help for me. Im thinking that once the oil has fully tried, Ill go back with a wax or maybe another topcoat to see if I can add awet-looking shine that will make it less noticeable. I am gonna try this with my coffee table (it was free and not in very good shape). This is where I think things started going wrong. It had great bones and all the hardware and all the drawers worked properly. Looks good! The Blue Bear Paint & Urethane Stripper never makes me feel ill and isnt strong-smelling. What youdont see in this picture is the spottiness, along with the unevenness of how to tung oil soaked into the wood. I love sanding inside of drawers and on the sides, too, when theyre a bit messy or yellowed! Using the 220 went much faster since I had already sanded off everything I was trying to remove; the 220 was just to get it as smooth as possible. Nothing worse than opening up a nice re-done dresser drawer and seeing fingerprint stains or overspray or paint drips! But its really not as scary as it looks. I only had a few areas of chipped veneer and since they were so small, I just decided to ignore them. You have to apply thin coats though, and do enough to get the coverage you want (I went a little overboard and did 7 separate coatsyes, Im crazy). And that is why I rarely start new projectsmy research usually makes me too scared of somehow screwing up and ruining my life (no seriouslysometimes I get that dramatic about it). Make sure you have your painters rags (or cut-up old t-shirt) handy, and rubber gloves arent a bad idea here either (and definitely a must if youre using oil-based stain). Serena doesnt want to look at another piece of wood furniture for quite some time. . Im just beginning a project on a 1940s Sellers bakers cabinet and wanted to refinish it instead of painting. thanks for your thorough and honest listing of the good, bad & ugly parts about this project!! Much appreciation, Michele, It looks fab!!! I fully appreciate your thorough, detailed instructions. (if you go too fine, you actually close the pores of your wood). Its just gorgeous!! I got it back when we lived in Erie just before I was about to pop, so its been a little neglected. (Yes, we bloggers have those fears, too. I think that was probably due to the fact that I got a little lazy with my sandingparticularly on the legs and curvy parts of the dresser. I will save that link. HA! I applied two coats of this and let it dry outside overnight. Yes, I still have the dresser (it has moved all over my house). How did you apply the stain? This mid century modern dresser had been sitting in my garage for awhile, but prior to that, I had used it for my basement office makeover to hold my television. Wish I had connected with you before the trip- it would have been nice to met in person. This was exactly what I needed! Even the smallest of particles stay floating around after sanding! The dressers themselves are gorgeous, the color just looks like something the dog hacked up lol. Glad you like it, and youre rightmistakes are what make the next project that much better! There were a lot of scratches and dents and it was just in overall not great shape. Again, consider yourself warned. Dont use it on open grains like oak or mahogany or youll be wiping down for hours, possibly days, that oak table haunts me to this day. I couldnt wait to get tung oil on these drawers! Heres a shot of the side halfway through sandingnote again the difference between the lighter left side and the darker, still-shellac-covered right side: Even though the top of the dresser seemed quite different than the rest of the piece, I still decided to try and sand it. Thanks! Then, let the Wood Conditioner set for at least 30 minutes before moving on to the next step. Your email address will not be published. LOL. Apply your conditioner. GASP. Maybe next time I tackle a similar project Ill skip this part and let you know what happens. The spots on the top are the same. Sorryjust seeing this! BUT, now that I have the Mr. by my side with his carefree, devil-may-care attitude, Ive learned to loosen up and just go for it. Keep sanding. And thanks for mentioning the feather print artist. You can scroll through my Before and After Gallery and click on the link. The bright side of this mid century modern dresser makeover is that you can finally see the gorgeous veneer grain! The first problem I encountered was after sanding the body was realizing that the front edges of the dresser hadno veneer. . Handles small round antique brass knobs. Serena has to re-sand the whole dresser and 9 drawers. You may also wish to try Odies Oil every few years to keep it fresh rather than poly as bedrooms have few sitting water risks. Its still possible but youd be doing a LOT of sanding by hand which can be a major pain. I loooove that grain! This gave me the motivation I needed to finally get to work on this guy. Then, just apply the stain with a foam brush in the direction of the grain and keep an eye on your watch.