A colleague of a good friend contacted me and asked if I could refinish her Grandmother’s antique chest. She wanted to pass it along to her daughter and hoped to give it to her as a Christmas gift.
I asked her to bring it over so I could have a look. It was covered in a thick, almost opaque, cherry stain and varnish that was in rough shape. It was also quite literally in pieces. The drawers had fallen apart and the brace between the second and third drawer was off. The second drawer was also missing a support. The knobs and pulls were not original and had been replaced with French Provincial style pulls (not pictured). All of the original brass keyhole covers were in place, but had been stained and varnished over. The mirror frame was badly broken, and beyond what I felt I could repair to look good and safely hold a heavy mirror. The rest of the dresser I felt I could restore. I love this particular style of dresser and I was excited to have the opportunity to bring it back to life.
Here’s how it came to me.
The top.
And the side.
I started by making the repairs to the drawers and replacing the brace between the second and third drawers. I also added a new support along the side to hold the second drawer. I removed the top and then stripped the heavy varnish and stain off the entire piece. I was amazed at the beautiful wood that I found hidden underneath. Here are the drawers after stripping.
The wood on the drawers was in great shape. After stripping, I sanded them with my sanding block using 220 grit sandpaper. The drawers only needed a light sanding and I wanted to be careful with the veneer. I sanded the heck out of the top with my orbital sander. There were some deep gouges and burn marks. I then stained the top and the drawers with one coat of (affiliate link) General Finishes Java Gel Stain. I let it dry for a couple of days and then sealed with (affiliate link) General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in satin.
Here it is all finished.
Here’s how the top looks now. Quite a difference.
I painted the body of the dresser with 2 coats of (affiliate link) General Finishes Milk Paint Coastal Blue and then sealed it with 2 coats of (affiliate link) General Finishes High Performance Top Coat Flat Finish.
.
Even though the mirror frame was beyond my ability to repair, the harp was still salvageable. I did have to fill and sand a few areas. I painted it with the coastal blue paint and then sealed it as well. I also added a cross piece so that it would resemble a vintage washstand. If my client decides to have the mirror frame replaced, she can always remove the cross piece and the harp will again function as a holder for the mirror.
I stripped the varnish off the keyhole covers and then shined them up with Brasso. I added new Manor House brass knobs and pulls from Hickory Hardware.
The hardware is so pretty and looks like what might have been on this piece originally.
I absolutely love how this piece turned out. I hope that my client is able to enjoy this piece for many years to come.
Thanks for stopping by.
Susan
Linking with Miss Mustard Seed, Vintage Refined and The Painted Drawer
Susan, this is STUNNING!!!! Oh my stars, you had to be absolutely giddy when you saw the wood on those drawers and top!! The coastal blue is perfect. You really knocked it out of the park on this one!!! Thanks for taking all the great photos and sharing the details!
I love, love, love this dresser. You did a fantastic job of restoring this lovely piece. Thank you so much for sharing.
What an amazing job you have done on this piece! This dresser was given to my Mother by her father. I never knew a time when she did not have this dresser in her bedroom. When she passed away I kept the dresser, but eventually gave it to my daughter. I’m absolutely sure that my Mom is looking down and is so pleased with the results of your work! Just beautiful!!!
Wendy – Thank you so much for your kind words. You brought tears to my eyes. It was my pleasure to restore this beautiful piece of furniture.
I absolutely love what you have done with my great grandmothers dresser!!! Its so gorgeous, words cannot describe how grateful I am for your amazing work. Thank you!!!
Ashleigh, you are so very welcome. I loved restoring this gorgeous dresser! I hope you enjoy it for many years to come.
I can only imagine how many moves this piece of furniture has been through, in addition to the “life” it has lived over the generations with this wonderful family. Your work is amazing and inspires me to seek someone in my state (AZ) to restore my vanity that is also a hand me down. Thank you for sharing the pictures which has told the magnificent venture to restoration for a family heirloom.
Susan, this is so lovely!! I enjoy seeing you take on pieces in the worst possible condition. Frankly, I would probably be too intimidated to take on something like that. Great work, beautiful color choices, timeless design. Love it.
Just beyond beautiful. I love seeing people bring woof back to life and you have done such an amazing job on this! I cannot get over the before, it just look horrible! Well done!
You did an incredible job of restoring this! I love that you incorporated stain to show off the wood, and the paint just frames it in brilliantly. And I love your choice in hardware, too. So, so pretty.
Thank you Cheryl! I think adding some painted areas really highlights the beautiful wood on drawers. I appreciate your comments!
OF ALL THE PEICES….of remade, revamped, made over furniture, I’ve seen on ALL the different blogs…THIS BY FAR IS THE BEST EVER!!!! What a GREAT JOB!!!!! PERFECT! What a FABLOUS GIFT….lucky young lady to get this! I will be following your blog…thanks for sharing!
Wow, Karen, thank you so much. I really love this piece, too. I wish I could keep it! 🙂
Susan, you said you replaced the bracing between the second and third drawers. How was this accomplished? Did you fashion a new one yourself or find a replacement piece somewhere? Since it is curved I am wondering how you found/made a replacement. Beautiful job. My husband, who has had a stroke, restores old furniture like this. He loves bringing back a piece that others throw away or overlook.
Hi Jeanne – fortunately the owner had the original brace and I was able to slide it back in and wood glue it. It would have been difficult to replicate and not something I think I could have done. I did have to put in a new piece along the side to support the second drawer, but that was just a simple 1 x 2 piece of wood cut to fit.
This is one of the best transformations I have ever seen. I love the color choice and dark stain. The washstand look is beautiful, too.
Bravo and thank you for restoring this rich piece of history in the traditional manner. Today’s trend of painting over beautiful wood furniture has it’s place, but sadly is overdone. You’ve worked hard with skill and patience to restore the integrity of this beautiful wood. Well done.
Susan, my original comments were right on target with EVERYONE else….Leigh said it PERFECTLY!!! BTW….I STILL LOVE IT!!! 💛
Credit where credit is due
What a wonderful restoration you did on the dresser
I couldn’t believe it was the same piece of furniture
The wood underneath the original stain is lovely and being so talented you have brought out the best in it
Thanks for sharing .
Your link was right behind mine at the Dream. Create. Inspire link party. It looked so gorge I had to come take a look and I gotta tell you, I am even more impressed after seeing the before! Your friend must be so happy with it! You really did a beautiful job! Pinning for sure 🙂
Wow, so much went into this piece. It’s just stunning. I still need to try a milk paint finish. Love that you used coastal blue with a wood tone and the brass looks amazing. Found you at Dream. Create. Inspire. Sharing and pinning!
Thanks so much! I appreciate the share and pin!
Beautiful restoration Susan, I do love those serpentine front dressers and coastal blue marries so well with natural wood… gorgeous.
Oh my. Stunning all around. That wood is beautiful! Does any small bit of you wish you could keep this piece? I want it!! Thanks so much for linking up at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link. I’ll be pinning and sharing this one for sure!!
What an inspired piece. I love General Finishes Java gel stain and to couple it with the deep blue enhances both colors. It enhances the design of the dresser perfectly…makes it both modern and traditional at the same time. Gorgeous.
Susan –
This dresser is beautiful! And I am so happy to say it was our most clicked link at this week’s Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! Party! So you will be featured this Tuesday at our next party! Your friend must be so excited! The dresser is just stunning! I hope to see you there again this week! Thank you! Cat
That is awesome! Thanks so much Cat!
Great color choices and a fantastic job! I recently just started using General Finishes and they are great to work with. After seeing the Coastal Blue I definitely want to try that color.
Thank you! I love General Finishes and Coastal Blue is one of my favorite colors. It is a really deep navy and almost looks black in some lighting – but definitely blue, and very pretty.
I just saw this on Pinterest (I’ve been really bad about keeping up with blog post, so I’m so sorry for not seeing this when you originally posted it) and am in awe with how beautifully you restored this! And seeing the comments from the family members who now have this piece to enjoy for another few generations is so touching! I love stories like this! Well done, sweet Susan!
Robin
Thanks so much, Robin! The stories from the family were so touching to me. I love bringing furniture back to life and this just makes it even better.
Incredibly beautiful loving work! I first saw this on Pinterest and pinned it because I have a somewhat similar dresser that I want to finish for my son and I am thinking of doing something similar with stain and gray paint.
Thank you and good luck with your dresser restoration! Gray and stain would be beautiful.
This is absolutely beautiful!!! You certainly have restored it in a wonderful way to pass on to the next generation. I have used General Finishes Java but never thought about using one coat to darken a piece.
You put an incredible amount of work into this piece and it shows! You have amazing taste and really did this beautiful piece justice! Well done!
beautiful, I too love the colors. I am refinishing a dress for my nephew and plan on using the same blue. How do you apply your paint and top coat?
This is beautiful. I love the colors. I am refinishing a Eastlake dresser for my nephew and plan on using the same blue. I would like to know how you applied the paint and the top coat.
Thank you! I brushed the paint on with a Purdy brush. I use a foam brush for the topcoat. I hope that helps!
Strikingly beautiful. I’ve heard of GF milk paint and now must try, especially the coastal blue. Is it necessary to completely stand down to use this product? Thank you!
You will love using this paint. The coastal blue is a perfect navy blue.I just painted a buffet in this color.
With all the new paint out I think it is your choice whether to sand or not, I would say you do not have to but i usually do …just my preference.
where is the hardware from?
It is from Hickory Hardware.
Stunning and beyond. Words cannot describe what a fabulous restoration you did with this piece. Loved reading the comments from the family, it was very touching. I am sure this dresser could tell a lot of stories if it could speak. This was definitely a labor of love. I can’t even imagine the man hours you must have put into this and what you had to charge them. You took it from trash to a totally new piece that can be enjoyed for years to come. So glad that you brought it back to the original wood and did not paint it like many would have. I have some very old pieces of furniture that was my parents, I believe around 1920 that I am now inspired to do something with. I will never get rid of it as there are many memories of my mom enjoying it along with the vanity bench and mirror attached. The cushions will have to be restored too. It brings a flashback to many fond memories or my childhood. Thanks for sharing. It is picture perfect.
Hi Rose Marie – Thank you so much for your kind comments. This was one of my favorite furniture restorations. In part because of the dramatic restoration, but mostly because of the family that it belonged to. I was honored to be able to save this family heirloom. As you pointed out, these pieces have so much meaning and it is important to pass that along. After I stripped the finish from the dresser, I found some initials lightly carved into the side. I decided not to sand them out since they are part of the history of the dresser. When I showed the family, they knew immediately whose initials they were. I just loved that. Good luck with your vanity. It is a lot of work, but well worth every minute. Susan
Thanks for replying so promptly. What you did was not only a restoration, bt a work of art. How wonderful that was to find the initials carved into it. I’m sure there was a story behind that. The family must have been over the moon. You didn’t mention approximately how many hrs from start to completion that this took you. It had to be many, just on repairing alone before you begun to restore it to the final state.
I have an old dresser similar to this that was my great-great grandfathers. It is in pretty rough shape but I am in the process of refinishing it. I may have overlooked it but what didyoubise to remove the many layers of paint/stain? Thanks for posting and inspiring me to do mine.
I stripped this piece with Citristrip. It’s my go to stripper. It does a great job on most finishes and has a pleasant orange smell. Be sure to always take precautions such as a eye wear, gloves, etc. when using any stripper. Good luck with your dresser!
I have a 1947 Steinway console piano and just wondering if you do or if you know of someone who would refinish.
Hi Joan! I have never refinished a piano. Although I have one in my garage that belongs to my husband and I would love to get my paint brush on it! Sorry, but I don’t know of anyone who refinishes pianos.
Thank you so much for this inspiration. I saw this post about a year ago and realized this was how I wanted my grandmother’s dresser to look. Finally took the plunge and refinished it last week. It’s been decades since I last used stain and my skills are definitely not the best, but I’m not the professional. That’s you!! But when I manage to squint past all the imperfections, the blue and java make me swoon. Thank you for that inspiration. And thank you for bringing beauty back to some very sad pieces. Renewed and ready for a new century. Hmm. Perhaps I should have left some of the stain on my hands?
This piece is so well done and with such thoughtfulness. Love love love it!
Wow! I have refinished a few pieces of my own and have scoured Pinterest and other websites and apps for inspiration BUT this by far, is my absolute favorite! Susan, you have done an amazing job with this!
Hi Nicole! Thanks so much for your kind comments. Susan
You created a silk purse out of a sows ear, for sure. So wonderful you could not only renew, but supercede what it had been! I love doing this stuff, who wants modern mdf when there are real wood pieces just awaiting their transformation! Perfect.
Thanks so much, Jauquetta! I couldn’t agree with you more – vintage is so much better than anything new, even if it means a little bit of work to make it shine. Susan
You would never know it was the same piece of furniture. You did a fabulous job refinishing it and love the color combination.
Absolutely gorgeous! You did an amazing job!