Vintage Blue Serpentine Dresser Take Three

Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get a piece just right.  Sometimes even three tries.  That was the case with this vintage tall boy dresser I refinished back in January.

Remember this one?

Here is my original post showing how I refinished it.  While it looked great, at first, after I brought it into my house to stage and photograph it, I noticed a problem. There were a few areas on the sides where the paint was not adhering well.  After doing a very scientific scratch test – aka using my finger nail to try and scratch the paint off several areas – I determined that the top and drawers were fine.  It was just the sides that had an issue. I’m guessing that I hadn’t sanded the original finish well enough for the paint to adhere.

Here is how it looked after my original refinish.

I knew I had to fix the problem before I could sell it.  But, I just didn’t have the creative mojo to deal with it at the time.  So, this guy sat in my dining room for 6 whole months before I was ready to tackle it again.  With some gentle nudging from a good friend, I finally got around to addressing the problem.

I originally refinished this piece using a custom mix of General Finishes paint and then applied a topcoat to seal it.  Luckily, I still had enough of the custom paint mix to repaint the sides.  I’m not sure I would have been able to remix an exact match otherwise.

I sanded the sides back down to bare wood and then applied two coats of the custom blue paint.  This time, it passed my scratch test with flying colors.  I then sealed it with General Finishes High Performance topcoat.   Paint problem solved.

Now, here’s where the three times is a charm comes in.  Since I was going to redo the sides, I decided that I would also repaint the top.  There were a few brush marks that I just couldn’t leave alone.   I had recently purchased a new sander (my old Black and Decker finally bit the dust) and started using it on the top.  I used 220 grit sandpaper and wanted to just smooth out the brush marks. Just as I started sanding, the brand spanking new sander came to a grinding halt.  It made the most gawd awful sound and literally stopped dead on the top of the dresser.   And it gets worse. It left several huge circular marks completely through all the layers of paint and right into the wood.  No way I was going to be able to simply paint the top now.  Oh man was I bummed.  I had to completely start over on the top.

I used Citristrip to remove the paint, cleaned it with mineral spirits and let it dry overnight.  I returned the demon sander to the Home Depot and purchased a new Makita sander.  I then sanded the top and removed the circular gouges.  At this point, I had decided to stain the top rather than paint it.  I applied one coat of General Finishes java gel stain and then sealed it with General Finishes High Performance topcoat in satin.

After a few tears, swear words, and a glass of wine, the vintage serpentine dresser was finally done.

Just for grins and giggles, I decided to change up the staging a bit this time.

See, no more paint problems on the pretty paneled sides.

Even though it wasn’t my original plan, I do like the stained top better than the painted top.  The wood is really pretty and dark top looks great with the blue paint

On a completely different note, my hydrangeas are purple for the first time ever this year.  They have always been pink.  I really like the color and I hope they stay this way. I guess the pH of my soil must have changed.

Have a wonderful day!

Susan