restyled furniture + thrifty home decor

Saw Nail and Paint

Lovingly refinished furniture, vintage and thrifted home decor, urban farming and city chickens

Dresser Makeover in Navy and Brass

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I’ll admit, I have been known to stalk a piece of furniture.   Embarrassing, but true.  While I was scouting the furniture section on a recent thrifting trip, I overheard a nearby couple discussing a piece of furniture.  The woman was laying out her best arguments trying to convince the gentleman that they should purchase a dresser they were looking at – where it could go, how great it was, and so on.  He just wasn’t having it.   Didn’t have any room, he said.  I, on the other hand, was totally convinced by her sales pitch.  I stood there, pretending to be looking at another piece of furniture, just waiting for them to walk away.   As soon as they moved on, I jumped in.   Yep, I definitely wanted this one.

It needed some work, but I was up for the challenge. I have refinished several dressers in this serpentine style.  They are fairly common, and unless they are overpriced or have major structural issues, I buy them.  I’m fond of the style and the wood usually refinishes beautifully.   It’s hard to tell from the poor iPhone photo below, but the finish was in really bad shape.  At some point, layers of shellac or varnish had been added to the original finish and it was very rough and cracked.  The original hardware was missing, except for the brass keyhole covers (which are hard to see because they had been varnished over).  If you look closely, it appears to be a tiger oak pattern on the lower drawers, which is what I thought I would find when I stripped them.  At some point, someone had sanded and stained the top of the dresser, but unfortunately they had not done a great job.  There were circular swirl marks left from improper sanding, and no topcoat had been added.  I’m guessing the previous owner had started to refinish this dresser, was unhappy with the results, and gave up.  Probably how it ended up being donated.

Here is it the after photo.

 

***This post contains some affiliate links to products used.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.***

I removed the top by unscrewing it from the base.  I find that it is easier to refinish the wood top when it is separate rom the rest of the dresser.  I can strip and sand the underside of the curves much more efficiently that way.  I also removed the hardware and the keyhole covers from the drawers.  The brass keyhole covers are very delicate and can easily bend, so be very careful if you have to remove them.

I had to address the existing swirl marks,  I sanded the top (going from course to fine grit) using 80 grit sand paper, then 120 grit, and finally 220 grit.  The swirl marks were removed and the wood looked great.  I stained it with one coat of General Finishes Gel Stain in Antique Walnut.  I let it dry for a day and then sealed it with General Finishes High Performance Topcoat in Satin.

Because the finish on the rest of the dresser was in such poor condition, I decided to strip it using Citri-Strip.   Simply painting over an existing finish that is in bad shape will not yield good results.  Prep is so important!  It took a few coats, and stripping is pretty messy, but I got it down to bare wood.  As I mentioned above, I thought I was going to uncover tiger oak wood, but it was actually a faux tiger oak pattern that came right off.  The wood on the top two drawers was still very pretty, so I decided to stain and seal those.  I let them dry and then lightly sanded them with 220 grit sandpaper.  I stained and sealed them in the same manner as the top. I painted the rest of the dresser with two coats of General Finishes Milk Paint in Coastal Blue and sealed it with GF High Performance Topcoat.

I cleaned the brass keyhole covers and then polished them with Brasso.  They were barely noticeable on the dresser originally, now they totally pop.  To give this dresser a modern and fun twist, I added new brass bow pulls (from Land of Nod) to the top drawers and brass cup pulls to the bottom drawers. I added a reproduction skeleton key (from House of Antique Hardware) as a decorative touch.  The lock doesn’t actually work, but it’s a pretty touch just the same.

The original wood casters were no longer on this dresser, so I added these replacement casters.  The legs had the sockets where the original wheels would have been, and it’s nice to put the little wheels back on.  The replacements casters just twist right in.

I definitely had to go the extra mile to bring this dresser back to life, but I am so happy with the results.

Thanks for stopping by!

Susan

Sharing with Little Bits of Home

 

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Lovely comments

  2. susan maclean says

    Love those little bows! You made a beautiful job here, Susan – if I lived near you I would be driving over and parting with good money for this one, especially as my living room is dark blue, and this would take the colour into my dining room. Ah well!
    Mrs Mac.

  4. Beatriz says

    Absolutely gorgeous! I have a similar dresser, early 1900s mahogany, bow front, 2 small drawers on top one large drawer on the bottom and wood casters! that I purchased to refinish, thought I’d resale as is now I want to do what you did. I have a couple of questions, how did you remove the keyhole covers and where did you find the replacement casters? Also, I love the antique walnut color, but since this is mahogany, would you use that color or a different one ?

    • Susan says

      Thanks so much for your nice comments. To remove the key hole covers, I use a small, thin flat head screw driver and very carefully slide it under the cover and then slowly pry it up. I find that it is easier to start lifting it from the inside of the key hole opening. The small nails will start to lift out and up. Take your time and be very careful doing this since the covers are quite delicate. If you do bend them a bit, you can flatten them back out by placing under a cloth (to protect them) and then gently pounding with a hammer or mallet. The replacement casters I used are from Rockler. I have a link to them in my blog post that you can click and see them. They come in sets of four are are very reasonably priced. As for the stain color, I haven’t used antique walnut stain on mahogany, so I’m not sure how it would look. I have used General Finishes Java on mahogany and it turns out very pretty, but it is a darker look than I have done here. Good luck with your project! Susan

      • Orvis Beatriz says

        Thank you Susan for the reply. My keyhole covers are a bit different than yours; they’re actually the shape of a keyhole and about 3mm of metal around the edge of the hole. Use the same technique?

        • Susan says

          Yes, if they are the kind that are recessed into the key hole (and do not lay on top of the wood and have nails holding them in place), I just use my small screwdriver, place it into the center and slowly pry them out little by little working my way around. This type of keyhole insert is a bit sturdier, and they just pop out and then you can tap them back in. Still be careful, though, because it is easy to chip the wood or veneer on the drawer when removing them (which I have done). 🙁

  10. Sally says

    This piece is gorgeous…..you did a wonderful job. Maybe you could track that lady down who was looking at it at the thrift store. HA!! Beautiful job!!

    • Susan says

      Hi Sally! I’ll bet the woman from the store would be surprised to see the dresser now. It looks quite different. Maybe her husband would even want it! 😉 Susan

    • Bethany Tate says

      Also, I’d love to know what sander you use? I find that mine easily leaves the rings on the wood, and I have to hand sand to get them out! I don’t know if it’s my technique or the actual sander itself. Thank you!

  13. julie says

    Wow great job, I love how the top and drawers came out. Do you always use Citri-strip ?
    I love that blue color really wonderful navy. thanks for sharing.

    • Susan says

      Thank you, Julie! I use Citri-strip 99% of the time when I need to strip a piece. I have refinished a couple of pieces with a finish that Citri-strip would not work on. I think they were some type of oil-based enamel finish that required a more potent (and toxic) stripper.

  14. Beatriz says

    Another question…you said you got the bow drawer pulls from Land of Nod; but, isn’t that a baby store??

    • Susan says

      Hi! Yes, Land of Nod is a child store (I believe it’s a branch of Crate and Barrel), but they have some really great furniture pulls that do not look child-like. I was searching for bow pulls and they just happened to have the look I wanted. They are a bit expensive, but are really nicely made.

  15. Marie says

    wow. all the way from Montreal!
    you have inspired me lady… my husband will not like you very much though because this weekend I am stripping, sanding and painting something. THIS must be reproduced!
    it is gorgeous.

    Tx

    • Susan says

      Thank you, Marie! I am so happy to hear that I have inspired you. Sorry to your husband! 🙂 Susan

  16. Cathie says

    Simply STUNNING! Another inspired friend here. I have a desk stripped and ready for paint & stain. You have helped me finally make up my mind after seeing this piece. Hopefully mine will turn out half as good as yours! Thanks for sharing! I do have a question, after using the Citristrip what do you use to clean the piece with? Thanks for sharing, Cathie

    • Susan says

      Thank you so much, Cathie! After stripping, I wipe down the piece with mineral spirits, and then let it dry completely before sanding and staining. Good luck with your piece, I am sure it will be fantastic! Susan

  18. Jennifer Cahill says

    What a charming makeover! Tending to all those little details takes a lot of time, but they make such a difference. From those sweet bow pulls to the casters and skeleton key – all the details are so spot on, Susan. Gorgeous work!

    • Susan says

      Hi Jennifer! I know you can appreciate how much work can go into even the smallest of pieces. I agree, the details are so important. I hope you are enjoying the little bits of sun we have been having. Susan

  19. Rena says

    The chest is lovely, no question about it, but do you have any info regarding g the rug that you could pass along?

  20. Debby says

    I love what your did with this dresser. Just the right shade of blue Thank you for sharing.

  22. Lulu says

    Love this piece and I’m doing one that looks just like t, and was wondering on the top coat what finish did you get? They have it glossy, satin, etc.

    • Susan says

      Thank you, Lulu! For this piece I used General Finishes High Performance topcoat in satin on the wood top and upper drawers, and flat on the painted areas. I like to use satin on refinished wood, and either flat or satin on the painted areas. Susan

  23. Danielle says

    This is beautiful! Does the stain ever need to be retouched? Also curious to where you bought the mirror I love that too!

    • Susan says

      Thank you, Danielle! The stain might need a retouch, depending on how heavily it is used. Scratches and dings can happen with any finish. I apply a topcoat which provides good protection. With normal use, it should wear just fine. The mirror is from HomeGoods.

  24. Brandi says

    Hello Susan, first off beautiful job! Second, do you happen to know the measurments of this piece? I’m contemplating a buffet from an old dresser and I think this size would work. Thank you in advance.
    ( a guesstimate is fine ) just to get an idea before the saw comes out!

    • Susan says

      Thanks, Brandi! I don’t have the exact measurements of this piece, but roughly it was 38W x 32H x 20D. Susan

  25. Wilma Willson says

    Hi Susan, Love, love, love the dresser. I have a chest of drawers that I would like to do the same finish on. It is also missing the little wheels, I didn’t catch where you located those. I like what you have.

    • Susan says

      Thanks, Wilma! I get the wheels from Rockler. They come in a set of 4 and they work perfectly with these old dressers. You can either get them in the store or on line. Here is a link.

  26. Corrine Watson says

    I absolutely love what you did with this makeover. I have saved it a few months ago and always come back to the picture for inspiration to do a similar project. I think I have found the buffet I want to make over but it is wood veneer, have you painted, sanded and/or stained wood veneer? Any tips or should I move on and keep looking for a good solid wood piece to upcycle?