I have a few tips for refinishing a piece of furniture that I thought I would share. The piece that I bought was in pretty good shape except for the top of the dresser. So stripping and totally refinishing the entire piece wasn’t necessary.
I love the detail on the corners of the dresser. Such lovely fluted columns. I cleaned the piece really good with some mild soap and water making sure not to get it too wet. The object was to remove all the dirt, grime and wax from years of use. When it was dry I went over it lightly with extra fine steel wool. Then I applied a coat of Minwax Dark Walnut Stain. The piece is mahogany, however I didn’t want it to have a lot of red color, so the walnut gave it more of a brown tone. All of the small scratches were coverd and the piece looks amazing. Just be sure to use a really soft rag and apply a generous coat of the minwax, rubbing it in well, wipe off the excess before it drys, being careful to only wipe off the excess, not all of the stain. You can see that this application also restored the original shine as it covered all the scratches. It’s amazing how it rejuvenates the original finish.
The top had some really bad gouges and scrapes, so I sanded it down and it now has two coats of Dark Walnut. As soon as that dries it will get a couple coats of poly to protect it. The base and drawers have a semi-gloss finish, so I will use Min-wax clear semi-gloss poly for the top. I want it to have the same shine the base and drawers do.
I was able to clean up the drawers the same way as the base of the dresser. After one coat of the Dark Walnut they look good as new. No poly needed. When dry I just polished them with Minwax Finishing Paste Wax. ( They’re sitting in the guest bedroom waiting for the dresser base to be finished. )
I am not paid anything by Minwax and I did not receive any free product. This just happens to be what I like to use and it always works well for me.
The hardware is gorgeous. I didn’t want it shiny brass, so I just cleaned it up really well in some hot soapy water.
The detail on the pulls is so pretty.
It seems like everyone is painting furniture, but sometimes a piece just needs to be refinished instead. For my room and purpose, this is the case with this piece. Restoring it’s original beauty will be perfect for my bedroom.
I am joining the following parties:
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Alison at Stuff and Nonsense for Friday’s Unfolded
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Heather and Vanessa At The Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Diann at The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Kate at Chic On A Shoestring Decorating for Flaunt It Friday
Jane at Finding Fabulous for Frugalicious Friday
Becca at Home Is Where My Story Begins for Home and Family Friday
Richella at Imparting Grace for Grace At Home
One More Time for her first Blog Hop
