MID-CENTURY MODERN DRESSER MAKEOVER WITH VIDEO TUTORIAL

I found this mid-century modern dresser online through the Marketplace.  It wasn’t in the best condition.  The drawers were rubbing together when I tried opening them, the body was covered in dents, and the tracks were not in the best shape. 

Let’s just say this was a fixer upper for sure, but there was something beautiful underneath that rough exterior…I just knew it!  So, I decided to see what I could do to bring it new life.

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All you need is love.

I absolutely love refinishing and redesigning furniture. I find it’s very rewarding and good for the soul. What I enjoy working on the most, is unique pieces and pieces that need a lot of love. For me, I feel the uglier the duckling, the more dramatic the transformation is.

Okay, okay I might be a bit of a furniture geek, but I honestly can’t help it! The point here is this, I love what I do and because of that I pour my heart into each piece. And this dresser has been one of my favorites to refinish.

Here’s how I brought some beauty back to this old piece.

Product List:

• Sander (Bosch-Orbital Sander)
• 80, 120, 220-grit sandpaper
• Country Chic Paint- Dark Roast
• Country Chic- Clear Coat
• Paint Brush (Dixie Bell Paint Brush)
• Foam Brush
• Wood Conditioner (Minwax Pre-Stain)
• Gel Stain (Walnut)
• New Hardware (Bar Style Drawer Pulls)
• Stencils and Stencil Brushes
• White Paint (Waverly Chalk Paint)
• Lint Free Rags

I also found some dents and deep scratches in the wood across the top, along the sides, and on the side of the drawers.

Because I was going with a rustic design, I left some dents and character marks on the drawers. The rest I filled in with Alex Fast Dry Caulk– a fast drying, latex caulk. It only takes 20 minutes to dry, which is a big help when I need to finish a project fast.

Step Two: Sand down the wood. Sanding helps to remove any material on the wood surface and to prep the surface for paint, stain, or finish. The smaller the grit, the coarser the sandpaper.

Using an orbital sander, I stripped the paint from the top of the dresser using 80-grit sandpaper. Then, I switched to 220-grit and sanded down the top again and the body making sure to sand over the places where I had caulked.

The 220-grit gives the wood a smooth surface and preps the wood for the finish. I did the same routine on the drawer facings and the base of the dresser. I started with 80-grit and moved to the 220-grit sandpaper for the final sanding.

Step Three: Clean. After sanding everything down, I got the shop vac out and sucked up any dust or debris left in the drawers or behind the drawers inside the dresser. Then, I wiped down the entire surface with a cleaning solution of dishwashing liquid and water. The dresser itself wasn’t too dirty, so it didn’t need a deep cleaning.

I sprayed Krud Kutter in the drawers, let it sit just a min, then scrubbed them because they were really dirty. Then I wipe each drawer clean. Make sure that your cloth isn’t too damp for this part or that you don’t soak the wood with the cleaner. Too much moisture can cause the wood to warp. Now, you are ready for the next step.

Step Four: Paint. This is my favorite part of the whole process. This is where the vision in my head comes to life. For the dresser, I used Country Chic Paint-Dark Roast. It’s a really nice chalk-based paint that applies super smooth, it levels out well, and is very durable.

There are many benefits to using a chalk-based paint. They cover any surface type, they tend to be very durable, no prep required (although I do some prep just to ensure the smoothest finish possible), they sand down easily, and most are water-based for easy clean up!

I used my Dixie Belle Paint Brush for this project. This brush has really fine, high-quality bristles that leave minimal brush strokes. There are a lot of options out there for brushes and you might find one that works better for you. I would definitely look for one of good quality with synthetic bristles.

Of course, to get the smoothest finish possible, you could always use a paint sprayer. Since I was going for a rustic look, I felt hand painting would give it a little extra character.

Step Five: Condition and stain the wood. I left the drawers and legs of the dresser a natural wood, and I chose a walnut color for the stain because of its rich color. I felt it would really compliment the gray color of the dresser as well.

Before staining any wood, you will want to prep the surface. First thing is to sand the surface. Sanding the wood prior to applying stain is very important. Sanding not only removes any impurities from the surface of the wood, but it also opens the wood’s pores allowing maximum penetration of the stain.

I had already sanded both the drawers and the base of the dresser earlier, so we will go to the next step, conditioning the wood.

To do that, I applied MinWax Pre-Stain wood conditioner using a foam brush. It is available in oil or water-based formulas. Keep in mind if you are using an oil-based conditioner, you will need an oil-based stain and a water-based conditioner will need a water-based stain.

I covered the entire surface of the wood with a nice even layer of conditioner. I let it sit for 15 minutes, then wiped off any excess with a lint free cloth. Using a conditioner prior to staining allows the stain to penetrate evenly into the wood so that you don’t end up with any blotchy areas or streaking from the stain.

Now it’s time to stain. For this, I chose to use MinWax Gel Stain in the color walnut. Gel Stain is thicker than regular stain and it’s specially formulated for use on vertical surfaces.

Using a foam brush, I applied the stain, brushing in the same direction of the wood grain. After 3 minutes, I wiped the excess off with a lint free cloth, making sure to wipe in the direction of the wood grain as well. After 8 hours, I applied a second coat.

Step Six: Apply a clear coat. The next thing to do, is to apply a protective finish to your furniture piece. After all the hard work you have put into your furniture piece, you want to make sure and protect it, right? I chose Country Chic Clear Coat for my finish. It is a water-based product with a satin finish. It also has a very low VOC so you don’t have to worry about harsh smells or chemical content.

I applied the first layer of the clear coat using a painting sponge. The sponge left some bubbles in the finish which was honestly probably my fault. I think I may have put too much product on the sponge.

To fix this issue, I wet my sponge down with water only and rubbed the bubbled areas immediately after finding them. This helped to dilute the clear coat down and release the bubbles. For the final coat, I chose to use my sprayer just to make for sure that I didn’t apply too much and get bubbles again. It worked well and I was happy with the final coat.

Step Seven: Add some pretty details. I had planned to use transfer sheets that I had purchased a while back for the sides of the drawers, but I realized I didn’t quite have enough to cover both sides. So instead, I used stencils and a white chalk-based paint to add some pretty details. I had ordered the stencil set and brushes from Amazon for a previous project and didn’t end up using them. The stencils came in a two pack and were very affordable. You can watch this process in my video tutorial.

Step Eight: Attach the new hardware. I wanted to give this dresser a more modern look, so I chose not to keep the original hardware. The new hardware I chose was a bar style hardware in brushed nickel. There are a lot of options out there as far as choices of hardware and places to find them. Just keep in mind, if you’re not planning to drill new holes for the new hardware to attach, make sure that the new hardware lines up the same (center to center) as the original hardware.

Here is the finished dresser. I am very pleased with the final look and the detailing on the drawers gives it just a little extra.

I hope that this tutorial was easy to follow and that it may give you some inspiration for your next project. If you have any questions, leave a comment. I would love to hear from you and answer any questions you may have.

With Love- Lindsey