Well folks, today's post showing the reveal of the dresser will have to wait until next Thursday. I am swamped. A customer requested me to refinish a piece of furniture and am donating two pieces I need to finish, one to the historical society and one to the police fundraisers.
The dresser has turned into such an adorable piece, you will love it! For those of you living locally, it will be for sale in my store.
I do hope you will check back next Thursday!
Tiffany
Okay guys, this is my first blog that will include videos. After you read through the post, you can click on the videos to watch me finish the piece. The videos will be posted after I finish part two of the series.
A few things about this dresser: It was chosen because it was: (1) cheap and (2) demonstrates that furniture looking like it needs to go to the burn pile may actually be worth saving. It was a Craigslist find that cost $25, probably because it needed more than a can of paint of salvage it. Veneer was chipping and warped across the drawer fronts. The legs were splitting and had pieces of wood that fell off the sides of the decorative design. Structurally, it was sound. It came complete with dovetail drawers that were solid wood under that veneer, (they just need regluing), and knobs that were new, but fit the piece well. The top was in good condition and had a thin coat of polyurethane remaining which would mean it could be hand sanded in a pinch. The side showed a few areas of missing veneer, but nothing a bit of wood filler would not patch. With a little creativity and elbow grease, this piece of furniture will look great and function well in a Farmhouse, Shabby Chic, Rustic or Cottage Style home. So without further Adieu, let's get started. Here is the photo from the Craigslist Advertisement. You will notice all the areas of missing veneer. This would be an easy fix, but after my husband brought it home, I noticed the veneer was lifted in places and wavy. :(
The first thing that should be done is a thorough assessment. Don't be too willing to overlook needed repairs. Be honest, but optimistic. I found this piece on Craigslist. It had a good picture in the listing showing the damage, but I was unable to look it over in person. My husband works in the metroplex during the week and I sent him to the Uptown area to pick it up to save myself the drive. My rationale was that the gas would cost me about the amount of the dresser and he was available to load it. It looked like a real winner with potential. He reluctantly agreed. The young ladies selling the dresser were moving and pawned off an old desk in horrible repair on him too. I was excited about this freebie. It sported solid drawers, hardware and a good top that could be repurposed for later projects. (The rest went into our burn pile.) I knew when buying this dresser that the veneer needed patching and that would mean those parts would need to be repainted since I planned to use wood filler instead of actual veneer. You will notice all the areas of missing veneer. This would be an easy fix, but after my husband brought it home, I noticed the veneer was lifted in places and wavy. :( Perfect. I also did not know that the legs had missing pieces of wood. No problem. I had a plan to tackled this too. I will cut part of the legs off! If the piece is taller, you can often cut the legs back and still find it quite suitable for many purposes in your home. You might even consider adding casters for portability and height so that you can use it as an island. The possibilities are endless if you can find a good piece. So, we cut the legs off first since this was quick and we already new what was planned in this dresser's next life. The photos below show the dresser before and after the legs were cut down. We chose to cut them back just far enough to keep the bottom apron from touching the floor. Perfect for a media console.
Before you start any refinishing project, you will need to clean the piece using warm soapy water and a clean cloth and/or a degreaser. Since this piece will ultimately be sanded and painted, most any household product containing vinegar or orange oil will do. I prefer a vinegar based product as it is gentler on the wood and has less chemicals. Make sure to have several toothpicks available. You may need to use them to remove grease and grime from the corners and areas around the trim. Wipe and let the piece dry for about ten minutes and look it over again to make sure you have removed any gunk. This could prove to make sanding a good deal more difficult and effect adhesion of your paint. Here is a photo showing the dirt and build up on this piece before it was cleaned. There is some missing veneer chipped off around the bottom of the side. No goo in the corners, just a coat of dust, dirt and grime.
Once cleaned, remove the drawers. Before you begin to remove veneer or sand, check the drawer to see if the frame will need repairs. If you find that you need to repair or re-glue the corners of the drawer, you should disassemble the drawer now to remove the front before trying to sand or remove veneer. This will prevent damage to the dovetails from the added pressure. Once you have done this, you will want to remove the veneer if necessary and sand the surface to prep for wood filler. If the veneer is only chipped, you can use wood filler to patch the area. If removing the veneer, you will need a metal putty knife, (preferable one with a pointed corner), and a hammer. You will lightly lift and tap the putty knife under the veneer. Make sure to keep the knife flat against the surface. This will prevent deep gouges in the wood drawer fronts. Often times, the wood used for the fronts was a less expensive, softer wood. The veneer added beauty and durability. Sometimes when you remove warped veneer, it comes off easily in some places, but is fully adhered in others. When you chip it away, it will sometimes gouge an area with good adhesion. This can often be patched, but it may prove difficult to smooth and float the area if it is very large. This can make for a challenge to get that veneer off without damaging the piece when removing it from areas with good adhesion. The photos below show areas where the veneer was difficult to remove resulting in uneven gouges. Don't worry, we've got this! You won't even notice it when the fronts are finished.
Take your time. It will save you time while patching and filling later. I tested removal of the veneer before I even removed the hardware just in case it proved too daunting a task and I might decide to make open shelving instead. I would have preferred to leave the veener on and patch it, but the veneer was warped and wavy. I tried to remove it carefully, but there were a few smaller gouges requiring patching and floating. I removed the knobs and continued until all of the veneer was removed. Here is a photo of my mess. You'll love the video... This is probably the most tedious part of the job. If you can find a piece you can afford that doesn't require removing veneer, it will move along much more quickly making you very happy.
In some areas, a fair amount of glue remained. This will need to be removed while sanding the drawer fronts. Make sure to remove all the remaining glue during sanding. (I considered removing it using a paper towel and a hot iron. I forgot I sent my iron away with my son so he could use it in his dorm. More on this technique on a later project.) Remember, the idea of this project is to do it using minimal tools and basic skills. Sanding it by hand it doable, but I chose to use my small hand sander to get this task done more quickly. A small power sander will cost around $25-$30 at any home improvement store. So if you are able and have a place to work outdoors, I would recommend the investment. If this is your first rodeo and you aren't sure whether you will like completing these projects in the future, try using the sandpaper by hand first. I sanded the top this piece in less than 15 minutes. Also, it should be noted that these drawer fronts are the perfect example of "worst-case-scenario" as you will see in the photos. Most of the time, all that needs to be done is the drawer fronts patched and the veneer sanded through the finish. Truly, this is a perfect example of what can be done to save an old dresser in disrepair. A MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: ALWAYS SAND IN THE DIRECTION OF THE WOOD GRAIN. Never go in circles or against the grain. This will leave unsightly grooves and can even permanently damage the piece. This photo show me hand sanding the top. Sanding the entire area took less than 15 minutes.
**** Before you move on, I might caution you. Sometimes things don't move along as you might hope. This happens to me often. It is the nature of repairing and refinishing old pieces. They can be temperamental as can I. This project start out fine, things were moving along smoothly. Then, the drawers that I thought were stable came apart at one corner. then while trying to secure it, another corner loosen and the drawer bottom came out. It came out in multiple pieces since they used two pieces of wood for each side and a middle frame. URGH! What I am about to tell you is vitally important. BEFORE starting ANY project, spend quality time with the Lord! I mean it folks. Your patient may be tried in ways that catch you totally off guard. Frankly, this is probably the most important part of the whole project - Prep Thyself before Prepping Thy Piece! You need plenty of prayer and emersion in the scripture before you pick up a single tool. When I started to remove the veneer, the drawers separated at the ends, dropping out the bottoms! I thought I checked thoroughly, lol. Thankfully, God was merciful and things worked out just fine. The dovetails were not broken off and I was quickly able to remove the fronts from the drawer and move on.
Once completed, I got my putty knife and wood filler and went to work. There are two considerations when patching veneer. You can use wood filler or Bondo. I would recommend using wood filler for a first timer. The Bondo needs to be worked for about 2 minutes prior to application and it must be used in a well ventilated location. When sanding the Bondo, a regular dust mask will not do. You will need to use a respirator to prevent inhalation of dangerous particulate matter. You also have to where gloves which can make application a bit more difficult for first timers. I will confess that once you know how to use this product, it usually has a superior finish when patching deep gouges. But, if you are patient, you can create a smooth surface to apply your paint using the wood filler. I don't believe there is any magic brand of filler. You can purchase whatever your local home improvement store carries. Walmart even sells it. We have metal and plastic putty knives. I prefer to use the metal ones. They don't break as easy and you can scrape off excess filler more smoothly and easily in my book. Something small will be more suited to this project and make it easier to work with. Spread the wood filler into the holes liberally. Make sure to remove large amounts of excess, but don't under fill areas with gouges and cracks. You can always come back and sand them smooth. Make sure to check over the body for areas needing attention to the veneer too. This piece was chipped on the side and need patching. After you have filled anything needing cover, make sure to allow the filler to dry completely. While it is drying, you will notice the outside edges become a lighter color and it starts to harden. Don't rush this process. Sanding too soon can lead to repeating of this process because the filler will crumble and chunks will come out of the holes. This usually takes about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The photos in the middle shows how the outer edges dry first, turning a lighter shade, while the middle portions are darker when still wet.
After the filler is dry, test a small area by sanding lightly to make sure that it dry completely through and not just on the surface. If you are satisfied that it is set-up and dry, you may begin a light sanding. I would start with a finer 120 grit paper and lightly sand the entire piece. If you find that after a minute or two it looks it isn't sanding through easily and you are having to apply a lot of pressure, you can move to a more coarse 80 grit paper. Make sure to test it in a small area before jumping right in. If you do have a sander available, not is the time to use it. Using the finer grit first, follow the same steps. Make sure you wear a dust mask and goggles no matter what method you use to sand the filler. This creates a very fine powder that you do not want to inhale or ingest. As you sand, you will need to frequently vacuum or dust the surface. If you are using a home vacuum instead of a shop vac, this will likely clog the filter and fill the bag. Be prepared. Also, use a soft attachment as this will prevent damage to the piece. Once the surface has been sand to an even, smooth finish, check to see if any areas need to be retouched and repeat sanding if necessary. (This is more likely to happen when repairing larger areas.) When finished, wipe the area thoroughly to make sure it is clean for paint. I prefer to use a blower nozzle with the air compressor. If you don't have this, it's okay. Just be meticulous about removing any crumbs or dust from the surface.
By now you are really excited to get working on the stuff that makes your piece beautiful. Before you do, there are a few things you will need to check. First, make sure the top of the piece has been sanded well enough to receive stain if you are planning to stain the top. You will be checking to make sure that the wood was removed in a uniform manner, not leaving sealer behind in some areas or noticeable scratches from the sandpaper in others. When hand sanding, it is easy to use too much pressures at times creating uneven areas without even removal. Be sure to look for uniform color and finish. If you will be painting your top, a light buff with sandpaper is usually all that is needed for proper adhesion of the paint. I do not recommend hand sanding the piece if it is sealed with a heavy lacquer. This will require stripping it and using a power sander. Next, check once more to make sure the surface is free of dust or debris. Now you are ready to move on to the fun part, but you'll have to wait until next week to see photos from PART 2 of the reveal.
Check back next Thursday to see the reveal and watch a video tutorial!
Have a Super Weekend!
Well friends, I am finally beginning to get a handle on managing my time at home, the business and my social media. This Thursday will be the start of a fun new project - "Real Girl Renovations". Each week, I will tackle a project that real women can tackle at any skill level. You will get a first hand look at what really goes on when I refinish furniture, renovate & decorate my home and work on DIY projects to freshen things up.
If you are like me, you want your home to be beautiful, but may have limited time or resources. "Real Girl Renovations" will give you everything you need to quickly start and complete a project.
Check out our blog this Thursday for "Real Girl Renovations" for storage ideas you can make at home.
