Refinishing a Wood Dresser from a Yard Sale

That old dingy wood dresser that everyone at the yard sale walked by really just stood out to me. I could see the beauty underneath all those layers of paint and I just knew I had to have it! The price tag said $50 which was more than worth it to me, but being at a yard sale I felt the urge to haggle so I asked the owner if she would take $30 for the dresser. She agreed and I was able to pick up this beautiful solid wood dresser for a mere $30. Next--a good paint stripper, some sand paper and elbow grease and that beautiful wood dresser that I picked up for next to nothing will be sitting beautifully in my bedroom!

Wood Refinishing Tools to Beautify the Dresser:

Scraper
Screw Driver
Sand Paper
Palm Sander
Paint Brush
Sponge

Additional Materials Necessary to Refinish the Wood Dresser:

Paint Stripper
Wood Stain
Polyurethane

Refinishing a wood dresser is merely a matter of taking the time to properly sand the dresser down and remove all existing dirt and debris. The dresser that I picked up at the yard sale had about 5 different layers of paint over top of the beautiful wood finish so I first had to remove all that old paint without damaging the wood underneath. To do this, I used a paint stripper that is applied to the surface of the wood and then removed with a scraper. The paint should peel right up off of the surface of the dresser so that the underlying wood can be seen.

Removing the paint was relatively easy. The hard part about refinishing wood is actually sanding the entire surface to be refinished. Using a palm sander and a course grit sand paper such as a 30 grit the remaining paint flakes and any additional finish that is left on the wood will come right off. Always make sure that you sand with the grain of the wood and not against it to assure that you do not damage the texture of the wood itself.

After sanding the entire dresser with a course grit paper you can begin using a finer paper such as a 100 grit to create a super smooth surface that is ready for stain. Sand the entire surface of the dresser including the drawer fronts and all wood parts.

Using a damp cloth, wipe down the entire wood dresser so that there is no residue of wood left behind from sanding. Allow the dresser to dry completely before continuing.

Using the stain color of your choice you can begin applying stain to the wood along the grain. Use a sponge to apply the stain evenly and give the entire dresser a solid coat of stain. Refinishing wood is a slow process and speeding things up will make the finish blotchy or uneven.

Allow the stain to dry overnight and then you have a few options. If the stain color is as dark as you desire then you can apply the polyurethane using a paint brush in applying in the same direction as the grain of the wood. For a darker stain color, more coats can be applied before applying the polyurethane coating to the top.

Allow the polyurethane to dry overnight and then use a 100 grit sandpaper to lightly sand the surface of the wood dresser. Wipe the surface of the dresser clean with a damp cloth and allow to dry before applying a final coat of polyurethane to the wood dresser.

Refinishing an Old Wood Dresser=Beautiful Bedroom Focal Piece!

The finishing touch is the addition of some new hardware from the local hardware store. A few coats of stain, some polyurethane and new drawer handles made the old dresser that I found at a yard sale