Refinishing an old French Provincial dresser

 Five years ago I lived in Bozeman, Montana. I lived in an apartment a couple of blocks from work. It was very convenient. I had been divorced for a year and a half and I met Mark online. After dating for a year back and forth we finally decided to make a change. I decided that I would move to Kalispell and find a place of my own. It was less than a week till we moved me. My neighbor girl was moving out as well. After she left I saw that she had left behind a dresser in her living room. It was painted a horrible shiny gold to look antiqued, like the do to picture frames. No wonder she had left it! The dresser shape itself was beautiful. It had great curves. I found it to be a sexy piece of furniture. So, I moved it in to my apartment to be moved again with me in a week.

I took a picture of the dresser the way that I found it. But after 5 years I can't find the pictures. Dang!


I started the project by researching what to need to do. I needs to get off the horribly ugly paint. This called for a paint stripper, rubber gloves, stripping pads, a plastic scraper with brush and a spray bottle to apply the stripper. I started the project in Mark's basement. It was hard work, I had to strip a few layers. Then I used the random orbital sander and got it down to the wood. I got all of the drawers done and the side of the dresser. I got sick of this project really quick and it got put on the back burner. It was on that burner in fact for 4 years.

Well, I came across the dresser again a couple of weeks ago and decided I should really get 'er done. I put it in the garage instead of the basement. I have something about basements. I just don't like working down there. I feel very lonely there. In the garage I had a lot more light and warm weather that made me want to be out there. I finished stripping it and sanded it all down. The drawers had some wood detailing on the front that was set into a groove. Some of them were broken and irreparable so I dug them all out and filled the grooves with wood filler in a walnut color. It took 2 tubes to fill them all and then sand them down even with the other surface.

 

 

My original idea was to stain the whole dresser. The wood however still had a lot of paint on it that I just couldn't remove. I decided to paint everything but the top and the lip in the middle. That I would stain with Minwax espresso stain and a Polycrylic varnish. The hardware for the drawers I decided were kind of cool looking so I sprayed them with Rustoleum hammered. It was a mettalic looking brown.

 

 

 

 

 

I painted the drawers with two coats of an interior latex paint in a satin finish. I got the color sample size that they sell in Lowes making them only $3. Summertime bloom and teal zeal.

The drawers I lined with a brown paper gift wrap paper that I found in the dollar store. I got a variety of print. I used Mod Podge matte and put an even coat on the inside bottom of the drawer. Then I put the paper in slowly starting in a corner and laying it down pressing out the wrinkles. I did not get them all out but as it dries they lessen. After a couple of hours I then put another coat of mod podge on the top of the paper evenly and they are all ready to go. I love how girly and interesting it makes the dresser. It adds character.

I LOVE the way that it turned out. What do you think? What have you refurbished? Send me some of your pictures!