3 Easy Methods To Make Over Your Old Dresser
Refinishing your old dresser is a great way to refurbish the piece of your furniture & breathe new life into it. To do this, you need to follow all the given 3 methods, along with its steps, carefully:
Method 1: Cleaning And Sanding Your Dresser
- First of all, you need to empty your dresser and take all the drawers out from it, clean your dresser of any personal items and if it's possible to remove handles then do it, don't worry you can reattach or replace handles when you've finished your work.
- Use soap & water in order to wash the dirt & grime, simply take a kitchen sponge & then soak it in the mixture of liquid dish soap & water. Then, you need to scrub the dresser exhaustively to remove any built-up gunk. Once done, now rinse your wood by using a sponge soaked in fresh clean water & then dry your dresser off with the help of a clean towel.
- Now you have to remove the layer of stain & paint by using the coarse sandpaper, simply sand down the surface by using the 300-grit sandpaper wrapped around with a wooden block, in order to reach hard spots, simply use steel wool instead, power sander will work on a larger area of your dresser.
- Switch to less coarse sandpaper (150-200) when you see the original wood of your dresser.
- Get rid of stubborn paint & stain by using a chemical stripper.
- Repair broken areas of your dresser with putty.
Method 2: Painting Your Dresser
- After following the previous method, you need to apply primer before painting the dresser. To do this, you need to spray or brush a coat of primer paint onto the surface of your dresser and then let it dry for one complete hour.
- Cover the dresser by using traditional paint for a long-lasting finish. Simply coat your entire dresser with a layer of enamel paint or acrylic paint and let your dresser dry for two to four hours and then you need to apply the 2nd coat of your selected paint, once dry now rub it smoothly by using a 240 grit sandpaper. Repeat this step until you have 4 layers, sand each coat except the final layer.
- Once you've finished your previous step, now spray paint the dresser to make the painting process quicker, to do this you need to buy a can of universal spray paint or wood spray paint of your desire color. Hold the spray can betwixt 8-12 inches (20-30cm) away from your dresser's surface, then simply spray a coat of your paint using the large and sweeping motions. Let this spray paint dry for near about two complete hours, then add another coat of this spray paint. Repeat this process until you've got the desired finish.
Method 3: Staining Your Dresser
- After finishing the painting process, now it's time to stain your dresser. You need to use a wax to refinish the dresser in case the dresser has an attractive texture or color. Buy a container of beeswax, furniture wax or other similar wax finish. Then, rub the selected wax onto your dresser using a nylon scourer or steel wool pad. Let this wax sit for at least 2-8 minutes, then you have to rub the waxed areas down by using a clean cloth until your surface feels smooth. Repeat this process with at least one more layer of your selected wax, then seal your surface with wax varnish.
- Refinish the dresser by using the oil in order to bring focus to its grain & texture. You need to buy linseed oil or similar finishing oil. You need to use a paintbrush(wide), cover the dresser with the selected oil, be sure to get every visible nook & cranny. Let the selected oil to soak in for at least 10-15 minutes, then wipe off any extra oil with the towel & add on another layer. Repeat this process until you've added 5-6 total layers.
- This is your final step, cover the dresser with danish oil for additive protection. You need to buy danish oil finish like watco & brush an enlightened amount of it onto the dresser. Let this danish oil sit for at least 15-20 minutes to soak in, then 2nd on top. After 15-20 minutes, wipe the surface of the dresser with the help of a sponge. Repeat this step once a day until you are fully satisfied with the dresser's finish.