Refinish A Veneer Dresser, step by step

Well, we lately took on the biggest nursery project to date and we lived to tell the tale. This post is a bit of a two-fer, since it not only details how to stain any wooden or veneered piece of furniture but also touches on how to paint anything that is wood or veneer since we did a two-toned treatment on a dresser that we hunted down on the low-cost.

That is right, we stained our “new” six drawer dresser with a deep rich brown tone and painted the top a crisp and glossy white color. Here is how it all went down.

First we had to search for something to add tons of storage space to our compact-closeted nursery, so we measured the wall that we knew we would be dedicating to a pleasant double dresser and hopped on Craigslist chanting “less than sixty inches” and crossing our fingers. Our hope was to find something that was up on little legs (so it felt airier and less heavy than a legless version) and we also needed it to be deep sufficient to accommodate a 17″ wide changing pad since part of the dresser top will also be used as a diapering zone. We had a budget of $150 or less in mind, so we hoped to find something that was a few decades old and solidly made (as opposed to something more flimsy from Ikea circa 2005). We also hoped a piece with pleasant clean lines to work with our crib which is a bit on the modern side, so a especially curvy dresser might feel a little out of place. A few days of stalking Craigslist turned up this listing:

The little legs along with the 54″ length was ideal, plus the clean-lined look of the dresser would work amazingly well with our crib. And did you see that price? Twenty bucks?! Yes please. I said a little prayer to the Craigslist gods and shot off an email right away. Less than three hours later we heard from the dresser’s owner and he said we were first in line if we still hoped it. We simply had two more questions: what was the depth of the piece (simply to be sure it was not too narrow to accommodate our 17″ changing table pad) and was the dresser made of solid wood (since that is a lot easier to refinish than something covered in laminate or thin flaking veneer).

The good news was that it was simply deep sufficient for our changing pad. The bad news is that it was veneered (although still extremely solidly made with dovetailed joints, etc). Oh well, it was $20- what did we expect? The verdict: we said we’d enjoy to take a look at it and again found ourselves crossing our fingers (this time in hopes that that the veneer was pleasant and thick so it could take some sanding and staining). See, the plan had consistently been to stain the dresser and paint the top a glossy white ever since we got our two toned crib and enjoyed the look. But unlike solid wood, if veneer is too thin it is fairly hard to sand and restain without going right through it and hitting the plywood underneath during the sanding step.

Luckily when we got there to check out our new Craigslist crush the dresser had amazingly thick veneering (about 1/4th of an inch) which made it straightforward to determine that we could totally sand it down and restain it without any trouble. Note: to check how thick your veneer is simply open a drawer or look at the back of the piece where you will hopefully be able to see if it is paper thin (aka: not-sandable) or thicker than a dime or so (aka: sandable).

Now certain that our dresser hunt was over and this was “IT”, we handed over twenty beans to our pleasant Craigslist friend and took home our “new” double dresser (thanks to John’s sister’s borrowed SUV- enjoy you Emily!). Then it was time to refinish her. Here she is hanging out on the patio atop a pleasant big piece of cardboard to catch any stain, paint or primer drips during the muti-phase project:

You can see that the veneer is scraped and stained in a few areas and of course the finish is not deep and rich like the rest of the wood tones in our house (including the drawer on our new crib in the nursery). Hence the refinishing idea. Oh and it bears mentioning that this little staining & painting walkthrough will work for any solid wood items as well as anything that is veneered as long as the veneering is not paper thin. Note: this method is not recommended for any laminate furnishings because that material cannot be successfully stained since it is not a true layer of wood.

The first thing we did was wipe everything down with a moist rag (both inside the drawers and out) simply to remove any spiderwebs, old pen caps & pennies in the drawers, etc. Of course everything was about to get coated in sanding dust again momentarily, but it was a pleasant “reset” for the dresser and we were able to take things like random paperclips out of the drawers so they did not fly around when we got to our big sanding step. Oh and while we wiped things down we came across this label inside the top right drawer:

It turns out our twenty beans had scored us an original 50’s or 60’s mid-century dresser. Cool right? We thought so. And that explained why it was so well made and had such pleasant thick veneering (they simply do not make ’em like they used to). Anyway, the next step was to break out our trusty sander and some extra sandpaper to get to all those crevices that it could not reach by hand. We used 80 grit sandpaper to rough everything up and followed that with another soft sanding with 200 grit paper simply to smooth things out. Oh and be sure to consistently sand WITH the grain of the wood for a pleasant natural look (nothing screams bad refinishing job like round sander circles that soak up stain and look even more obvious when you are done).

Here is a shot of our set-up. John got to work sanding the top, sides and front of the dresser along with the flat fronts of the drawers while I was in charge of getting into all the smaller crevices and built-in bentwood drawer pulls where the bulky electric sander could not reach. We also set up a staining station for me to work on drawers on another piece of cardboard nearby (do not worry, Mrs. Prego wore a mask to avoid inhaling anything nasty).

Once things were sanded down with both 80 grit and 200 grit sandpaper (with the grain of the wood) it was time to wipe everything down with a moist rag once again, this time to remove all that sanding dust. Then when things were thoroughly dry (you do not want to stain a moist lately-wiped down drawer) it was staining time. We picked up a low-cost-o synthetic 2″ angled brush (knowing that stain would likely ruin it) along with a pack of rags (which we used to wipe the stain off once we applied it) and a quart of Minwax Wood Finish stain in “Red Mahogany.” Note: we picked our stain color by taking a fairly true-looking photo of the crib drawer with our digital camera and bringing our camera with us to use as a reference while standing there in the stain aisle.

This kind of stain necessitates a coat of poly on top of it to seal everything and add a pleasant glossy finish but we intentionally opted for it because we knew we could use our eco-friendly Safecoat poly (which is lo-VOC, no-odor and 100% non-toxic… more on that later). We could have chosen to buying a stain with a poly sealer built right in, which is unquestionably the easier approach since it does not call for the extra polying step at the end, but it is also undeniably more fume-y and chemical-y, especially for something that will live in a nursery.

But it is certainly worth noting that if you are looking to take on a staining project and do not mind the smellier chemicals in the poly-plus-stain-in-one option, simply visit your local home improvement store to check out those “shortcut” products (also made by Minwax, although their color palette is a lot more limiting than the ones without poly worked in). We also tend to prefer liquid stain (like the one we chose above) over gel stain because we have more experience working with it, but we have heard that gel stain can also be remarkable- especially for items that cannot be thoroughly sanded or those on a vertical plane (like wood trim) since the liquid stain can be too runny and messy. So certainly talk to the pros at your local home improvement store or do some preliminary google stain research to pick the right one for the job before you start.

But back to the matter at hand: staining our dresser. After everything was wiped down and dried fully I simply used my 2″ brush to apply one thin and even coat of stain WITH the grain of the wood on each surface that I hoped to stain (the fronts of the drawers and the sides and front of the dresser). It went on incredibly smoothly since stain is quite watery and the sanded veneer happily soaked it right up. Note: if your wood or veneer is not soaking up the stain you likely have not sanded it thoroughly sufficient, so go back and be sure to truly sand through the existing poly so the wood underneath can absorb the stain.

Next we let the thin and even coat of stain sit on every surface that we applied it to for twenty full minutes. We hoped to achieve the richest and deepest absorption possible (which we reasoned would hide the most flaws and leave us with a pleasant saturated dark tone).

Then after those full twenty minutes we used a clean dry rag to gently rub- again in the direction of the wood- every plane of the dresser that we stained to remove the excess stain. Since we waited so long for ours to soak in we did not pull quite much stain off at all (our rag was still dark brown but we did not see much of a change in tone on the dresser, for which we were extremely grateful). It is essential to remember that you should be gently running the rag along the surface to catch any excess stain but you should not be applying a lot of pressure (which will result in a streaky and worn down look). Slow and light is the name of the game.

Presto. When you get to this step you have officially stained your item of furniture. In other words, at this point there was a victory dance in progress on our patio. Of course there is consistently the option to apply another coat of stain following the same steps outline above (brush on stain, let penetrate for a set amount of minutes, wipe away excess with clean dry rag) if you’d like a deeper or more uniform look. So if you are left with a piece that is a bit to light or a bit too streaky for your liking we suggest going for a second coat and letting it sit at least 20 to 25 minutes to truly soak things up before gently wiping it down again.

Now on to how we painted the top of the dresser (we will get back to polying the stained portion of the piece in a moment). We had already thoroughly sanded the top of the dresser before we began staining so the next step was to apply one thin and even coat of oil-based primer to the top of the dresser with a small foam roller (while being careful not to get any on the lately stained part of the piece). It is consistently smart to work out a game plan so you are not doing a second round of sanding as an afterthought which could result in your stain getting coated with sawdust. And when it came to priming, I was able to use my foam roller to carefully apply primer without getting any on the stained area, but if you do not have a steady hand you can hold up a rigid piece of cardboard under the lip of the top of the piece to keep primer from getting where you do not want it.

One thin and even coat of oil-based primer should do the trick. The coverage will not look flawless but it is there to provide tooth and some pleasant grip so it is doing its job as long as everything is coated- even if it looks patchy and thin in some areas while other spots are thicker and less transparent. The reason we suggest oil-based primer over water-based formulas (or primer-&-paint-in-one products) is solely based on personal experience. We have attempted to paint furniture with water-based primer and have dealt with bubbling, tackiness, and terrible staining and bleed-through but have never had those problems with the oil-based stuff.

Of course the oil-based formulas are stinky and harder to clean up but it is worth it to us to do the job right the first time instead of having to do everything over again when something bubbles or bleeds through your water-based coat of primer (which you frequently do not see until after your last coat of paint dries- talk about annoying!). And obviously taking precautions like applying the primer in a well ventilated area (we prefer being outside) and even wearing a mask while you work is consistently recommended. Truly, it is nasty stuff so you want to get ‘er done but be as safe as possible while you are at it.

The next step was applying three thin and even coats of semi-gloss latex paint with a second small foam roller (remember you can use latex paint over oil-based primer without issue, you simply cannot use latex paint over oil-based PAINT since it’ll bubble and separate). We were sure to apply the paint extremely thinly and evenly and not to roll too swiftly (which can rile up the paint and cause air bubbles). The white paint that we used is Freshaire’s off-the-rack white semi-gloss paint from Home Depot which is also what we use for all of the trim in our house and many other furniture projects. We enjoy that it is no-VOC and extremely comparable when it comes to the quality and coverage of other less-eco brands.

Then we simply let everything dry for 48 hours (we brought the dresser into the sunroom in case of rain, but kept all the screen doors open for some pleasant ventilation so the stain and paint were both sure to cure up pleasant and solidly).

After two full days it was time to coat everything (both the painted top of the dresser and the stained base of the piece) with a pleasant protective, glossy and totally wipe-able top coat of Safecoat Acrylacq. Of course you can use a low-cost and straightforward to find quart of basic water based polyurethane instead (sold in the same aisle as the Minwax stain) but if you are not familiar with Safecoat it is certainly worth checking out. We in fact first used it here when we made a bathroom vanity from a night table, and we had most of the quart leftover so we happily used it to seal all that stain and primer/paint for a non-toxic, odor free wrapped up product. Note: we found it at a local green boutique called Ecologic but you might want to google around or even check out greendepot.com to see if you can hunt any down for yourself.

We simply applied two thin and even coats of the stuff with a brush (giving it ample drying time in between coats- about five hours or so- to avoid any tackiness or drag marks). You should not get brush strokes if you apply this (or any other water-based poly) quite thinly- about as thin as an eggshell or a piece of paper. And you certainly want to brush it on WITH the grain of the wood and gently brush out any bubbles that you see (bubbles can dry and remain forever). The only way you will end up with a marred finish or unsightly brush stokes would be if you apply it too thickly or do not allow an area to thoroughly dry before touching it up again. So gently brush out bubbles as you go and apply quite thin even coats, then wait to do a second coat and resist the urge to go over areas that you already did a minute or two before to “clean them up” (because you will do more harm than good).

Here are our glorious and glossy drawers drying:

We gave everything three full days to fully cure in our well-ventilated sunroom so by the time we brought the dresser into our nursery over 72 hours later everything was pleasant and solid so we did not have to worry about getting rings on the tabletop if we placed an object on it. Plus everything was 100% odor free and non-toxic thanks to those last coats of Safecoat, so it was pleasant to walk into the nursery and visit the dresser without smelling it from a mile away. You know how we like to visit our recent projects (we hung out in our lately renovated bathroom for weeks after we wrapped up that big makeover).

So here is our “after” of a dresser living it up in the nursery:

Is not the two-tone finish lively? We think it ties in perfectly with our crib, and it sort of has a kitchen island effect (it is reminiscent of rich dark cabinets with a glossy white countertop). Plus we enjoy that the whole piece is especially protected and wipe-able thanks to the Safecoat, so whether the beanette decides to have a digestive explosion while we change her or throw a wood block at the dresser in a fit of rage, we are fairly sure it is up for the challenge.

We also enjoy the hardware-free handles since they are unusual and interesting- and the fact that we get six spacious drawers for storing everything from clothes and diapers to books and toys is truly the icing on the cake.

Oh and we know you folks enjoy a budget breakdown, so here you go:

• Dresser: $20 from Craigslist
• Sandpaper: already owned (80 grit and 200 grit)
• Electric Sander: already owned – it is by Black & Decker from Home Depot for around $50)
• Stain: $7.02 (Minwax Wood Finish stain in “Red Mahogany” from Home Depot)
• Ten cloth rags: $2
• Low-cost synthetic brush for stain: $2.49
• Two small foam rollers for primer/paint: already owned
• Oil-based primer: already owned
• Freshaire White Semi-Gloss paint: already owned
• Safecoat: already owned
• TOTAL: $31.51
  

Not bad right? We totally expected to come in around $175 because our original budget was $150 for a large especially-solid double dresser from Craigslist and we knew we’d need some supplies. But our budgetary surplus simply means that we have more money leftover for a few other lively nursery projects (we still have art, Hands-on shelving, a homemade mobile, closet organization and plenty more on the agenda). Oh and we in fact have a second dresser project to share a little later in the week (lets simply say we had the time of our lives lining the drawers so we will be back with those details). Stay tuned…

And while we are on the subject of staining and painting furniture, have you folks taken on any big makeovers of your own? We’d enjoy to hear what you’ve been up to. And since we also owe this dresser makeover to Craigslist for supplying this beauty (we still cannot believe it is an original 50’s or 60’s dresser) feel free to tell us all about any and all recent Craigslist finds that you folks have snagged. Lively, lively, lively.

Psst: Wanna see our nursery progress from the quite beginning? Here is our painting post, our big shopping spree, our crib hunting rundown, our curtain-making walkthrough, and our lively little chair search, our mirror-painting extravaganza, and our Hands-on faux sheepskin project.

Update: We at last created this Shop Our House page to assist you hunt down any furniture/accessories that you see in our house, along with all of our paint colors.