What do I need to restore a painted old wood dresser?
by
Marilyn
I have a very old dresser with a carved out design in one of the drawers. It looks like it has been painted several times. I want to restore it to the original wood. Others tell me to just paint it one more time to match my decor. But there is no color that can match the beauty is real wood. What steps and what products will damage the wood the least? what time frame should I plan for the full process?
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You'll need a paint stripper and patience . Give the stripper time to do its work. I have seen where people put plastic wrap on top of the stripper to help it work. Have not tried that but sounds promising. I usually use an old toothbrush, wooden skewers, and toothpicks to get into small details. Be prepared for several coats. Once the paint is off I always used fine steel wool to get a really smooth finish. Then you can stain it if you need to. I liked the "antique" look of Watco Danish Oil as a sealer/finisher. Lots of work, will take some time, but worth it in the end. Hopefully your piece was not painted as unfinished wood or the paint may not come out of the grain. Good Luck!
great advice from Lora, from a person with years of experience refinishing furniture. Be aware it could take several days to strip just the paint layers.