Dresser attacked by toddler

Question

I have been asked to repair this dresser that was attacked by a teething toddler...lol. Any suggestions?

Pgl · Answer

Lightly sand the teething area, go to hardware store and get a touch up pen that matches the stain. You will probably need to apply 2 coats then polyurethane area with a matching gloss poly.

C · Answer

First & most important question is...... Are you just repairing the nawed areas? or are you painting the whole piece?

Debbie · Answer

For now, I just want to repair the nawed areas. I could use wood filler but the toddler actually ate away portions of the top edges. How would I fix that?

Marion Nesbitt · Answer

How did a toothing kid ever get this high up to gnaw the top??? Personally, I'd take a band sander to the top edge and square it off.

Gail Salminen · Answer

@Debbie I am not sure you can get away with a patch work refinishing, but possibly. If you try a hand sanding first and take one of the drawers into a paint store they may be able to help you match the stain. Other wise you may have to do the whole dresser. Do let us know what works for you.
This type of chewing on wood is more common than most would think. My parents had friends - that we consider an aunt and her kids cousins, living with us. The daughter chewed on every accessible wood piece - window frames, bunk beds etc. Can't remember if parents fixed it or not I was quite young.

Priscilla G · Answer

I had a puppy chew up and almost remove a strip off my fireplace, was unable to remove the bad wood, so I got wood filler and little by little build the wood piece back up rough looking and over build then was able to take a small hand sander to smooth out then painted it. Looks like new.

Paticia G · Answer

I would stay clear of that child !

OnBlissStreet · Answer

Omg, that looks like a badger chewed that up not a child! Maybe he'll poop out a wood sculpture. Okay, that is definitely going to need some heavy duty sanding. I would use a band sander because the orbital sander will leave the little circles.

Lisa B. · Answer

I agree with Priscilla. A gradual build with layers of wood filler, then sanded smooth. That is definitely the only solution  for the drawer. I wonder if you could add some moulding around the top to conceal the damage? It would give it a 'tray' feel/look.

Katrina Warren · Answer

You might want to be careful about what you use to repair the damage with IF there is any chance the toddler might decide to use it for a teething ring again!!! Wow!!!

Wanda.ll · Answer

Heck just do some more destressing and restain. Why worry might happen again sometime soon. You also might see if child has some kind of (vitaman defencity sorry misspelled).He /she might need some mineral they are getting.

Renee Confere · Answer

car BONDO that they use in body shops

Anna Le Blanc · Answer

Sanding the piece seems to be the best solution. My dog did that to my living and dining room furniture when she was a puppy.

Lee · Answer

I would decoupage the desser. Cheap, easy and really fun to do. Just finished decougage on my tv cabinet using fabric. I had never done this before, but it was easy. Hides a multitude of scratches and gouges, especially using fabric. Pinterest is full of photos of furniture re-dos using this method. You can use not just fabric, but wrapping paper, wallpaper, etc. The best part for me was I finished the project in 2 days.

Kerry · Answer

I'd refinish the whole dresser to a distressed style. I'd fill some of the bad stuff and paint it. Then I would distress the edges, incorporating some of the marks into the finish.

Ctr1211578 · Answer

I would use chalk paint and scuff it up to look distressed the put on minwax clear.

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Ctr1211578 · Answer

Chalk paint has so much forgiveness.  You can google the receipt.  I use it on my kitchen cabinets.  You can make it shabby chic.  I love chalk paint as there is no sanding required.

Barb Burnham · Answer

I would put a molding around the edge and paint it and the top. If the drawers are the same size put the top one on the bottom.  If not leave where it is. Take the drawer front off and turn it upside down so the bad edge is on the bottom. Refinish the cabinet using  Restore and 0000 steel wool. It loosens the existing  finished and color, blends it with the product color and wipes off. No sanding or terrible chemical involved. Or paint the bottom a different color that goes with the room and the top black as an accent. No way I would go thru woodfiller or bondo for this job.  I am sure whatever choice you make you will do fine and love it.

Candeelyn · Answer

Is it real wood? It's hard to tell from the pic but I have a recipe a friend gave me once to clean up an old piano. Mix equal parts mineral spirits and deionized alcohol . use very fine (0000) steel wool , dip in mixture and wipe the wood. wipe in direction of the grain. Go over with old t shirt after, Works well to blend and make scratches and digs 'disappear.' Very easy to do. Otherwise I would use some type of distressing or decoupage.

PattyV · Answer

Forget heavy sanding. Use a router to create a new edge on everything and then paint.

Aileen · Answer

I'm afraid I don't have a solution, but you reminded me of the kitchen table and chairs my mum and dad had for years which had a gouge out of the arm of one of the chairs and part of the table for years courtesy of my (now 34 year old) sister when her teeth started coming in! They left it as-is and my dad reminded her about it for years after!

BONNIE J · Answer

MUST HAVE SWALLOWED A LOT OF PAINT! YIKES.

Pat G · Answer

It would help a lot to just stain the affected area to match the rest. There is only a little damage to the wood.

Elaine · Answer

Wow, that toddler sure had strong teeth and she/he must have been rather tall to reach up that high to gnaw on the dresser like that!  It looks like a hungry beaver went to town on it! lol.  It's hard to tell from the photos how deep those bite marks go in - if they're not too deep, a stain would help camouflage them.  I've had great luck with various colored brown markers.  It looks to me, though, as there are chunks out of the wood in which case, you need to use wood filler, sand it down then restain.  Can you, perhaps, paint it instead ... then distress it with antique wax or gel then the gouges and teething marks would look in keeping with the distressed look.

Elaine · Answer

PS:  just a postscript, don't repair it until that toddler is done teething!

Priscilla G · Answer

Debbie,  I had a place where my daughter's puppy chewed up, I sanded and stripped  area then had to go back and rebuild the strip using wood putty.  I took several months of building and sanding until it was totally filled in and un noticeable.  Once it was filled and sanded then had some stain the same color and re did that area, let it set to dry several weeks as a final touch used a light coat of polyuthrene  to finish....hope this was of help.

Redcatcec · Answer

I would either sand and refinish or go with the Bondo method.

Becky at Flipping the Flip · Answer

Holy cow, that was one determined child! I’d try the least invasive fixes first and work your way up, meaning try lightly sanding; sanding rougher then back to light; patching, staining/painting and sealing; routing out a new edge; throwing it to the child and let them finish it (last bit there is sarcasm!). I have a great dresser my first puppy chewed that I never repaired and these days I’m glad I left it.

Dresser attacked by toddler

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Dresser attacked by toddler

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