Old Dresser New Life

Andrea Palmai
by Andrea Palmai
5 Materials
$50
2 Days
Easy

When I saw this dresser, I loved the shape, and pulls and its modern vibe. I could tell right away that it had amazing woodgrain under the old varnish. So I got to work right away to uncover it's beauty.

You can see the variation in the wood color

The first step was to fill in the missing veneer with wood filler. Once that was dry I started sanding.

Wood filler drying

I started sanding with my electric sander! 100/120/150/220 grit sandpaper in this order.

Drawers are sanded

Once everything was sanded. I took off the original basement the dresser was sitting on. I wanted to elevate it and give it a more modern look. I used 8 inch harpin legs which I got from Amazon. Very sturdy, easy to install. I have used them for many projects before.

Boiled linseed oil to show the grain

Like I said I knew it had beautiful wood grains, so I didn't want to hide it! I decided to use boiled linseed oil to make the grain pop! You need to wait for the oil to cure and its about 24 hrs between each coat but trust me it won't disappoint. There are a lot of oils out there. This one has almost no smell and cures faster than most.

Look at that grain

To hide the wood filler and spice it up a little, I used painted black stripes on the sides as well as the front frame. I wanted the grain to be the star!

I hope you like this transformation! And the exposed wood grain speaks for itself. To find my other pieces and follow me on my furniture flip journey follow me on Instagram @andreapalmai

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  • April April on Nov 25, 2019

    Did you add a finishing coat of something to seal the oil and paint?

  • Alison milne Alison milne on Nov 25, 2019

    WOW this is stunning.can I ask is it the linseed oil that gives it the colour? Thanks

  • Ray Ray on Nov 19, 2020

    Thank you for highlighting the beautiful natural wood grain unlike the fashion for hiding it with paint.

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2 of 111 comments
  • Dana Dana on Nov 19, 2020

    O wow what an awesome job & thanks for sharing 🤩🤩

    I have a piece I’ve been holding out on redoing because I just didn’t know exactly know, but knew I’d know when I saw what I wanted and last night it was revealed because you took the time to share‼️‼️ Can’t wait to do my piece now‼️‼️

    awesome job and love love the way you added the black to it. It is perfect‼️‼️

  • Toad Stool Toad Stool on Oct 02, 2022

    Good job! Although some painted pieces turn out really well, I generally am not a fan of hiding the natural beauty of wood behind layers of paint. I always try to put the focus on the wood as you have done. For all readers, YES, the linseed oil brings out the beauty of the wood grain. A great old receipe for reconditioning wood is equal parts of booiled linseed oil, turpentine, (NOT mineral spirits,) and apple cider vinegar. Shake it well, continuously - as you are using it, because the oil/water will separate. When it is lemon colored it is useable.

    The best way is to apply it in the open air, (it is stinky AND the heat of the sun helps to soak the solution into the wood grain.) Let dry and repeat.

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