Refinished Antique Wardrobe

Jennifer Drake
by Jennifer Drake
2 Materials
$35
1 Month
Medium
A girlfriend had a bunch of her mother's furniture in her basement and no one wanted it. So, I was blessed and she decided to GIVE the pieces to me! WOOT!! Yes, I am totally blessed. I started with this wardrobe. It had all the original hardware - even the wood rollers on the bottom. I wanted to preserve the integrity of the piece so decided to just refinish it. It had some veneer that needed scraped off but the rest of the piece was in pretty good shape.
Before. Not too bad a shape.
The inside... very dusty and moldy.
The top had some damaged veneer which I ended up just taking off. I then sanded the top and stained it.
The sides were two different woods. When staining they stained a little different but I liked the contrast. Here is after the inside section was sanded.
Done... Side view
How the two different woods stained...
Inside cleaned up and shelf liner added.
Front view... For some reason the picture makes it look like there are streak marks but they are not there in real life... It is actually the wood grain.
Suggested materials:
  • Hand Sander
  • Jacobean Stain
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Jay Chamberlain Jay Chamberlain on Dec 01, 2018

    were-the sides veneered? I have the identical unit and the one side had water damage and the veneer had lifted

Comments
Join the conversation
4 of 14 comments
  • Itsmemic Itsmemic on Nov 06, 2017

    love love love the grain...my favorite !

  • Kleen Kleen on Nov 14, 2017

    Glad you re-stained and kept the integrity of the wood. I do not like (personal opinion only) painting or stenciling over wood. Wood grain offers its own beauty that cannot be duplicated ~ just my opinion.

    Your cabinet is beautiful ~ well done!

    • Jennifer Drake Jennifer Drake on Nov 14, 2017
      Thank you! I think there are times painting is ok but when a piece is in good shape I agree that attempts should be made to preserve the integrity of the piece.
Next