Should I paint my Ethan Allen furniture if I want to sell it?
I just bought this Ethan Allen dresser for $50. Clearly, there needs to be some work done to it. I dont know if I should paint it black with furniture paint and replace the handles and give it a modern look or if I should try and keep the look as original as possible by just sanding down all the scuff marks and staining the wood. I also dont know how to price it and where would be the best place to sell. I know people sell on Craigslist, Offer up, Facebook market place; however, a lot of people sell for cheap on there so I was wondering if there are specific groups to join to sell this for an appropriate value.
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Personally, I would sand and stain the top and paint the rest. As for selling, all of the places you mentioned are good. It just depends on the area you live in. You can look for buy/sell groups online - facebook has many.
I would try to get a price as it looks now and then compare it to your costs and labor if you were to change it, If you do chose to refurbish it I would definitely change out the white knobs and stain it a lighter wood tone.
Depends on how much work you want to do on it. You could sell it as a project piece for someone to customize the way they want it or you do it and hope to get more money. You are looking in all the right places in terms of selling it. The only other suggestion I have would be a consignment shop, but you would have to deliver it there.
Hello. Thats tricky. You may want to check your local pricing and see active listing ranges. Supply and demand review.
Painting your furniture will take lots of time paint product I’m not sure if the market would increase the profit enough to warrant the work if demand is there.
People are very successful painting furniture. Have a look at one of my favorite blogger she sells painted furniture all the time.
From the link below -You will see an overwhelming library of her chalk painted flips.Hope this helps.
https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/diy-gallery/
I love the mixture of paint and wood. Paint the case. Stain the top and drawers.
Here are some ideas from other Hometalkers
https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=paint%20dresser
It is a lot of work but would probably bring up the value quite a bit if you chalk paint it. As it sits it is pretty rough. A neutral like grey with a bit of antiquing will make it look like a TOTALLY different piece of furniture. Go for it.
Definitely fix it up first. Painting a off white with a brown glaze and replacing all the pulls will increase the pricing. As far as a fair price in your area, I would go on a few sites and see what similar painted pieces are going for.
As a tip, I usually scuff with fine steel wool then clean with TSP as a prep. Then prime and paint. I know chalk paint is very popular however it does scratch easily so keep that in mind. It's supposed to be a no prep and that's why people love it but prep isn't that bad IMO.
I agree with a few of the other answers. Right now the stain and paint combo look is really popular so should give you the biggest bang for your buck. I would think a piece refinished like that could go easily for $200+ Yes Facebook marketplace tends to go pretty inexpensive but that's not always the case and if people can easily come just pick it up they'll be more willing to pay more as well.
Here's an example of a gorgeous paint and stain combo here on Hometalk: https://www.hometalk.com/diy/bedroom/dressers/gorgeous-before-and-after-refinished-dresser-3390631
Gorgeous Before and After: Refinished Dresser
I would first find the maker's mark on the piece so you know precisely its age. Price out what such a rough piece is selling for vs one that is fixed up. You can figure you reno costs and then decide what the smartest thing to do is.
Paint and wood refinishes would be nice, you could also put some wood transfers on it to glam it up.
https://ironorchiddesigns.com/
most states or areas have online yard sales - look on there and also marketplace.com to see what used furniture is selling for to give you an idea for your area
Sand it down and refinish it. Clean up the hardware and possibly paint it. That will make a huge difference. I would wait until stripping the dresser to decide what to do next. The look of the wood will determine that.
The best thing to do with this is to sand it down and stain the top, just paint the rest. And there a lot of Facebook groups available where you can sell this piece for a reasonable price.
Is your goal to sell it? You could try selling it as is, see if you get any feedback. After that I’d sand and restain, leaving paint as a last option. Unless it’s in bad shape, then painting it might be best.
Yes
I wouldn't do black if your planning on painting as thats an 80s look, and you will also have to change all the hardware if going modern. A medium gray might be a better option as many folks are painting their bedrooms gray.
You could make it look more country by sanding the top down and strip the stain from the top and restain either a pine color. Then paint the rest of the dresser and off white or country blue chalk paint.
You have to know your market, visit some local used furniture and boutique furniture places to see what is popular where you live. You might introduce yourself to the shop owner, and see if they might be in the market for some repurposed furniture. Show her a picture of the piece and see what she might like done to it for a consignment piece.
Craig's List, Facebook market place, local garage sites are all great places to post your finished dresser for sale.
If you really want to do something different add a removeable marble top. You can even use left over pieces if they are the right size.
Updating it by paint/stain would likely bring you the best return on your great find. There are several posts on Hometalk that might inspire you. Just enter Painted Dresser or similar search terms in the search box at the top left of the Hometalk homepage. I would definitely update all the hardware. Keep track of your time and expenditures and be happy with the price you place on the item when advertising it. It will be just what someone wants!
You could antique it to give it a more unique look. Here is a tutorial to guide you through the process.
Hi Pushtee Jhaveri, hope this helps you. If you want it sell it as an antique just tidy it and fix it. If you want to sell it to get rid of it, paint it up nice with chalk paint. Pick any color you like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QXcj_iQDJE