Updating aged pine furniture

Gabrielle Falk
by Gabrielle Falk
I have this solid 8 drawer pine buffet and 2 bedside tables in pine. It has aged to a yellowish colour. the bedspread is white, the throw and decorative cushions white with pinkish and green floral decorations. it looks pretty, but I hate the pine colour. Any
suggestions to update would be appreciated. thanks, gabrielle from sydney
  14 answers
  • You could paint straight over them with white Chalk finish paint, sand back with fine sandpaper in spots where the units would get normal wear and tear to give them a shabby chic look.Then apply wax to the units to seal and give a nice sheen.The knobs could also be changed to the ones that look like crystals this would give the pieces extra visual appeal, All the best. Ali
  • Sherry Fram Sherry Fram on May 25, 2015
    You could paint it white or green to go with your colors you are already using.
  • Jane Bowers Jane Bowers on May 25, 2015
    I love to paint furniture and have done many pieces for my booth in an antique/craft mall. However, when there is no real damage to a piece, I give it a second thought. For yours, even tho more work, I would consider sanding it down to remove the varnish/stain/topcoat and see how it looks. It might actually be very pretty and worth saving. If not, I would paint it white and the drawers in ombre' using pink.
  • Jacalyn Jacalyn on May 25, 2015
    I would sand and "whitewash" them in the color of your choice. A light green would be pretty.
  • 807288 807288 on May 25, 2015
    My daughter has a bureau that looks just like this! I am planning on painting it with chalk paint in the color she selects, navy or dark grey, perhaps. The ones I saw had kept the wooded knobs and painted them as well. If you search chalk paint bureaus on Pinterest you will see lots of beautiful examples. Pick the style you like best. Good luck.
  • Anna Anna on May 26, 2015
    Strip it and sand it and stain it. I just did some ancient pine furniture with pecan stain and it is gorgeous. The people at Ace Hardware were very helpful and knowledgeable. Good luck!
  • Country Design Home Country Design Home on May 26, 2015
    Hi! You don't have to paint it- you can keep the natural wood finish but just darken it. Using gel stain or water based stain, you can even change the color of it, but allow the natural wood to still shine through. Just paint it on, then wipe off what you don't want to achieve the color you are looking for.
  • Carole Carole on May 26, 2015
    I has similar thing with our guest bedroom furniture. I gave a light sand all over and then applied Minwax White Based Wood stain. You can add a colour tint to it. Get the hardware store to mix it for you - they have colour charts to choose from. You paint it on and wipe it off with a soft cloth in the direction of the grain within 3 mins of application. May need several coats. If you leave on too long, it looks more like paint. I found that you can apply as many coats as you like to either leave some of the pine showing slightly which can alter the colour of the piece or go for a good coverage and a more painterly look. Then sealed it with two coats of Minwax polyacrylic. I used a Slate grey tint added to the woodstain but you can pick from their colour charts. See photo. No more orange pine!
  • Shuganne Shuganne on Dec 16, 2018

    Your gorgeous pine furniture looks oranger (is that a word?) because it is set in front of a green wall. Put it in front of a white wall and see - or have someone help you hold a clean white sheet behind it - less strain for the back. 😊 I agree no matter what, the background that the varnish or polyurethane that had been used 30 years ago has yellowed with age.


    But, I hear the beautiful wood grain on furniture and walls is starting to make a comeback. So, I would think twice before slapping some paint on a beautiful unpainted lady. Why not sand off enough of the top layer until it's back to the color you like and finish with a couple layers of light gel stain? You may agree that natural wood grain is the best!

  • Marybeth Stewart Marybeth Stewart on Jul 16, 2020

    See Amy Howard Before and After Website.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Mar 01, 2021

    Hello Gabrielle,

    Use a Chalk Paint in a pastel colour white, Pink or the Green. Then seal it with a clear wax.

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Jun 23, 2021

    Lightly sand then paint the dresser a pretty light green similar to hunter green but lighter that should look pretty

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Nov 30, 2021

    I would for sure white wash it