The lines you're seeing are gold trim (I think they're plastic) and gold metal handles. The rest is black lacqured finish.
What can I do to fix this black lacquered dresser?
+20
I inherited this 9 drawer dresser from my hubby years ago. I hated it then and I hate it now. It matches absolutely nothing in our bedroom; but, I have to give credit where credit is due...it's a great dresser. It's well made and holds a lot of clothes. I just hate the way it looks and would like to either paint or stain it to at least fit in with our mahogany bed and half-round side tables. Any suggestions will be most appreciated.
This is a "4-poster" bed with canape, with 6 drawers underneath on each side of the bed. It's an old waterbed that has never been used as such. It has a conventional king-sized mattress in it. Both half-round end tables match the bed.
It is a great dresser!! And you have a beautiful room, I'd suggest staining it becuase your room's decor is very wood-grain and it would look beautiful with your current layout
I would either paint it a lighter color or stain to match your existing decor.
Another thought is to glue down a nice fabric over the drawer fronts. You then could also add a nice wood trim frame on the facing that matched your other woods. Also a long mirror for the top would be nice.
From the look of it ( from photos posted) you have a great bedroom. The dresser looks way more modern than the rest of the room. Change out the drawer pulls to something closer to what ever knob or draw pulls are on other pieces.
Strip the dresser of all lacquer and sand the dresser well to ready it for stain. Stain the dresser and make sure you put a good sealer over it. Add a dresser scarf to help soften it even further.
Thank you all for your responses. Is there a particular kind of stipper to use on the lacquer? I definitely want to bring it back to a "wood" finish and I think I can match or even compliment the stain pretty well to the existing furniture. It's just the stripping process that I'm not sure how to do. I've never attempted to strip furniture before. Also, I can't move the dresser outside (it's on our 2nd floor) and way to heavy for us "old dogs" to move up/down the stairs...so the stripper can't be toxic for us or our two puppies. Suggestions are definitely welcome! Thanks for all your input. It's very much appreciated.
I would take one of the drawers out and look closely at the front drawer face from the side. It may be an acrylic overlay, (like Formica) not a high gloss enamel paint. A tip off might be how expensive the dresser was. You may also be able to just pull off one of those gold strips and see what's under it.
You may be left with pressed board that can't be refinished. You might be able to paint the whole thing. Get advice on the most aggressive primer and apply two coats. You'll have to sand the surface first. Then you can paint it a color of your choice and change the drawer pulls. I have a feeling you may have to deal with an oil-based product for this. Obviously,
you can take the drawers elsewhere in your house. Is there a place, even a hallway, where the base can be worked on? Oil-based products are much tougher than latex but the fumes are strong. It's also slower to dry so you want your pets away during the process. (Hair) Good luck! This stuff has never been a favorite of mine either.
Ahodie320 is correct - you may not have good wood underneath the black finish, so stripping and staining may not be an option. However,
Wallpaper it, then put 3 coats of MATTE ModPodge over it. Don't use the glossy version, as it remains sticky. The matte version will be non-sticky and you can then gently spot clean it if necessary. You can also do this with upholstery fabric as someone else suggested. If you do have to spot clean an area, be gentle and the MP will turn white again BUT, it will dry and go back to clear. Then if you need to add a bit of MP over that area, you can. MP is very forgiving, but use 3 thin layers and make it smooth; remember the matte will be matte, not glossy. So you can cover the dresser up without much fuss about what is underneath, add some pattern into the room to compliment/contrast your fabrics and colors. The main cost will be for the MP. Try to search online for gallon jugs at the best price. GOOD LUCK!
If you find press board instead of wood and can't stain you may be able to get a wood veneer, glue this down and then stain this. Then you can match the rest of your furniture.
WOW! What a great idea! Thank you, Kim!
Have you thought of wallpapering the whole thing? I used vinyl wallpaper in a muted ivory and gold stripe on a small cabinet. I did the top and the inserts of the front cabinet doors, painted the rest and it is still terrific after many years.
Love that idea, Joan. Thank you. Wallpapering is actually one thing I know how to do quite well...adhering it AND taking it down
! I think that a trip to the wallpaper store just might be in order!
Martha Stewart has a video online about painting in the Chinoiserie style. Looking at your room, I think the look could be fabulous, if you're artistic. Not a lot, just a bit of elegance.
Regardless, I would get a new top. That surface is a bugger to keep clean and unscratched. You obviously like decorative pieces and your dresser scarf doesn't do anything for the room. Either find a carpenter to make a new top to cover, or buy a piece of luan walnut or mahogany and cut to fit. Sand and stain to match your room. Finish the edges with iron-on wood veneer.
Paint the gold verticals and horizontals (Rustoleum) and get wood-tone pulls.
Oh you make that sound so easy (NOT!) but I'll definitely check out Martha's video...sounds really interesting. Thank you for the suggestions. Oh, I just watched her video...YES, YES, YES! I love it and I know I can do that on the drawer fronts without a lot of effort. Thank you!
Hi Shari,
Have you heard of chalk paint? It's awesome, especially if you use Annie Sloan brand. The whole idea of chalk paint is that there's no priming or sanding. You go over whatever surface, and then the final piece is to seal it with a wax (which sounded intimidating to me, but it really was easy). I recently painted our old coffee table (wasn't sure if it was real wood or not). It was quite dark, and by using chalk paint, I created a color effect of a taupey-grey. I absolutely love it. Anyway, just food for thought. There are tons of online resources (including Pinterest) that can show you all the neat things you can do with this paint.
I just bought some chalk paint on line (Amazon) and waiting for its arrival. Fingers crossed!
OR- if you are not an artsy/craftsy person- you may be able to find someone to work on it. Problem is you can't move it... Maybe someone else has other opinions on that. You can always find someone who wants the challenge. Ask around, post on facebook, ask friends. Otherwise definitely pinterest ideas have always given me lots of ideas and insight. Good luck- I'd love that challenge!
Thank you Sacha! Please post a picture when you've completed the project (so I can steal your ideas
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Chalk paint or Gel stain. Both are easy to use and no experience needed