Mid Century Modern Revision

Joni DeMore- Malone
by Joni DeMore- Malone
I had recently acquired a few pieces of one of my least favorite styles of furniture. I had this guy for a few months when I finally decided I needed to clear up some space in my basement work area, and since this guy was so big, he was my target.
First off, I had to strip him down to the bare wood, using Citistrip. I was quite pleased with what I found. He was going to stain nicely.
I knew I was going to stain the drawers and paint the body. I thought I was going to go with General Finishes Snow White, but, after putting the primer on, and sliding in the already stained drawers, I wasn't happy with the look.


Grey was the answer! General Finishes Milk Paint, Driftwood. My sweet friend, Jen, sent me some legs appropriate for the style, and on they went.
I used General Finishes gel stain in Java on those drawers. Top and body were sealed with their High Performance topcoat, in satin, and the body was sealed with Polyvine Wax Finish Varnish, in satin.


I opted to keep the original hardware, only having to polish them to bring them back to their original shine.
One of my favorite details in all of my pieces- fabric lined drawers.
I was very happy with the way he turned out. And guess what? This is now a style that I love.
Thanks for looking!
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  • Wen3585151 Wen3585151 on May 31, 2016
    Gorgeous what kind of paint did you use?
  • Maryam Khalatbari Maryam Khalatbari on Sep 01, 2017

    Hi, may I ask how did you polish the pulls? I have the very same exact dresser and after seeing how gorgeous yours is I decided to do the same to mine. it seems that your pulls are chrome now , am I right ? Thank you so much and keep the wonderful job.

  • Nancy Nancy on Oct 28, 2020

    Your piece looks fantastic!!! I have a similar dresser (same original color). I would like to possibly restore it to it's original color. Any suggestions on how to achieve that original grey/linen wood grain look?

    Thanks for your help.

    Nancy

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  • Elizabeth Fencl Elizabeth Fencl on Nov 07, 2016
    Outstanding job...LOVE IT!!
  • Tina Yount Tina Yount on Apr 10, 2020

    I am absolutely blown away! I own this whole bedroom set, chest, dresser mirror 5 end tables and complete head board, sides and foot board! But wait, I own MORE. Dining room table, 4 out of 6 chairs and a complete China cabinet. All of this in the blonde 50's style color. Unfortunately, I dont like it. However, your work u did on yours makes me hopeful that I could turn it into something I love, instead of selling it.. it was my grandmother's. I'm saving this page and maybe if I become brave, I could tackle your unbelievable project on my own. Wonderful! Your piece makes me speechless. I exclaimed out loud when I saw it!! Incredible job!!

    Tina Yount

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