Mahogany Veneer Dresser Makeover

N'Ckyola
by N'Ckyola
5 Materials
$20
6 Hours
Easy

Several years ago my grandmother gave me her old high boy. She was running out of space but didn't want to get rid of it & knew that I would keep it & take care of it. She's had this with a full bedroom set for at least 50 years - AND she bought it 2nd hand back in the 1960's!


I wanted to give a little face lift for a while, but didn't want Grandmother upset with any changes I might make.


Finally, when we moved to a new home & I gave our master bedroom a makeover this piece was 1 of the 1st things I knew I needed to tackle.

Grandmother's Original High Boy

The dresser is not my style at all, but it is very solid and well built. Old school for real, with dovetail joints and mahogany veneer on the drawer fronts.

I’m not sure which is worse to refinish, veneer or laminate - especially if the veneer is loose and starting to peel like some is on my dresser. Luckily, only the bottom drawer was peeling.


I used a putty knife to completely strip the veneer from that drawer only. You have to be gentle & use the putty knife to pull up the edges of the veneer just enough to get a grip on it. Then pull it up by hand or hold the free edge with pliers for better grip.


For pieces that don’t peel off easily, I very slowly & gently scraped it with the putty knife. The key is to not gouge the wood underneath.

The last thing I needed to do to prep the dresser for painting was to remove the skirt from the bottom. I had my jigsaw ready for this step - because I just love using power tools any chance I get - but it came off pretty easily by hand.


After that, I sanded the whole piece down with my mouse detail sander & sandpaper for the grooves on the front legs.

This is a visual of what the dresser looked like when I started & again after 2 coats of paint.

Primer, 2 coats of paint, & 1 coat of polyurethane later I had this beautifully smooth finish!


I used spray paint for this project. I hand paint some furniture projects but for most projects with flat surfaces, I prefer to use spray paint for a smoother finish. This is a perfect example of why.

My "New" Re-finished High Boy

And here is the re-finished high boy! I really love how it turned out.

It makes me happy every single day. The hardest part was finding odd sized knobs that fit the new style. 


Best part is... Grandmother loves it too! I love giving old things new life, keeping them in the family, & saving them from the landfill.


Here's a old-fashioned quick tip - if you have old furniture with wooden drawer slides that stick, rub a bar of dry soap on the tracks & on the slides. It'll glide like butter after that.

Suggested materials:
  • Devine Color Spray Paint by Valspar - Metallic Silver Metallic Finish   (Target)
  • Rust-Oleum Specialty Polyurethane Spray   (Lowe's)
  • Black & Decker Mouse Sander
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N'Ckyola
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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