Mid Century Modern Makeover

So at first glance it looks like it's in perfect shape but after careful inspection once I got it to the shop I realized I had some repairs to do.

The inside veneer was damaged on the diamond pattern. And there was some veneer damage on the sides as well. Since this was a separate piece on the inside of the top drawer I was able to pry it off without too much trouble.

To repair the veneer on the sides I used plastic wood like you would spackle a wall.

Once it was dry I sanded it smooth and you can barely tell there was any damage to begin with.

I decided I wanted to have a two-tone look. I did a little test spot and I saw that my furniture paint was not adhering as well as I had wanted. I went ahead and put a thin coat of extreme Bond primer by Sherwin-Williams.

After my primer dried I put on two coats of Retique It's new Ultratique paint in Snow. It is paint and sealer all in one and it leaves a nice flat finish.

As for the drawers I had a different look I wanted. The veneer did not have much wood grain so I went ahead and used Retique It liquid wood in Light. I put on a thin first coat and then on the second coat is where I was able to achieve that wood grain look I wanted!

As the second coat was still wet of the Retique It liquid wood.. I dragged across my wood graining tool lightly.

I actually find that if you rock your wrist back and forth as you pull it across it gives a really pretty pattern.

While my liquid wood was drying.. we found a piece of scrap wood to replace the missing veneer of the diamond pattern on the top drawer. We sanded the edges and the front smooth and painted it with the same color I used on the base of the dresser. (Retique It Snow)

When the liquid wood was thoroughly dry, I used a rag to apply a coat of Varathane Kona stain. I made sure that I pulled it across each drawer front in straight lines to give it that natural wood look.

After the stain was dry we applied the scrap wood to the inside of the top drawer using a couple small screws.

Oh I almost forgot! Those little feet needed attention also! Since I had just painted them white I wanted to have them stand out a little. I used the Retique It Ultratique Midnight Black..which had the same Sheen as the snow paint I had put on the rest of the dresser.

As for the drawer fronts.. once the stain was dry I gave them a little more Sheen by applying glossy Polyacrylic. I thought the contrast would be nice.

And here is the final look! It came out better than I had expected. I was really happy that I was able to give this nice piece of furniture a second life. 😁

Plus it used so little supplies that I have lots of leftovers for other pieces!