Probably important to note that when she put the poly coat on, it ruined the paper...

http://www.finedivingchicago.com/?p=8689

Ha!

What a waste. I actually like the after, but wish it was left for a particle board chest. I just look at that and think what a shame a little elbow grease and know how wasn't applied to touching it up, or giving it a darker stain to make it feel more modern. Just because it was found in an alley doesn't mean it didn't deserve a better second life.

I was hoping to get in before the wood purists.r

Seems to me the oily spots were on there in the first place. Perhaps a really healthy pre-sanding would have been advised. Otherwise, I can't imagine archival glue causing that. Nice idea, though, and bright, sunny color.

Calling it a "chest of drawers" isn't going to hide the fact that its another dresser makeover. AT should have a "dresser makeover month" so we can just get them all over with at once.
Just kidding AT. I love you.

I vote AT does a month of DIY's gone wrong! That would be fun... and educational!

I agree with deweydefeatstruman96. It looks like a great dresser to restore. The after is fine for an Ikea dresser .

I also vote for a month of dresser makeovers... Maybe even a Small & Cool Dresser Makeover contest...

I second home body! What not to do is always fun when compared with the good ones.

I have this exact dresser! It was originally set up on midcentury tapered legs. And yeah - not a cheap particleboard dresser, but a really nice wood when in good shape. I'm usually not a wood purist, but this would be a good candidate for a restaining. Really like the paper pattern, however! Maybe on a smaller piece.

wonder if handles would give the eyes somewhere to rest..I kinda find the pattern too busy.

I know it looks like a fine mid-century piece, but this chest really is a piece of particle board junk. The back features a cheap piece of linoleum to hold it all together, and I had to reglue the drawer gliders, which were coming apart at the staples.

I'm not done with it yet. Though a 2nd decoupage makeover was a failed attempt - I really tried hard to make it work - I think there's a way to salvage it. I'll post the results in the coming week. --Diana

I don't mean to be negative, but Diana, that is not particle board. I don't think anyone is mistaking it for a fine mid-century piece; just one that was good enough to restore with probably less work than you put into it. It's nothing personal, I'd be giving you kudos had you done that to a particle board piece or cheap pine chest.

I love the after! And really - if she found it, for free no less, why can't she do what she wants to it?

I like it. It's fun.

Sheesh some people are harsh.

I applaud the effort - regardless of whether the materials were base or mean or sent from the sky man.

One thing is certain: that project could not have been easy. But I do think the color choice may have overpowered the form. If your goal was to make a statement about overcoming any anything with some strong, orange paper, then you succeeded (that was not sarcasm - I mean that sincerely). But you seem more focused and deliberate than that.

So let me say this about that: I could see that fabric folded into a quilt that flashes its gaudy orangeness like a tease, but doesn't fully lift her skirts until a time designated by her host - like for a lining, perhaps!

Just my two cents.
I'll post a couple bfor and afters of the major changes going on in my little world and it will leave you feeling wholly possessed and squared away as all is chaos here! :)
-A

It needs small legs to lift it up a bit so it doesn't appear heavy and more MCM. Try IKEA, they have cheap ones.

Good grief! Why does everyone with a wood furniture fetish feel the need to complain every time somebody uses paint?! It's not a museum-quality heirloom. There's plenty of wood furniture to go around. So stop whining about a few coats of paint.
I love what you've done with the dresser, Diana, and look forward to see the end result. Don't worry about what these whiners say.

It's awesome! I love it!

@OnederfulLina
Handles would be redundant, though, since it has those fingerholds beneath each drawer(obscured in the after, which I think is sort of a shame, since I like that detail. Maybe paint the front edge white instead?)

@deweydefeatstruman96
As the person who has actually seen the individual item in person, and not one that is supposedly just like it, I would take their word over your expert internet opinion. Perhaps it is wood veneer over particleboard.

The before? Meh. The after? Meh.
Can we please get a before & after of something other than a chest of drawers? Seems like an over abundance of them lately.

Also, I'm with Lepidoptery regarding believing the original poster over the internet minions.

We have a set of similar furniture in my family that's been VERY well taken care of. While it's nice, and in great shape, it's still not 100% wood, but it is high quality, and could easily be mistaken for being the real deal.

I have refurbished a few pieces but have one problem that I would love a solution for - getting out the horrid cigarette smoke smell! I wash them before I begin the process of sanding, painting and lacquering and the smell is STILL there. Any tips?

Maruchy: Have you tried white vinegar? It may do the trick.

Gorgeous! Absolutely love the playful twist.

What not to do? What not to do is be so harsh on a DIY project that isn't necessarily YOUR taste, but something that someone else loves. Sheesh. You people are like lions on a carcass.

DIANA-don't listen to those monsters!
If you like the colors and paper treatment (and I do too) who cares. It is fun and cheerful and will liven up a room. Maybe we don't all want a house full of wood tone plain furniture! And I love that you share your failures and mishaps so we can ALL learn from them:)

I think it looks great! (It would call for just the right room, but I'm assuming you have it.) I didn't read the link, but I gather something went wrong? Sorry to hear that, but good luck with the next attempt, hope it is as much fun!

To the wood purists: found scavanged furniture is a wonderful place to experiment with one's creativity. If there is "good wood" under there (although I think you need to accept the owner's assurance that there is not) it's still there. If somebody wants to in the future, it could still be reclaimed. So ease up and enjoy the experimenting!

It's so fresh! I love it.

I can NOT believe that someone who has never seen this piece has the NERVE to tell someone who has what it is actually made of. Seriously? Good grief!!!

I think it looks great and love that you shared it.

Also, I think a month of DIY's gone wrong would be awesome.

I am amazed at the level of rude comments coming from people claiming to be responding to harsh comments...that were not even bad. It seems that a lot of that is directed towards me and some of the people that agreed with me. If you read my comments, there was nothing harsh said. I simply didn't fall over backwards with excitement over yet another painted dresser project.

She can do whatever she likes with whatever she finds or owns. But let's face it, when it's publicly presented the project is opened up for praise or criticism. The "not my style" argument doesn't really work because as I said before, I really like the after. I just wish it had not been done on a piece that is not being made anymore and so many people would love to have. No it isn't a museum quality piece, but many still see it as a waste to cover it like that. Do it on a particle board piece from Ikea or Walmart or a pine chest from a thrift store and I'll congratulate them on a nice job. I work as an antique dealer and as it was sarcastically suggested, I actually can expertly say that what she has there is not particle board. Also, veneer can be repaired but the drawer fronts don't even appear to be chipped.

I'm no wood purist, but I think it's a shame when people have no regard for pieces better left unpainted. If you don't appreciate that, why not pass it along and get it into the hands of someone that does? At the top of my To-Do-List in the spring is to paint a small chest of drawers, but it's made of pine. I find it ridiculous that it's become fashionable on here to complain about wood purists. Everyone gets that not all of you value the same things that others do, but those of you that speak of “wood purists” as if those are bad words need to get over yourselves.

Take a look at Young House Love's dresser. Granted that is a nicer piece but it is an example of something not my style, and yet I applaud how well done it was and the respect they showed for not completely covering up the wood.

http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/03/nursery-progress-refinishing-a-veneer-dresser/

Diane: I am glad you posted again. I hope you come back and read the positive input.
It's unfortunate that the paper didn't come out as expected, I wonder if it had to do with the quality of the paper itself. I have never done a paper applique on a veneer piece, so any tips on what happened would be useful. It certainly makes a bold statement. My favorite color is orange and I like the concept.
I'm also glad to know that it wasn't a solid wood dresser, too. :)

deweydefeatstruman, I'm puzzled by your first comment that this dresser deserved "a better second life." Isn't that exactly what this dresser has been given? Instead of rotting in an alley or a landfill, it went to the home of a DIY-er who saw some beauty buried (very) deep beneath the surface.

I'm not totally sold on the choice of pattern here, but commend Diana's vision and hard work! I agree with the comment that the dresser would benefit from some MCM-style legs.

I'd also love to see a regular DIY-gone-wrong feature. Goodness knows that I have screwed up a lot of projects due to lack of research, poor planning, and just plain bad luck. The results are often amusing and are *always* a learning experience!

Sorry, deweydefeatstruman96, but I'm still inclined to believe the person who has actually touched and worked with the piece over some self-proclaimed "expert" on the Internet who's never seen the piece in person.

Okay people it's very clear as day that her chest is not particle board construction. Perhaps she's mistaken veneer for that. Of course mid-century style legs would look good on it because it is a mid-century chest.

I am not a wood purist, I am a pure woodist, and I still like this piece. To each his own :)

@deweydefeatstruman96
If it is wood veneer over solid wood vs. particleboard, I still fail to see the problem. The surface looks like it's in pretty bad shape considering how much damage can be seen in the photo (which usually looks much better than real life, after all), and if someone encounters this dresser in the future, they can presumably strip the paint and put new veneer on anyway. And why would anyone want a dresser that isn't sturdy?

Wow! Now that was a surprise! It would have to be in the right room or right atmosphere, but I dig it. Although I do usually cringe at the thought of covering "good wood"!
I could see it as my "landing strip" with a nice vase of flowers on top, or in the bathroom if it matched the bathroom colors.

Whoa the paint everything crowd sure can get nasty. The only damage I see in that before picture looks like it could be scrubbed clean with some Old English furniture polish. Stop being jerks to people that like wood, geesh.

I love the paper design on that!

I did not see that coming.

Gorgeous. Just gorgeous.

I love the color.

<< I would love a solution for - getting out the horrid cigarette smoke smell >>

Try leaving it outside for a few days (take the drawers out so that air can circulate around every piece). BTW, this works on fabric, too.

The before is sad in a neglected "help me" kind of way. The after is sad in a "I'm colorblind" kind of way...

If you actually like that, more power to you. But that is HIDEOUS.

How annoying are some of your comments....you either LIKE it or NOT. I personally do not like it...but some of you do....BUT I am not gonna play "DEBATE CLUB" over a piece, that obviously meant something to the person who created it. Some people like chocolate and some people like vanilla...thats pretty much what makes the world a vivid and fun place. The reason I come to this site is because of the DIVERSITY and UNIQUENESS of ALL of the styles and tastes of those who post. I'm done...enough said...

@cary2fred How about if we like it but don't like how mean people were to the people that nicely said they didn't? Someone called people monsters for not liking it that's so wrong.

No one was being mean. Sheesh. Are these posts open to opinions or not?

@CityChik Try reading all the comments up there, some people were pretty mean to the ones that didn't like it. I agree these posts should be open to opinions but it seems like if someone says anything other that "I love it" then there's a group that will go into attack mode. Frankly I am absolutely sick of the paint everything crowd whining about people that think something looks better with wood, and while they're whining they accuse those people of being the whiners. I'm in the paint crowd, personally I like the dresser. But I have to say the "wood fetish" people (and yeah the person that said that was being insulting) seem to have more maturity.