Reeves was privileged enough to have this dresser fall into her lap when her uncle decided it no longer fit his lifestyle. He in turn had been given the dresser by her dad many years before, so Reeves now has a piece of family history in her home.
Sadly, this dresser had seen some heavy use over the years, use that left its mark. Reeves sanded the entire dresser, then restained the piece with Rustoleum Dark Walnut. Unfortunately, the stain didn't absorb evenly on the top because of existing water damage, so Reeves was forced to paint the top white instead. She covered the piece in polyurethane, the replaced four of the five legs.
Read more about the transformation and see more photos on Reeves' blog, The Weathered Door.
(Images: Reeves/The Weathered Door)
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WOW, seriously WOW. A favorite before and after. What a great job. Very curious of the cost of this and wonder how much it would have cost to be done professionally - I imagine a pretty penny. Really beautiful. I'd love to have in our home.
Love it! Perfect stain choice. And the white top works well.
If you replaced the top with a piece of marble or another stone, this would make a great vanity as well (if you bathroom was big enough to accomodate!)
That looks absolutely amazing!! Wonderful job.
love it. Agree with Abby. It will be a little expensive project, but this will transform the dresser to a heirloom that will be enjoyed for another 50 years or more.
Lovely! Great work :)
Wow, this is exceptional.
Nice work. I like the painted original top just fine, much better than the idea of replacing it with stone.
Beautiful. Good job!
Wow. Now that is well done!
Love it! I too would have replaced the top with marble, but paint is much cheaper. Well done!
Amazing! That is just excellent!
Good eye :)
I have been planning to do something similar with a mid mod dresser/bedside table, only was planning to do the top in black. The white looks much better. My issue is that one of the legs to the dresser was lost during a move, and although I bought some replacements off eBay, they don't seem to fit the style as well as I thought they would. Anyone else have suggestions for cheap and functional replacements?
HOLY %HIT--THIS IS AMAZING!!!!!
Well done - it looks brand new.
How about replacing the top with a piece of cut-to-fit frosted glass?
Exceptional job! i love the idea of the frosted glass top far better than stone,it just fits better with the spirit of the piece.
What???! Wow! That is a stunning transformation. Lucky YOU!
Awesome
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sensational. I was so happy to see you didn't paper or paint it (except for the top, which is understandable). It looks outstanding.
Wowwee! Great job! I think the white top really pops! And the legs...they go without saying. Fantastic!
I've been burned out on MCM, but this dresser looks amazing!
What great work you did on this! Nice job!
Not only did you have excellent vision on what this piece could be, but you did a great job in the actual execution. Yay!
GORGEOUS!!!! can you hear me clapping?
Terrific!
This is great!
Very nice! And yep, a marble top would look stunning on top of that.
Just perfect! I'm inspired now.
this is so amazing and i love the white top!!!
Absolutely beautiful job!
Impressive salvage job! Nice lines, nicely finished! You get an A!
RSS Reader... Click... Loading... "Please don't paint it. Please don't paint it. Please..." Bravo! Awesome job.
Wow!!! Best before and after!!!
I was afraid to see the AFTER picture but this is the BEST AFTER!
loving it, i am envious.
Stunning. A piece to be proud of for sure.
I have the same dresser. Got a great deal on Craigslist. The top, too, had many many cup stains but was able to strip all the layers of stain and then sanded it out. I didn't use any stain like Reeves. All i did was sealed it in poly which came out really really nice. I wish i can attach a picture to my comment. Overall, great job to Reeves for refinishing her dresser.
SO perfect! This is re-inspiring me to get to work resurrecting my mom's old Brasilia-knockoff dresser that's been sitting in my project graveyard for way too long.
But..."four of the five legs"?? Not really, right? That's a typo? Or is it matho...?
NM, just read the original post. I see now where that number came from (though not the mysterious fifth leg itself).
I respectfully withdraw my earlier snark.
But not my oohs and ahhs. Those you keep.
What an amazing transformation! Love the feet addition, never woulda thought to add feets, So sleek & gorgeous, amazing job.
Stunning. Love it! I thought the top was purposeful at first... I would have chosen that from the start
I found a credenza with a non-salvagable top. Some water stains and gouges are just too significant to remedy. I went to a veneer store and got a piece of teak veneer. The one I bought came pre-glued so all I had to do was make a pattern. Once cut out with a razor blade I stuck it on as you would contact paper. Once I sanded the piece and stained and oiled it you really could not tell that it was a new top. Be warned you need to hand sand the edges after it is glued on. The white looks nice and marble would be great for setting drinks on.
Holy heck. This is the best makeover I've ever seen.
Serious props. It's perfection.
According to her blog, it sounds as if Reeves is fixing to sell this piece. So having "a piece family history in her home" is not as heartwarming as the article makes it sound.
That innaccurate reporting aside, this is a gorgeous makeover.
looks good great job
Great . I have one just like the before picture. Thinking to do the same to put a TV on it (LCD tv). think it's stable enough?
Lovely.
Wow! That is an awesome job. I was afraid I was going to see another paint job. Wonderful stain color!
Very handsome. You should be proud.
more of an almond color for the top would have worked much better.
I agree...one of the best ever in the before and after department!
BRAVO!!!!
Everyone is entitled to his own idea. For me, if I had a heirloom piece of furniture I would refinish, making it look antique by distressing<a/>.
Simply beautiful. I would do marble but its amazing the way it is - and the addition of the legs is pure genius. As for selling it, this could be the start of a whole new career!
Yikes. Checking out her blog, Reeves is an 18-year-old college student who started this blog her senior year in high school to document some of her projects. I can't imagine what she'll come up with by graduation! Congrats, this project is gorgeous.
Wow, what a transformation. Great skill and great eye.
Stunning!
I'm not totally into the white top. I also prefer a veneer to match the wood.
Beautiful! The white top looks clean and chic. Bravo!
Beautiful!!! Great job!!!
Oh no JunCarlos...I think it would ruin the piece but as you said, everyone is entitled to his/her own ideas.
beautiful