Stripping paint often proves time-consuming, frustrating, and sometimes even dangerous — but just as often, it's worth the effort! This dresser (seen here without its drawers) was found with layers of paint — a thick coat of white being the most recent.
The Crafty Canadian (from Crafty in Canada) did some research on the manufacturer and made an educated guess that underneath the layers of paint there would be beautiful solid walnut. So she pushed up her sleeves and got to work:
She also found some hardware that was more appropriate to the date of the piece, and painted the handles and keyhole covers a matte black. The final product: a gorgeously restored piece with an original, timeless look.
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(Images: Crafty Canadian)
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What a good job! Stripping paint from old wood furniture is not a fun task!
I wish people would leave (nice) wood furniture alone, but it's nice to see that you can bring these painted pieces back to their original glory :)
The before was terrible (bandaid yellow is a compliment to nothing) but the after could use a good stain to maybe just even out the wood a little more. It looks good, but a little raw.
yay! turning things back into wood!
I had a similar lovely surprise on a dresser that I stripped several years ago.. I did not stain it or varnish, but every year I buff in a coat of paste wax. It just keeps looking better and better
@Pi: I think she used a wax based on her website writeup. If you've never seen a waxed piece it will have a dull finish.
I've seen recently someone that did exactly the opposite: from wood went to some yellow colour, I was sure was here on AT but I can't find it.
I find wood much better although I would have probably chosen another finish. Good work!
I, personally, really like the "raw" look. It looks really natrual, letting the amazing wood speak for itself.
Good job! It takes time and elbow grease to get a piece that clean and detailed.
I did a dresser for my baby's room (when she was a baby) in a similar way. I bought it at an auction for $1 and people laughed (I could see the bones). Stripped it and left the thick slab of wood on top it's natural finish--just polished. The rest I did in a barn red milk paint. I replaced the plastic pulls with new, simple wood ones.
Reclaiming things often makes good economic sense; and always makes good environmental sense while challenging our creativity:)
Super cute. We have a very similar dresser that was stripped of glossy white paint. It now holds DVDs with the TV on top.
Thank you all for the wonderful comments! And thank you Sarah for featuring me on your web site! I'm truly humbled. :)
Wow, you would never ever even know that piece had ever been painted. It is gorgeous and looks as though it had always been that way. Great job!
This is lovely. I've been wondering when the trend for chalk-painted pastels would ease up. My mom used to strip paint off of things her mother had painted pink in the 1930s; she used a lethal product called StripEeze. I tried to sell some lovely antique mahogany dressers this summer in the bay area; the woman in the consignment shop told me that sadly unless I put a coat of yellow or turquoise on them no one would buy them because that's the in look. So nice to see AT going in the other direction.
Oh I love it!! This looks like something Restoration Hardware would feature! Nicely done.
Hooray! Finally a piece where the wood is uncovered, rather than smothered in paint. Great job! I like the hardware, too.
I've done a lot of wood finishing and refinishing in my time. I've found that you can avoid uneven stain take-up by using a pre-stain treatment, and by building up the stain in layers (rubbing with 0000 steel wool in between applications). Then you can even things out further and add some dimension with a black wax.
Walnut will change color with light exposure, too. The color will become richer.
I think it's pretty just the way it is with a little wax on it. Would go well with any type of decor because of its neutrality. I agree with everyone else. It's refreshing to see unpainted furniture for a change regardless of what's "in"
I have a little wood table that I (foolishly) painted and would like to now strip and stain. Any good recommendations on strippers?
BEAUTIFULLY DONE.
That's quite, quite gorgeous.
@The Green Cat -- I like the citrus-based ones. More work, but not toxic.
@rapunzel - I just rec'd Environmental Working Group's review of cleaning products, and here's what it says about Citra-Solv Cleaner and Degreaser (the review was news to me, but it's always wise to attend to manufacturer's instructions and be careful about good ventilation):
Citra-Solv Cleaner & Degreaser
These concentrated liquids and ready-to-use sprays contain d-limonene and orange oils from citrus peels. According to the company's worker safety disclosure, Citra-Solv concentrate is 85 to 95 percent d-limonene. That the oils are derived from citrus implies safety, but sprayed into the air, they can react with trace levels of ozone air pollution to form ultra-fine particles that penetrate deep into the lungs and formaldehyde, which the U.S. government classifies as a known human carcinogen. The California Air Resources Board advises people to limit the use of citrus- or pine oil-based cleaners on smoggy days to avoid exposure to particulates and formaldehyde.
see: http://www.ewg.org/cleaners/hallofshame/?utm_source=201208cleanershossubb&utm_medium=email&utm_content=first-link&utm_campaign=toxics
@ the green cat:I like 3M's Safest Stripper. It reminds me of the white glue we used to use in grade school. I got 60 years worth of layered paint off my staircase bannisters with two applications, plus a little extra in some of the nooks and crannies.
Citrus-based products give me breathing problems, even when used outside, so I avoid them. Friends have had great success with them, though.
This reminds me of something you'd find in a southwester-y, rustic-ranch-style room, which is so often offensively overdone and horrible, but this is understated and just lovely. I think it's great.
I think this turned out very nicely . It reminds me of Mexican rusticos furniture as is it now is.
I haven't stripped any paint in a long time and so am out of touch with new developments in paint removers. I do have some pieces needing to have the paint removed and so I appreciate the references and recommendations that have been given here.
Years and years ago when I was in college, I didn't have a table of any sort so my next door neighbors gave me a library desk/table that had been painted white. The paint was old and peeling and the piece looked terrible. When I started stripping it, I realized that the wood was black walnut. I still have that piece and think it is beautiful.
As an aside, Bill Swann, the man in the couple who gave me the desk, was a part-time actor and a doorman at San Francisco's St. Francis Hotel. I suspect he was paid far more than the typical doorman because he acted the part with charm and humor. The SF Chronicle's wonderful columnist, the late Herb Caen, wrote in one of his columns that "Bill Swann describes himself as a taxidermist because he spends his days stuffing people into taxis."
Like this one a lot. I followed the link, and she had another dresser with a beautiful wood grain that looks like oak. Deep, rich, finish--sadly, she painted it. White. Sigh. Just when it seems the world is coming to its senses. . .
J_White. I do try to save as many pieces of furniture as I can. Sadly some of the things I have received have been damaged beyond my ability to restore. ie: chunks of wood missing etc. If a piece can be brought back, I do that, if not, I paint it. I also do custom orders and many of those require paint as well. I'm am loving all these wonderful comments :)
Awesome! Look at the visual depth of that wood that you loose with a coat of paint.
Ah, what a welcome before and after- so nice to see the paint being stripped away instead of applied! I know sometimes it is just too far gone to do anything but paint, but I really love to see a successful paint strip job (I know it isn't easy!)
The hardware is fantastic - great pick!
Great work! I love it!
Beautiful work!
@DARDI, there's been more than one piece recently that's been painted a shade called pencil and I'm also not a fan. It reminds me of of the shade of yellow that ivory becomes when it's not light-stable and it gets old and dingy and, well, yellowed. It's definitely nice to see a piece come back from that treatment. I don't automatically poo-poo all painted furniture, but I don't get the trend for making it look dirtied and yellowed when it can look fresh like this one.
finally, a piece not RUINED by some awful DIY paint job, well done!
Thanks for the suggestions y'all!
WOW!
I really love the natural rustic look. Great transformation!
It seems to be a little dry looking...it could use a weekly rubbing of oil. Nice job...stripping furniture was my uncle's business in the 1960's. A young girl worked with him for free and would bring in what we now call "curbies" and remove the paint ; revealing antiques from the 1800's. Applying oil after chemical process restores the patina.