Do it in a space with no carpet, and small things. I did a similar project in the nook of my kitchen because I was able to sweep up the dust easily. And don't do anything late at night. At 1am I was sanding, and the lady downstairs pounded on the wall b/c she could hear the sanding. If you have a space in the back of your building that your super lets you use, I highly suggest doing the project back there for sanding, and then bring it back upstairs to paint.

Do you have an enclosed parking garage?

If so, just take a drop cloth down to one of your parking levels and do it there. If it's not as well-lit as you would like, you can rent stand lights from Home Depot or Lowes. As far as waiting for the paint to dry, you might want to clear out the entire day and either just sit there with it. If you strip the paint and apply a mineral oil, it will be an hour or two for it to dry. Then you could paint, and wait another two hours.

Take over a part of your sidewalk or outside space by your building for a day. Use what you got, even if it's not in your actual apartment. Just be present through the whole project so you aren't abandoning it in a public space where others can mess with it.

I would definitely recommend staying with it. I painted a piece in front of my mom's house and someone took it because it was in the street.

Rachel, I too live in a rental apartment and have taken on paint/refinish projects, so here is my advice: Lowes/Home depot have really cheap plastic 'tarps' (like a huge open garbage bag) in the paint section. It's cheaper and lighter than canvas tarps, and you can reuse them. They go up to 20 ft in length for like $3-5, which covers practically everything in my living room. I tarp it, bring the piece into my living room to refurnish. I usually open the front door and the patio, plus turn the ceiling fan on (and air/heat off) to ensure adequate ventilation. I also close doors to other rooms in the house to keep the temp regulated and the odors contained.
As for the paint (and I'm still somewhat of a novice), I recommend oil-based and invest in good brushes. This looks like you'll need to sand it. Applying a primer will help keep it from chipping in the future, and oil-based paints look really smooth. I like Rustoleum protective enamel. A blog I follow is "Little Green Notebook" (littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com) and she does a lot of projects inside her apartment. This piece has lots of potential for fairly cheap - fresh paint and new knobs go a long way! Also, really look into low VOC paint products and natural products (Klean-Strip products are 'green': http://www.homedepot.com/buy/paint/cleaners-thinners-removers/klean-strip/1-qt-green-odorless-mineral-spirits-54677.html). These are best for apartments as they have fewer odors and are more environmentally friendly.

If you can't go outside, maybe the bathroom since (I think) it's the easier place to clean as long as it's big enough.
Working in the kitchen scares me because of the stove. Just me...not good with fire.
Or you can use the smallest room in the house and cover everything in plastic including the windows and curtain.
I think removing the paint and restaining might be your best bet.
Good Luck.

P.S. Keep the hardware. :o)

Or if you don't keep the hardware, let us know!

Strip outside and paint inside with tarps and open windows.

Oil-based paint is stinky! Not sure if I would do oil-based if I was stuck painting indoors.

I'll take the hardware off your hands ;-)

If you have an extra bedroom, office, what-have-you, that should be enough. Do all of the sanding and tack-clothing outside (or on your balcony) first. Then push all of your furniture to the walls, &/or move out what you can for the duration. Get a very large drop cloth, open the windows, and get down to business. Keep the windows open as long as you can, and the door closed to keep the fumes out of the rest of your apartment as much as possible, maybe even run a box fan set in the window so it's blowing air out rather than drawing it in. It's probably worth while to check the weather forecast first, and don't get started until you see a few consecutive rain-free days predicted. It's not really an ideal set-up, true, but I managed to do a few pieces this way and it worked out pretty well. Good luck!

I agree with other posters regarding doing the first part - the paint removal - in an outside space. The problem you will experience if you do this in the parking garage or at the back of your building will be the possible absence of an electrical outlet as I will assume you would not like to do the whole job by hand - this would take forever. You can use a chemical paint stripper which you could do on your balcony; these work very well however those products are noxious and many don't use them because of that. One other suggestion comes to mind and that is to contact the local highschool "shop" department and see if they would let you utilize the shop area after school is finished for the day. You should be able to sand the whole dresser in three one hour sessions in that shop area.

Rachel,
I stripped a dresser and refinished it inside my apartment and while it was a messy and smelly job, it's quite possible (and worth it) as long as youdo some planning first.
I used my dining room as my 'work room' as I don't have a balcony, and I wasn't going to try and haul it up and down to work on it outside.
I removed my table and chairs, and protected my floor with a drop cloth and plastic sheet. I opened the dining room window and placed a fan in the window facing outwards to suck all the 'bad' air out. I opened one other window in my living room to create a cross draft, but closed all the other doors in my apartment to keep the smell and dust out of the other rooms..
If you're going to use a chemical stripper do some research first to find one that's more environmentally friendly. The one I used was 'low-odour' but it was still pretty smelly.
Make sure you protect yourself - eye protection, a respirator, and nitrate gloves are all REALLY inportant (all available at home depot).
Here's how my project turned out: http://goo.gl/AGjnW
While I was restaining mine, I'm sure similar measures would work if you wanted to repaint yours. I'd probabaly be careful about trying to remove any of the paint by sanding - some old paint contained lead, so if you want to sand the old paint I'd highly recomend you do it outside with a respirator just in case.

Look for a woodworking space nearby. Believe it or not, these places exist--you pay a small membership fee and you can go there and do your projects. If you get really crafty you can use their power tools and everything to make new things. I've done this kind of project at home in my apartment and believe me, it's horrible.

I live in a loft with no porch and recently ran into the same conundrum. Instead of paint for a wood project, I bought a wood stain, which was practically odorless but still created a beautiful paint-like finish. Whatever you do, don't use spray paint! I did a quick fix on a photo frame and the fumes were long lasting - not to mention I made a mess.

A respirator mask will take care of any solvent fume problems. I have the 3M 7502 and it works really well--i cannot smell a thing when I have it on, even when my face is inches from the solvent. It wasn't expensive and the cartridges last a long time.

Exposure to solvents is not good. Protect your central nervous system! It's the only one you've got!

Do not do the paint removal with chemicals indoors. That can be SUPER dangerous! If you are just sanding a lot, buy a plastic tarp and go for it indoors. It will be dusty, but won't kill you.
When it comes time to paint it, just do not use any oil paint or spray paint in doors especially in the kitchen. I had a friend who lit her kitchen on fire while spray painting out an open window!
I live in an apartment and do tons of refinishing and crafty stuff in the carport/alley and in the landing of an auxiliary stairwell. If you hunt around I bet you can find a spot. I have left things out overnight with notes asking not to touch with my apt number, and nothing untoward has ever happened.

I get far with an extention cord out the window so I can power tool to my hearts contend in the common court yard.

If you stain, you won't have to worry about peeling. And if you use water-based stain, there will be no smell.

I wouldn't be as concerned with messiness and clean-up as I would with working with chemicals in a small enclosed space with inadequate ventilation. I think you'd probably need to use a paint stripper on that, then sand it. If you can get somewhere with open windows and plenty of fresh air coming in, it may be okay. Otherwise, do you have a friend who'd let you use his garage or driveway for awhile? I don't remember what you said in your post. If you are a city dweller, it may be difficult to find just the right place to work with it.But I like the idea of your refinishing some old pieces for your place.

Or you could use a product called Liquid Sandpaper. It is non toxic; you don't even have to wear gloves. Just put down a plastic drop cloth, apply the gel like substance with a brush, come back in an hour, and wipe off a layer of paint. Repeat until the paint is gone. It will take a lot of paper towels, (the blue contractor towels are the best), and you need a jar for the goo and the brush.

The reason the paint is peeling is probably because the piece was not primed. When you redo the chest, be sure you prime the surface. I like to prime, very lightly sand, and then prime again. If I am using Benjamin Moore, I only use one coat of paint.

I live in a apartment, and am constantly working on improvement projects on my deck. I just do bits and pieces at a time. To protect the deck, I laid down an old shower liner that had gotten icky and I didn't want in the bathroom anymore.

Good luck!

I have not read many of the comments above. I too live in an apartment and like restoring furniture. I've had good experiences with many of the eco-friendly (low or zero VOC, non-toxic) products on market.

Regardless of if you want to refinish the wood or repaint, you are in for a lot of scraping and sanding. Since you have a balcony, start with a drawer and see how it goes. No need to move the entire piece outside.

Refinishing or repainting can be just as easy, one piece at a time. However, many water based products are just fine to use indoors. There are many eco-friendly paint strippers available that could be used indoors too. You'll want to properly ventilate even with less harmful products.

Good luck!

I envy your balcony. I am 5 floors up, no balcony, no fire escape. I am NOT going to lug heavy furniture down 5 flights just to refinish them, and even if I did, there is only public sidewalk on a main street and I'd be a spectacle and in the way. I recently redid a dresser, in the kitchen, with cardboard on the floor to catch paint. I didn't think about sanding, but when we get a house, I'll probably redo it again anyway. I have spray painted items in the bathroom (giant window open, door closed, and plastic and newspaper taped *everywhere*). It can be difficult, but just give yourself a bit of workroom, cover anything within a ten food radius, and get that thing redone. The house will look messy til it's done of course but more motivation to hurry.

I personally wouldn't suggest that you dishevel your lives to re-do a piece of furniture in a small space. You might get frustrated and hurry the project along just to get your living space back. It is also not healthy for you, you need an open, ventilated space. Think hard, who do you know that has a garage or at least a drive-way? I am sure you could work something out with them to use their space with the understanding that you aren't going to impose on them in any way...you just need the space. If there is nobody with a space you can use then you could make it a summer-long project, doing one drawer at a time. It is a beautiful dresser, definitely worth your time and effort. Those 2 little drawers with the key holes at the top are lovely and quite rare! And yes, I also hope you keep all the hardware! Give this "heirloom" 100% of your efforts as you are sure to have it for many, many years. We'll look forward to the "after" picture! Good luck!

The roof is your friend!

I sand in the bathroom & vacuum a lot in between layers. I have a mask and a mighty mouse sander ($40 or so at home depot) so it goes fast. if I use spray paint, I make a tent with tarps and drop cloths- but I do have a window in there (would not attempt without one!!) regular painting I do in the living room, on a sheet or old shower curtain. I stripped a couple of pieces with that stinky stuff but hated it -- had to send the kids to sleep at a friend's house. oil paint is no good, it dries too slowly and smells gross. I spray with krylon (I use the shiny one with primer included) or paint with latex and rub poly on after it's properly dry. do not hurry the layers or the latex will be sticky forever! excellent dresser, I think the hardware needs to live with me here in brooklyn..

Definitely consider the fumes, not just for you but for your neighbors as well.

Do you have a relative that lives close by that has a garage? take it over there.

I see some comments for oil based paint... while that will give you a really nice durable hard finish, it will STINK and take forever to try! I recommend trying something called Cabinet Coat (or something like that).. it'll give you the same hard finish but is latex-based. I used to work in a paint store, so I'm glad I can share my knowledge lurking in the back of my head ;)

Wish I could support the idea of latex paint but as a veteran refinisher and artist, there is no comparison with oil based paint. The oil based finish is so much more durable but even better the finished piece has depth and lustre (not shine). Cover everything in plastic and open the windows.Yes it stinks. It's temporary stink. Get over it and get er done.

If you are just repainting, don't worry about stripping. Just give everything a good sand until you have an even surface and wipe the dust off with a tack cloth. Follow with a thin coat of no-VOC primer like Zinsser Smart Prime -- make sure your brush is not overloaded and the coat may look patchy in some places, this is fine -- followed by a light sand to get a really smooth surface and tack cloth wipe again. Then do multiple thin coats of no-VOC latex paint with a brush until you get the coverage you want. I've never had a peeling problem with latex if I've done a primer, thin coats and let it fully cure. I recommend using one of 3M hand sanding kits, it really speeds up the process.

Dear Rachel,

Well to answer your question I have live in a small apartment most of my life, even though im 23 and well all I can say is just use the space that you got. I noticed that you have a wood piece and well what you can do is try this, you can use paint thinner on it but make sure you use it on your balcony cause the fumes can be really harmful but you'll get the paint off faster that way, if your scared of dropping thinner everywhere you can either go to lowes or homedepot and buy the tarps that they have there, i usually get the ones that are cloth material since i can use them over and over again, plastic just doesn't cut it for me, and then you can paint it while your out there, but thats my advice, whatever you do I'm sure you'll make a success on it...

If you have a nice building manager, s/he can often be a boon -- when mine saw me hand sanding a small end table in the alley behind the building, he lent me his powersander, extension cord, and expertise. A lot of these guys work with power tools for a living!

Even using a less toxic orange scented paint stripper, I'd still do any future paint stripping outside: The process was messy enough that the stripper melted through the drop cloth and I ended up with spots eaten away in the varnish of my beautiful hardwood floors! A cautionary tale.