How about applying wallpaper to the front? The surface looks nice and flat.

... was about to suggest contact paper, for a similar purpose.

sand down the edges of the drawers slightly so they are not so tight and then paint.

Could you possibly sand and stain? Stain won't be as thick as paint

I was also going to suggest sanding and staining--although I have never attempted it.

I've had similar questions about veneers from that era. How successful is it to sand down something like that? The varnish seems so thick, or rather the veneers seem so thin. I've been at a loss with similar pieces I have.

I agree with erinorea--slightly sand down the drawers so they are not so tight. If I were to paint it, I'd prime with oil-based primer like Kilz then use latex over that. Or, another option--just use spray paint if you've got a steady hand and have some experience painting furniture with it.

Can you prime with oil based primer then use a water based (latex) paint? I thought that was a no-no.
Janel over at House of Fifty used this grey lime wash on a dining table and it came out beautifully. Unfortunately i cannot find the link. But that might look nice.
I have a similar type of piece that was lightly sanded and re-stained. So that is also a possiblity.
Good luck!

j_wild - I've always been told/have read that you can use oil primer with latex over, you just can't go the opposite way (no oil primer over latex paint). I've done this before with no issues as well.

Agree: sand down the drawers, give the veneer a good sand and prime, and paint. It is not worth refinishing, in my humble opinion.

I recently refinished a piece almost exactly like this. I used an electric handheld sander to take off the glossy finish. I then simply stained it an antique walnut finish. It's beautiful. Just make sure to sand the finish completely off.

I once tried to sand a piece of furniture but took forever and it was very very tough to sand down the whole outer layer...then i gave up. Maybe I wasn't using a good electric sander? or maybe i don't know how to do it properly?

@HouseOnClintonAve--could it have been you weren't using the proper sandpaper grit? I used a standard handheld sander, nothing fancy, and it worked great.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure you can't stain veneer.

if it's real wood, it should stain. if it's just a fake wood sticker, then it won't stain (and won't sand well either).

my suggestion is to paint all faces that don't slide into each other. you will see the old blonde color when the drawers pull out, but that's ok, right?

The folks over at Young House Love sanded down and stained a veneered dresser to use as a changing table: http://www.younghouselove.com/2010/03/nursery-progress-refinishing-a-veneer-dresser/

Remove all of the hardware and drawers. Lightly sand the chipped areas and drawers so they run more smoothly. Then prime with two coats of Zinsser B.I.N. Primer and follow with the paint color of your choice. I recently used this method to paint a similar veneer on an armoire and it turned out wonderfully!

I would sand the entire piece, going extra heavy on the door edges, and prime/paint it. This piece could look great in a fun, funky high gloss paint.

I've had a lot of success using Benjamin Moore's high gloss enamel oil paint. I recently used it on a trash to treasure transformation and the finish and look is really nice. Here are the details if you're interested: http://www.oldtownhome.com/2011/4/27/Hello-My-Name-is-Wendy-And-Im-a-Dumpster-Diver/index.aspx

You shouldn't use latex /acrylic on top of anything oil based. :)

Rip the veneer off and repaint, wallpaper, or re-veneer. You'll still have the lines, and you will have gained the space.

I would agree that sanding and painting is a good plan. Since you're only doing one paint job it shouldn't interfere with the closing of the drawers as long as you sand them really well first.

While you're at it you could use some sandable wood putty to fill in where the veneer is broken- which wouldn't work as well if you were staining...

+1 on the sanding and painting. You'll have to sand it anyway before you paint...so just invest in a power sander (probably just orbital) and sand the drawers down a bit...so they're not so tight. Remove hardware, Sand all the surfaces you plan to paint, and then clean, and paint.

lovely dresser! the lines on it is awesome!

I personally would sand it down then repaint it with an oil enamel. stinky but it goes on like nailpolish and does a great job covering- especially old school veneer etc.

Jut make sure to put like a 'top coat' over it to protect it. I've had great luck with the oil enamel from krylon. Colors are limited but what they do have looks awesome.

nothing to add to the sand/paint camp, but this old wife says that rubbing sticky drawers with a bar of soap or a candle stub makes them slide more easily.

Wow. My question/pix got published on AT! And there have been many great suggestions.

I have a vanity/dresser that matches this one, so I can use two or more of these suggestions. Plus I have a blonde veneer nightstand that I can experiment with. So far I'm leaning toward sanding and staining at least part of the dresser with a colored stain (e.g., blue, yellower yellow...)

Keep those ideas and links rolling in. They're very helpful!

Lorel

Many years ago I bought two bureaus with the same finish and for the same reason - awesome lines. I carefully sanded from medium grit down to fine grit, and then went to paint stripper for the parts that had gotten into the small crevices of the wood veneer. It took a loooonng time but was so worth it! The veneer looks to be mahogany(!) and I gave it a cherry stain and used a few coats of water based poly to finish. (There are some stain colors that you can't use the water based over so check the directions.) I too had some chipped veneer spots, and just painted them in a matching paint before the poly finish. It's not perfect, but you can't notice them, and it means I'm not freaked out about my "perfect" furniture.

I've both painted and stained dressers. The painting is definitely easier. This dresser would look great in a silky gray or a cool turquoise with coral red knobs!

I like to prime with Zinser's oil based primer. Give the surface a quick sand with 100 grit paper. You can fill in the chips in the veneer with wood putty. You can also fill in the existing holes for the knobs with the putty, if you want to change to knobs with different mounting.

I like to use Floetrel (not sure I am spelling it right) in my paint. It is an additive that makes the paint dry smoother, but doesn't change the consistancy of the paint. Use a good brush to minimize brush strokes. 2 coats may be needed.

Once the paint has dried for at least 24 hours, I like to finish with a few coats of wipe on polyurethane to protect the finish and it prevents that stickiness that painted furniture can get when something sits on it for too long.

This old blonde stuff has great lines. Love your dresser.

Is there a reason why you just can't strip it? I have some blonde chairs I stripped. They were stain over beige paint. I stripped them with orange stripper. The chairs were made out of several different colors of wood, looks like walnut, ash and some others. I do need to re-stain them, but can't make up my mind what color. I'm thinking walnut since it's a color from that same period, and it should even out all the different wood colors. Any suggestions on colors?

LIQUID SANDPAPER is a non toxic, gentle way to remove layers of paint from wood. It is gel like, and is best put on is with a brush. After an hour or so, I use the contractor's blue paper towels to wipe the paint off, kind of like wiping off lipstick. Repeat the process until you are happy with the amount of paint that has been removed. It's a great way to get painted doors to fit again.

I don't wear gloves when I use it, and I use water to wash out the brush. It comes in milk like containers. so I fill a much smaller open glass jar with the gel, and just leave the brush in it until the project is finished.

It's great stuff. I have used it to restore the woodwork in a house that had been painted too many times.

I actually painted almost the exact same blonde veneer dresser purple. I just removed the hardware, roughly sanded the veneer so the paint would adhere, and used a high density roller with regular interior semi gloss. The drawers were exactly like the bottom ones where they seemingly touched... I just let it dry for two whole weeks and haven't had any problems with the paint sticking or peeling off. Spray painted the hardware silver, too! This was almost a year ago, and the dresser looks fresh as the day I painted it!

No! Leave it alone.

I just found and re-did a blonde buffet, very similar to your piece. I had the same quandary and not a lot of free time (new baby), so I spary painted the exterior with Valspar High Glass Lacquer in black. It looks awesome and adhered beautifully, doesn't scratch off - amazing! true, the interior is a different color, but I'm not planning to open it often in front of company. Good luck!

@Village
It's not painted, though. It's just gross blond veneer.....

if you've got spots that you need to cover up because it did not stain right or is to damaged try to add a stencil for a "lace aplique" look.

Is it Kroehler. I've got a bedroom set like that that is?

The trick for "sanding" veneer on MCM & vintage Lane furniture: steel wool & patience.

Sand and spray paint! It's so easy, quick, cheap, durable and comes in almost any color you want.

Howard's RestoraFinish would be easier than sanding, stripping or painting. It comes in a number of different tints. I usually use the walnut color, which is one of the mid-range colors, and that darkens most wood a shade or two. You could try the dark walnut or ebony, those two are the darkest tints but not always easy to find in stores. The key is to rub it on with 0000 steel wool rather than just a rag.

I'm not a fan of the blond finish, either, but it works on this piece. I love the lines and shape.
Don't use an electric sander on a veneer that is chipping, you'll make the problem worse. If it is a true wood veneer, you can stain it if you get the finish coat off first. Steel wool works great for that purpose.
Personally, I think bright colors like red or turquoise detract from the cool simplicity of the dresser, so I wouldn't go there.
So: steel wool, elbow grease & stain.

@atomicranch, it is not Kroehler. It is Kent-Coffey and the line is "The Futura" - all nicely emblazoned in the top left-hand drawer of each piece.

I remembered a couple more things from when I redid my own pieces (it was about 10 years ago...) Yes to @KinesthesiaAmnesia's recommendation to use steel wool. Once I got to the paint stripper stage (wear gloves and glasses!) I used fine steel wool. And, I don't know if I am correct in this, but it almost seemed like the white is not only a stain but perhaps a paint as well (any furniture restorers know?) because it very quickly gums up your sandpaper, so you go through a lot.

Oh, and in case it's not obvious, use a power palm sander to start, just use a light touch when you can actually see wood and then switch to hand sanding. The veneer underneath on mine is truly gorgeous, and it really was well worth the work, imo. Especially since I only spent $150 (delivered!) on the 2 bureaus, nightstand (which I didn't keep) and a huge mirror (which I gave to a friend.)

The dresser is such a happy yellow color already... I would just incorporate some yellow fabric prints into your room decor and work with it as is!