Before & After: A Dresser Refresh

Alysha Findley
Alysha Findley
Alysha is a photographer and designer living in Seattle who loves dark chocolate, tea, and all things furry. In her spare time you'll find her with paint in her hair renovating her 1919 Craftsman and sharing the process on her blog Old House New Tricks.
published Aug 20, 2012
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Wooden dresser with six drawers and an open hutch, labeled "before."
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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)

Vanessa spotted this dresser in Portland and fell in love with the shape and style, but not the dried-up, cracked surface. So instead of the typical paint over we so ofter see, she went the wood purist way. See what some hard work and dedication will uncover after the jump…

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(Image credit: Apartment Therapy)
tan sofa on pink chair

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She began with a good clean and strip. The natural soy based stripper she began with didn’t do the trick, so she had to call in the big guns to get rid of the old varnish. She worked outside and finally got through to the wood after a few rounds of stripping. Then she merely re-varnished with minwax, which brought the woodgrain and color to life. Now this dresser is ready to be fawned over again. Nice job Vanessa!

See more photos and read more about the project at Design*Sponge.

(Images: Design *Sponge)

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Home Projects
before & after
furniture
diy