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Before & After: Free Dresser Finds New Life

Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara BellucciNews and Culture Director
Tara is Apartment Therapy's News & Culture Director. When not scrolling through Instagram double-tapping pet pics and astrology memes, you'll find her thrift shopping around Boston, kayaking on the Charles, and trying not to buy more plants.
updated May 4, 2019
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Mid-century wooden dresser with six drawers, some handles missing, and a visible crack on the bottom drawer.
(Image credit: Molly Sullivan)

Molly scored this free dresser, and gave it a mix of staining and painting in line with its mid-century roots.

(Image credit: Molly Sullivan)

From Molly:

I was home with a sick child one sunny Friday, so I decided to browse the free pages of usedvictoria.com (used everywhere.com). I found a gem of a mid-century dresser posted for free, and I happened to be Lucky Caller Number One! The gentleman that I got it from said that it had been his dresser as a child and he was happy to see it go to a new home where it could be brought back to life.

It took a fair bit of sanding and spider removal to get it ready to stain and paint. I used gel stain on the drawers that were in the best condition as well as on the sides. The rest I painted with mis-tints from the hardware store. Drawers were lined with a teal hexagonal shelf paper, and hardware was cleaned with salt and lemon juice.

The end result was a wonderfully refinished, solid and clean vintage piece that will be used for years to come.

Thank you Molly!