Refinishing a 12-drawer Boho Mid Century Modern Dresser made with plywood

There are four pieces in this set (this is the fourth!) and to be honest, I am so happy it’s done. This piece has been sitting in my basement for almost a year and a half but it’s been out of the way and other projects have been taking priority.

Before picture of a 12 drawer dresser that is made of plywood

Materials:

Tools used:

How I refinished this piece:

📏 Scraped the original finish from the drawers and legs using my 2.5” Bahco carbide tipped scraper and my 1” pocket scraper with the triangle shaped blade
🏖️ Used my Surfprep 3×4 electric ray sander to remove the finish from all the detailed areas- started with 100 grit film, then progressively used a 5mm foam pad in medium and then fine

🎨 💦 To maintain a neutral finish, I applied a paint wash using Country Chic Paint’s Sunday Tea, Driftwood and water; used a 1 part paint to one part water ratio
🪭 Liberally applied using my Zibra fan brush, waited a minute and then removed excess with a blue shop towel

🧼 For the frame, I did a few repairs and then cleaned with Krud Kutter
⚪️ To seal all the tannins and prime the piece, I used Zinsser’s BIN shellac; applied two coats with a combination of a chip brush and foam roller
🏝️ In between coats, I lightly sanded with 150 and wiped the dust with a damp cloth

🤍 For a crisp white, Country Chic Paint’s Simplicity was a perfect choice
🖌️ With my fan brush and Staalmeester 10cm microfibre roller, I applied 2 coats
🦭 To seal the paint and the paint wash, Country Chic Paint’s Clear Coat was applied with an automotive sponge wrapped in a nylon (to reduce bubbles!); did 3 coats – lightly sanding and removing the dust in between each

From dated to fresh, this 12 drawer dresser is so much more modern now!


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