A friend of mine has had this in her family for years! While it’s not my typical MCM style, I do like to flex my creative refinishing muscles every once in a while. This prep and the subsequent design decisions were VERY different than what I originally had planned.
And look at it now!
Materials:
- Cleaner: Fusion Mineral Paint – TSP Alternative
- Base coat: Zinsser Bulls Eye Sealcoat Shellac Base Universal Sanding Sealer
- Wood sealant: Osmo Polyx-Oil Tints in Honey
- Wood sealant: Osmo Polyx-Oil Clear in Matte
- Canadians – For 10% off Osmo products, send me an email (KristinLia@rogers.com) with the products you love!
- Paint wash & accent: Country Chic Paint – Road Trip
Tools used:
- SurfPrep 3″X4″ electric ray sander
- DeWalt 5″ variable speed random orbit sander
- DeWalt cordless vacuum
- Bahco 1″ pocket scraper with triangle shape blade
- Elite small round (ring) brush
- Country Chic Paint 2″ oval brush
- Country Chic Paint Artist Detail brush
- Elite washi tape
- Scotchblue Painter’s Tape
- Osmo fleece applicator
- Osmo microfibre roller
- Osmo roller tray
- Osmo Superpad
- Osmo pad holder
- Tack cloth
- Bar rags
- Putty knife
- Safety gear- respirator, ear protection, anti-vibration gloves
- 2000 grit sand paper and sanding block
HERE ARE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW I TRANSFORMED THIS ANTIQUE CHEST OF DRAWERS:
How to change design plans
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
Removed all the hardware (including the mirror 
)
Sanded the original finish on the drawers (and realized that the beautiful pattern was just sprayed on 
) using my @dewalt_ca random orbit sander; used 100 grit to start
Changed design plan and filled the grooves on the drawers and sides with wood filler- Continued sanding the top
- When the filler dried, I smoothed out the wood surfaces with 150 grit then scuff sanded the sides
- To remove the rest of the finish along the curved mirror edge, my SurfPrep foam pads were perfect to keep the curves
Removed all the sanding dust by wiping down with hot water & Fusion Mineral Paint’s TSP Alternative
Sometimes your vision of a piece gets completely changed – and that’s okay!
How to apply Dewaxed Shellac (Sealcoat) & How to apply Country Chic Paint’s Road Trip
I forgot how much I do enjoy the painting part of refinishing!
Here’s what I was up to:
On the advice of Gary from @stripwell/ @flipstoration, I applied Rust-oleum’s Sealcoat to the raw wood areas; used a kitchen sponge
Why? To protect the wood from the paint seeping right into its pores. The next refinisher will thank me!
Taped the edges with Scotch Painters Tapeblue 
Chose Country Chic Paint’s Road Trip; it’s a light, yellow-brown, tan colour
Applied 3 coats overall using a CCP 2” oval brush
Added a little bit of water for a smooth application- Between 2nd & 3rd coat, I lightly sanded with a 400 grit foam pad
Removed the dust with a tack cloth
It’s always a little scary looking after the first coat but once I saw that second coat, I was in love!
How to apply Osmo wood sealants
Sealing the wood and paint is so important to protect your piece for the future.
Here’s how I protected this antique dresser:
- Taped the painted edges with Elite washi tape Sensitape before applying wood sealant; I chose this tape because it’s delicate and I knew it wouldn’t lift any of the paint
- For the top, mirror and mirror pieces, Osmo Polyx-Oil Tints in Honey using a fleece applicator
Let dry for 24 hours- While that dried, applied Osmo Polyx-Oil Clear to painted areas using an Elite flat brush and microfibre roller
- Lightly sanded with a 400 grit foam pad
- Removed the dust with a tack cloth
- Applied another coat of Polyx-Oil Clear to all surfaces
- Let dry overnight (but only 8-10 hours required)
- Lightly sanded wood areas with a 400 grit foam pad
- Removed the dust with a tack cloth
- Applied another coat of Polyx-Oil Clear to just the wood areas
- Let dry 8-10 hours; sanded again
Did a few little paint touch-ups using a Country Chic Paint Artist Detail brush
For the 4th (and final!) coat, buffed in the oil using an Osmo Superpad- Why 4 coats? The fleece applicator only leaves 15g of product on the surface (instead of the 30g that a roller does). To achieve the highest durability, 60g is recommended.
This piece is looking so good and I’m getting really excited to put it all together.
Finishing Touches
It’s all about the finishing touches to bring this beautiful antique dresser to completion.
Here’s how I finished it up:
- 👴🏻 Used Grandpa Ernie’s sanding method for all the wood surfaces for a “smooth like butter 🧈” finish; let me know if you need a further explanation
- Removed the tape
- Installed new, champagne gold knobs
Measured, cut and installed new drawer liners- Reassembled and cleaned mirror
While this is not the original vision I had for this piece (we all know how much I love saving as much wood as possible), I am so thrilled with how this piece came together. When friend’s are looking for new homes for their well loved heirlooms, I am always so honoured that they trust that I will do right by their piece.
How would you have refinished with this gorgeous antique?
Click here for a concise post all about how this antique dresser was refinished
I'd love to know what you think!