I want to share about my thrift store refinished dresser and the many complications I had along the way. Not all projects are simple, easy and done in a day. This dresser is the perfect example of when a project does not come along how you thought it would.

I am happy with the end results of this project, but the journey there had some unexpected problems. You can hear about some of my issues in this video:

I am not going to give a detailed tutorial of how I refinished this dresser, but just some highlights. I will be attempting another refinishing project soon and will give a more detailed explanation of the necessary steps.

Basic Steps:

1. Remove existing finish (which took more effort than anticipated)
2. Make a couple repairs at the joints of the drawer spacers (snap a few screws off in the process)
3. Wipe down with clean cloth
4. Apply 1 coat of Minwax Classic Gray (You can check out my staining tutorial here )
5. Apply 1 coat of Minwax Dark Walnut over the Classic Gray (accept the uneven finish and start to love it)
6. Finish with dark wax
7. Install new hardware (with some effort)

Before Photos:

After trying several finish removers I broke out the sandpaper.

Finally, after sanding off the old finish I applied the first coat of Classic Gray.

I apologize I don’t have many more photos of steps along the way. I honestly did not think I was going to feature this project on the blog due to all the issues I had along the way.

Refinished Dresser After Photos:

There is a lot of variance in the stain finish and I love how it turned out. I was frustrated in the process that I was not getting a consistent stain coverage, but in the end I like the unique aged look of the wood.

The refinished dresser is just a part of our master bedroom update. You can check out other posts on the bedroom update below by clicking on the pictures:

I hope this can be an encouraging post for those of you who have experience unexpected complications while completing your projects! It happens to us all!

Emily

Update: Check out how I restyled my refinished dresser below…

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Emily