DIY Furniture Restoration

                                                                               BEFORE RESTORATION


New furniture can cost a bundle and may simply not be in the cards, or the budget! Why not change the rules of the game? By restoring an old piece of furniture, you can create the look of "new" without emptying your pocket. Whether you choose to restore a piece you already own or scour Craigslist, flea markets, garage sales, and local newspaper ads to find the piece that beckons to you, the cost will be substantially less than what you'll find in the name brand furniture stores.

I was in need of a dresser for our nursery. Luckily, I already owned this lovely hunk of wood. It was my dad's dresser ever since I can remember, so it also held sentimental value. I phoned him to make sure he was okay with my revamping it and he said, "Sure! I'd love knowing that my grandkids are able to use it!" (Insert "awww" here.) So, I set out on the task at hand. As you can see, it was a drab walnut shade with MANY nicks and scars in the finish. It was also missing one of the drawer pulls, but the dresser was very structurally sound.


                                                                                 AFTER RESTORATION
  The first step was sanding the old finish off and smoothing out the surface. I used 30 grit sandpaper on my belt sander to remove the finish and then went back and re-sanded the dresser with 80 grit paper to make it perfectly smooth, as the 30 grit is great for removing layers but leaves the wood feeling rough.

After I'd completed that task I chose a cherry shade of wood stain made by Minwax and applied three coats using a synthetic 2" brush, to the entire dresser. As soon as that was dry, I used a finishing block to quickly buff it. I used three coats of polyurethane on top of the stain, making sure to use the finishing block prior to my last coat of poly to ensure a smooth finish. The final touch was to replace the old drawer pulls with a simple modern silver set.

The dresser turned out amazing! It looks brand new and beautiful. Even my dad was surprised it was the same dresser when he saw it. So there you have it, a brand new piece of furniture and the added pride of knowing your elbow grease accomplished it. The entire project, including hardware, only cost about $40. This piece can now be handed down to yet another generation.

So, get out there, find that piece, and give it a new life! It will cost you little more than time.

And yes, a woman can handle a belt sander.  ;)