dresser
Sustainable Living,  DIY Home Renovation

Refinished Dresser: Going from Neon to Nice

We love a good DIY project! Not only is it fun to give new life to old things, it is a great way to keep items out of the landfill. Part of a sustainability mindset is finding ways to use what we already have and therefore purchase less.

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I was looking for hardwood flooring on Craigslist when I came across a solid wood dresser that reminded me of my childhood furniture set for a bargain of $20… Needless to say we went to pick up the dresser when we picked up the flooring!

Unfortunately this dresser was the colour of a traffic cone and looked as if it was likely to have several layers of paint to be scraped to get to bare wood, but the deal was so good I had to try.  Sadly I forgot to take a before picture, but you get the idea.

Supplies list

  • Paint stripper
  • Sander and sand paper
  • Scraper
  • Paint
  • Linseed oil
  • Drawer slides
  • Handles/knobs

I’d never tried stripping paint or refinishing anything as large as a dresser so wasn’t sure what to expect.  After several days, almost a full bottle of paint stripper, and three layers of paint, I finally hit bare wood!  Most of it was too worn to stain however the top of the dresser was so beautiful that I couldn’t cover it up. 

I chose a light green, low VOC acrylic paint for the body of the dresser and used linseed oil for the top.  My handy husband replaced the drawer slides and we replaced all of the handles as well.  I’m so happy with how it turned out, see below for the finished product!

Looking for more inspiration? Check out our other DIY posts here!

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