Dressers are my favorite furniture pieces to makeover. There are so many styles out there with different hardware, lines, curves, and woods. I always seem to be drawn to antique/old dressers because they have the best style.
When I saw this piece at an estate sale down the road, I knew it had potential. First thing I noticed were the paneled sides (been wanting one with paneled sides). I knew right away I was going to paint the dresser, but thought the oak top should be left alone. I left one of the glass handles on for the picture, but they were all there.
I did some research and found out that this is an eastlake dresser. Finding out the specific style of dresser lets me know the age and value. Most places I looked said these were from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. So much history! I have learned so much from upcycling many different styles of furniture!
When I bought the dresser I thought I was going to toss the hardware since it looked scratched/fogged up and covered in years of grossness. The picture does not show how bad they looked. My mom thought they were plastic. When I took them off she realized they were glass and thought they could be worth something. I soaked them in vinegar and hot water for about 15 minutes, and after a little scrub they look nice and shiny! From what I found the hardware alone is worth about 50 or 60 bucks!
The dresser got a couple coats of a grey-ish paint (has blue and purple undertones). I sanded the top down to bare wood, then applied one coat of Rustoleum’s Dark Walnut stain. I only did one coat because I wanted to be able to see the wood grain. Too dark and it all blends together. I put 3 coats of polyurethane on the top, and waxed the painted parts of the dresser. I added the newly cleaned hardware, and the dresser was done!
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So beautiful! This is one of my very favorite refinishes of all time. You are incredibly talented! What was the brand and name of paint you used on the body of the dresser? Thank you!
The color is a oops paint/mistint from Lowes. They always scratch out the name and label, so I can't tell you the color. If I could, I would! Sorry. I hope you can find something similar.
Thanks, Reeves! I found a gorgeous Eastlake on CL and my entire family as well as mu husband have forbade me to paint it. Hah. I am just in love with the paneled sides! How do you keep from falling in love with each piece? 🙂
Ooh! Glad you found one! I also love the paneled sides on dressers. It is really hard to not get attached to a piece, but it helps to know that I will be selling them… I guess since I know beforehand it is not as hard. Sometimes I love pieces so much I swap something out that I have in order to keep it, but I have absolutely no more room. Pictures and blog posts also help since I have documentation of them all 🙂
Did you sand or prime the dresser before you painted it? Looks great!