When we nabbed this awesome dresser from a thrift store, I knew it’d need some work. Just some cosmetic work.
Little did I know how easy refreshing its finish would be. (Go ahead and say it with me: “Daaayyuum.”)
I perused the web for a product that would help bring new life to the dresser’s finish. Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax, both available from Home Depot for less than $10 each, had rave reviews.
Obviously, pictures do all the talking here. But I’ll give you a short play-by-play.
Step One: Order the product on Home Depot’s website for in-store pickup because you’re too lazy to go searching for it yourself. (Oops.) Oh, and make sure you get the right color for the finish.
Step Two: Crack a window, slap on some gloves and grab a rag. Rub Restore-A-Finish all around the piece. Let it set, wipe up excess.
This is the “after,” by the way.
Step Three: Feed-N-Wax. Apply liberally with that oddball sock in your drawer. It smells good, citrusy clean. Wait another twenty minutes before buffing it out. #shine
Step Four: Step back to admire your work and call your spouse/significant other/pet into the room and show them what you did. Go ahead and brag about your hard labor. (We can keep the “it’s actually really easy” secret between us)
Overall, extremely pleased with the results. The drawers probably need more work. I should have taken off the handles so I could get all the wood, but I too excited impatient lazy to do all that work. They’ll come off soon enough though – they have a Brasso bath awaiting.
And this…erm. Restor-A-Finish will hide dings and cracks, but not the fact that chunks of laminate are missing.
So how about that? $30 dresser + $16 in restoration products (with plenty leftover) = pretty great looking antique dresser.
What secret weapons do you swear by in your DIY arsenal? I’m hereby a Restor-A-Finish and Feed-N-Wax convert.
It looks really good, even without trying to patch the missing veneer. I am partial too wood finishes myself, and your piece has a beautiful grain and gorgeous patinaed color. I don’t know that I would necessarily use Brasso on the handles, either. They have great coloration as they are. To fill in some of the smaller dings and where the finish has worn off, try Minwax Blend-Fill Pencil, for larger areas that need finish restored but are otherwise not too dinged up or dented, try Guardsman Furniture Touch-Up Kit “pens” or Varathane Touch-Up Markers at Menards, a home-grown version of Lowe’s or Home Depot — you can probably find the same or similar products at either L or HD. The Guardsman pens are old, I bought them at Linens ‘n Things years ago but they still work great — I horde them 🙂 I’m sure there are lots of similar products out there. I like the Varathane touch-up marker because a little goes a long way, just be sure to shake it up real good first.
Oooh it looks gorgeous!! I like a good painted piece of furniture but that dresser absolutely needs to go au naturale. Pinning for future reference about the product you used! 🙂
Thanks! Yeah, I love painted furniture, but I thought what the heck? Why not give it a scrub and keep the wood shining 🙂