Beautifully Refinished Modern, Wood 5-Drawer Dresser

Even simpler projects provide opportunity for creativity: new hardware, drawer liners, etc.

My next project is one that my sister managed to find for me -- she happened to discover that another tenant in her apartment building was discarding their dresser and sent me some pictures to see if I was interested. The pictures indicated that at the very least, the top and good portions of the dresser were true, solid-wood, so it seemed worth driving over to check it out. I sped over to catch her before she had to head to the hospital for her night shift. She was even more of a saint by being willing to help me haul it to the garage and into my car. To say the least, I have now figured out the maximum capacity of the trunk of my car -- the dresser just barely fit.

Based on the label on the back of the dresser, it was made by Progressive Furniture Inc. It is a tall, five-drawer dresser, with some knicks, dents, and what appears to be residue from stickers/tape that used to be on the sides, but otherwise is in great shape. I couldn’t find the exact style online since I think it may be a slightly older piece, but from what I found, I think it may have retailed for ~$500-700. I am likely going to keep this upcycle rather simple, give it a fresh coat of primer and black paint and new drawer handles to modernize the look, possibly wallpaper to line the drawers as well.

I did a quick scuff-sand of the whole dresser, and once I get the adhesive residue removed, I should be good to start priming. Google says that in addition to the store-bought brand name solutions like Krud Kutter and Goo Gone (funny names), vodka, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, etc. should work to remove the adhesive gunk. I’ll likely try the nail polish remover first since it’s what I have the most of, but I’m tempted to try the straight vodka out of pure curiosity.

One coat of primer and multiple coats of paint later, and I think I have the dresser complete. I didn’t do quite as good of a job at patching up a few of the dings and dents as I had hoped, but it still looks nice and fresh. I will say though that I now have a love-hate relationship with the foam roller. The paint went on so much faster and looked generally very smooth, but I really struggled to get the right touch to not leave roller marks. After a couple extra coats though, I think I finally have it fixed and complete (we’ll see for sure in a few hours once it’s fully dry).

I chose brass handle pulls for the dresser (amazon) and love their appearance and how they contrast with the black dresser. My first hardware choice and it is a success! Now the only lingering question is whether to put contact paper in the drawers. Each drawer is 25.5” x ~14” and there are 5 drawers.

Some contact paper options:

• Gold and beige striped hexagon peel

• Wisteria black

• Black geometry pattern

• Black geometric oval

• Black and white marble → I picked this one!

Apparently furniture polish is a really good option for sprucing up the inside/bottom of a drawer. @piecebypiecefinds recommended Daddy Van’s all natural Beeswax & lavender Furniture polish. Another option to consider in the future!

@Piecebypiecefinds also gave me a kind tip that Country Chic Paint offers a course on how to best photograph and advertise furniture for sale.

With the addition of the new brass hardware, the drawer liners, and some staging for photographs, this project is complete and ready for sale!