I have used Murphys for years with excellent results just make sure not to saturate the wood inisde the drawers wiping with a damp cloth with the solution. Leave open and let the wood dry. I agree that Pledge which is Silicone based is not the best course of action. For your polish on finished wood try something like "Old English" Furniture Polish available in most grocery stores.

Amy, old academics and new tricks... we can do somewhat of a decluttering effort, but when all's said and done, we'll both have piles of books and magazines again. It's just how we roll. I like the silver swing-arm lamp suggestion -- have considered modern sconces on either side of the headboard to leave the nightstands more free. New nightstand suggestion below... Dressers, anyone? And thank you so much for sticking with me on this. I really have trouble with it on my own! Here is a link that might be useful: light, leggy, breaks up the clunkiness of the bed?

It sounds to me like you can glue down what is still there and fill in the rest with wood filler, then sand the whole thing smooth and paint. If you do that you'll want to use a regular wood glue I think, spread VERY thin over the whole piece to be glued, press, wipe up any glue that squeezes out, lay wax paper over it, and weight it down with books, bricks etc. for a few hours till it dries. An alternative, rather than replacing the entire veneer, woudl be to cut off the damaged part and just replace that. You have to get the same thickness of veneer, cut the old veneer in a straight line with a razor blade, clean it off, make sure it is perfectly flat and even, and glue on a new piece. Let it hang over the edge a bit, and after it dries, trim off with a razor blade or a router with a flush cutting bit. Of course, then you have to stain and finish it to match, which can be tricky. Filling and painting might be easier. Good luck restoring your treasure!

Thanks guys :) Here's a photo of the dresser: (wi-sailorgirl, can you believe I'm doing something so vintage?!?!?!? It's so not my usual style... but this is the second bath: it's the general household-use bath but ALSO my teen daughter's bathroom. And she REALLY didn't want sleek and modern!) I don't have a photo of the sides of the drawers, but they are mostly still raw wood, except the person who painted it last slopped the maroon paint around the edge onto the dovetail joint. I guess I will try to sand that off and then just paint the fronts. sailorgirl, the lower two drawers won't have glides, they'll remain as-is, with just old-fashioned wooden guide rails. The top two drawers need to be cut back pretty severely, and their center rail removed for the sink, so those two WILL have new, undermount glides installed. I'll try to take some pics of the drawer insides and sides, too... I have a gorgeous piece of Vermont White quartzite (pretty grey, actually) that's been cut to fit the top, with the curvy front, and a white Kohler undermount sink. I'm thinking about doing faceted crystal knobs, too. it's a real departure from my normal style :) I've just laid the radiant floor heat wiring last night and will be pouring the self-levelling compound today. Can't wait to start tiling! Stacey