$50 - don't worry about it. Looks great.
Clean it, maybe glass or decorative knobs (I can't tell if it has knobs on it).

Nice find.

I'm not an antiques expert, so hopefully others with more knowledge will chime in.

What you are considering is, I believe, a turn of the century empire style dresser. My grandmother had one almost exactly like it in her basement for years. It had a mahogany veneer finish (which I think the one you pictured has, based on some cracks and splits I can see).

For $50, with the mirror included, you probably can't go wrong. Check to see if the drawers are still functional (the one in my grandmother's basement warped badly). You could probably fill in the veneer cracks and the lightly refinish the surface veneer. I agree that adding glass pulls would be appropriate to this piece.

Don't know where you live, but once it's cleaned up and functional again, it would probably be worth $200-350 (at least in my NE area). I think it's a great piece, and worth some effort!

Thanks for all the feedback.

According to the seller the dresser needs drawer pulls , has some chips on the front, but is structurally sound.

I'm glad to know that most of you agree to clean and leave as is...I have no idea how to refinish furniture!

Teeda,

You're very perceptive. That's almost exactly the description provided by the seller!! I will take your suggestions and make sure the drawers aren't warped.

Thanks all. :-)

It looks very nice and cleaned up I feel will be worth a lot more than the $50 plus closts to clean it up.

Did you get it? I hope so. I hope you'll post pics of it in your entry for us to see. You can use either a Restore type product, which lifts up the lacquer and smears it around -- good in some cases and not in others (suggest you take a drawer to your fave hardware store paint department and ask), or you can use Scratchcoat (dark) to cover scratches so they don't stand out, and/or you can use Formby's Tung Oil to give it shine (it's a diluted varnish). It will look beautiful and the wood detail will shine through. Nice find!

Buy it! Buy it! Buy it!!

It is soooo easy to clean something up-- You will be very pleased with the results. Just have lots of paper towels available to wipe the gunk off as you clean :)

This is a pie safe that I did just recently

Before:

After:

A music cabinet I did--
Before:

After:

I actually got my pieces for free but since they have been done, I have been offered enough for each piece to take a vacation! :)

iasheff,

Wonderful looking pieces! Now will you please share how you 'restored' each piece and how long it took? What products etc. did you use. TIA

Yes its an antique...Some of that antique furniture is gorgeous done over,beautiful woods.If you like it and you think price is good get it.Thats allthat matters.You arent looking to sell it,although after done over someone may offer.My house is all antiques.

nwestner-

I started using mineral spirits to clean the pieces. On some of the pieces I did (the pie safe and the music cabinet in particular), the mineral spirits didn't even come close to cutting the grime, gunk, dirt and old cr*p on them so I used some stuff that my BIL made up for me. It was a combination of shellac thinner and lacquer thinner. The gunk wiped off. It took me about 4 hours on the pie safe and about 2 hours on the music cabinet. After I got all the old stuff off, I cleaned again with mineral spirits. I then used boiled linseed oil as the finish. I think I put 3 coats of that on over about a 3 week period.

From start to where I put the first coat of boiled linseed oil on took me about 4 - 6 hours.

Also, I prefer the more primitive look- as you can tell from the pictures. Many people put a poly coat on their pieces but I love the look of the boiled linseed oil finish.

I would give anything to find a dresser like the OP found on craigslist! Except my next project is to find a turn of the century wood-coal cook stove to use in my kitchen as a plant stand and display area :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Original Post

Thanks, iasheff!

Darn it....the seller emailed me to say someone came to pick up the piece, so it's gone. I'm BUMMED. Guess I'll keep looking. That's the trick with Craig's List....you gotta move QUICK!! :-(

iasheff, was it naphtha that you were given to clean your furniture?

Ah, please tell me you put this post together just minutes after you set up a time with the seller to come see it? Moving fast with Craigslist means getting on your way as soon as you can contact someone. Although, I had a bunch of people Trying to move fast the last time I put my drapes on the list. But everyone was stuck in place that weekend. Nobody could come right over. Some wanted to come Sunday afternoon, one guy begged me to keep them till Monday. A caller on Sunday morning said she would come but then waited till Monday morning to call and make arrangements. I sold them to a guy early monday morning who came down the hill to go to work and made the stop to see drapes for his wife. It's crazy, and you cannot hesitate.

Red

I am sorry you didn't get the piece. It had so much potential.

patricia-- it was a combo of shellac thinner (denatured alcohol) and lacquer thinner. I don't know what his exact ratio was (He says he just splashes it in the jar) but I know that LindaC uses 2/3 shellac thinner to 1/3 lacquer thinner. His must have been about the same because I have now made some up myself using LindaC's ratio and it works exactly the same. You need lots of paper towels to wipe it off because they will turn BLACK!