skip to main content

Trash To Treasure

Restoring Small Chest

12 years ago

Refinishing Small Chest

I am as old as dirt and this is my first attempt at restoring a small chest of drawers. Below are images of my progress thus far. I only own a little mouse type sander and it can't reach into the hard to reach corners, etc.

Should I try using paint stripper and sand some more?

I love the little wood casters but the hardware is quite rusted. What is best way to clean without hurting the wood? The hole is too large for one of the casters, but that I can fix.

I am missing the handle for one the the small drawers so I plan on using the handle from the top drawer for this drawer and looking for a new handle at a rehab store to replace the top drawer handle.

I have to glue most of the drawers as they are pulling apart.

Lucy
iweararedhat@blogspot.com

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

bootscootengal
12 years ago
its going to be beautiful when u get done. post a pic
User
12 years ago
Lucy, it's a wonderful piece, and is going to be great looking when you get done. Think outside the box when trying to sand difficult places, what can you use to get into those tough corners? Wrap your sand paper in a small block of wood for stability, or use other household items to do the same job, they just need to be strong enough to handle the stress. Use carpenters glue, it's probably what was used originally. The rust on the metal can be removed with sandpaper also, oil lightly after rust is gone. Or paint with rustoleum paint, covering the wheels first. Do you have a wood workers shop in your town? Try googling woodworkers and your city, may get what you need, they may have better suggestions than I do. Good luck it's a great project, and I hope you send us some pics when you're done!
Related Discussions
How to restore finish on antique chest of drawers
Q
Comments (4)
That looks like it might be a lacquer finish on the piece. That also looks like it might be mostly water damage. If so, you might be able to rescue the finish on the top with a little lacquer thinner. Dampen (not wet) a rag with the thinner and rub a damaged spot lightly. If you see a change, keep going -- but don't rub hard and don't use too much thinner. The thinner will remelt the lacquer, smooth it out, and get rid of the white spots. It will also eliminate some of the scratches and crackling. It the thinner and rag work, but not well enough, you can move on to thinner and 0000 steel wool. Again, proceed cautiously. You don't want to remove the finish; you want to redistribute it.
...See More
Restoration Hardware for small spaces
Q
Comments (9)
There are some new pieces that, more or less, look like the old pieces. Otherwise, it's all the exact same (mostly masculine) merchandise re-marketed in bright, airy rooms. They did already have some smaller pieces, such as the "Professors Chair," so I think they just changed the marketing to appeal to the demographic in small spaces. Even the new color, which is just blue, is mostly the color/fabric of blue jeans. Again, masculine. *shrug* Regardless of a cave-like room or bright-airy room, I like a few pieces here or there. My husband loved their old approach that most ppl here seemed to despise. (He likes his home to be very cave-like, dark leathers, dark wood, etc.) He mentioned one time something similar to, "If I won the lottery, I'd furnish my home in RH furniture." I chuckled at his comment. I wonder if I show him the new catalog if it will have the same appeal to him. :)
...See More
small disaster restoration: would ldearly love p'shop help...
Q
Comments (104)
Hmmm...we'll work out something--maybe Friday? And you know what, I meant to add that I was really underwhelmed by the experience of painting with the MoorGuard. Are Exterior paints generally thinner than interior? I then went in and put on a coat of EK (ICI-Dulux) interior semi-gloss on some window trim and it was a completely different experience. The Aura was more like the ICI. I'm wondering if there's a better exterior paint that I could mix the Sandy Hook Gray in...I may take the sample in to ICI-Dulux and ask them to mix it in one of their exterior finishes. Any thoughts on that? What exterior paint do folks favor?
...See More
Do you think Restore-a-Finish would be enough for this chest?
Q
Comments (15)
Original formula Briwax is a carnuba furniture wax with color added so it conceals scratches, and a solvent called Toluene added so it cleans the furniture at the same time, of old polishes and oil treatments, and of course old wax. Since the smell is so pervasive, they now sell a second version w/o the toluene. I like waxes because they leave no oiliness (which could trap dirt) and tend not to affect the original finish too much, which again is the risk with oils, that they will soften and degrade an old finish. Casey
...See More
lpalta
Original Author
12 years ago
I cleaned the handles, sanded the chest some more, using a 3M Dual Angle Sanding sponge and sandpaper, using a few tools for getting into the corners. Any suggestions as to what I use for stain, polyurethane, a combination of both? The chest was originally dark, but I want a lighter stain, something like a ginger?

Here is a link that might be useful: Click here for pictures
sunnyca_gw
12 years ago
It's going to be very nice!! Like the hardware!! Jan
sorie6 zone 6b
12 years ago
Can't wait to see the finished project!
concretenprimroses
12 years ago
You are doing a wonderful job. I too am eager to seee the finished project. Congratulations on being as old as dirt.
Kathy
User
12 years ago
I just saw one of these on a web site for a store that deals in used items. It's wonderful looking, and appears to be a bit darker than yours. Use what ever stain you like, where do you plan to keep it? Living room, kitchen, outside porch? If outside, you may want to use a spar varnish, which is good, but not if the piece will be in the sun, also, I would hesitate to use polyurethane, as it will scratch easily. It is, after all, a plastic. What kind of wood is this piece? It looks like oak or maple. You don't have to use a stain, I did that with an oak chair I refinished. I liked the natural oak so much, I got a "clear" varnish, and it did add a touch of yellow, but I was real pleased with the result. You could also use an oil rubbed finish, depending on where you plan to use this piece. Hardware looks great. Keep us posted on your progress!

Related Stories

HOUZZ TV FAVORITES Houzz TV: See How Early Settlers Lived in This Restored Pilgrim House

Passionate restoration and preservation efforts give a 1665 home an honored place in the present

TRADITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: Pride Restored to a Historic Rhode Island Home

By Becky Harris

Designers spruce up Narragansett’s first summer cottage while adapting the Victorian-era home for modern living

CRAFTSMAN DESIGN My Houzz: Small-Space Living in a Restored Bungalow

By Bonnie McCarthy

See how this homeowner celebrates his personal style, his flea market finds and the heritage of his 1919 Long Beach home

DECORATING GUIDES Decorating With Antiques: Chests, Dressers and Buffets

By Mike Dietrich

Pretty, practical and versatile, antique chests add history and character along with storage

HOMES AROUND THE WORLD My Houzz: In Rome, a Treasure Chest of Found Objects

By Paolo Fusco Photo

An artisan’s work-home space is a place of reinvention, where vintage and modern finds are given a creative spin

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: O'Suzannah Restores Pear Tree Farm

By Becky Harris

ARCHITECTURE Back to the Futuro: Tour a Lovingly Restored ‘Spaceship’ Home

By Victoria Harrison

Travel back to the ’60s Space Age with a rare glimpse inside an original House of the Future

TRADITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: Historic Concord Grapevine Cottage’s Charms Restored

By Becky Harris

This famous property had fallen on hard times, but passionate homeowners lovingly brought it back

BEFORE AND AFTERS Kitchen of the Week: Classic White Farmhouse Style Restored

By Sarah Greenman

A couple remodel their kitchen to better match their 19th-century Oregon home’s style

BEFORE AND AFTERS Restoration Rallies a 1790 Stone Springhouse

By Becky Harris

An old outbuilding gets a new purpose — several purposes, that is — thanks to careful efforts by stonemasons and architects

Sponsored