Yikes! That seems like an awful lot to paint a dresser. Can you get a couple more quotes before deciding what to do? Last year I had a coffee table professionally spray painted with lacquer. That cost was $175, and included all the prep/sanding work. I guess I can see that a dresser would cost a lot more, especially with all the prep required, but $750 sure is a LOT more.

Have you seen the work of the $750 person? Anyone can paint a dresser but a good paint job where one uses finishing pads after each coat for a glorious end finish is another story. You also want to avoid someone who does not understand over-spray and sheen inconsistencies (if using the spray method). This piece needs care because it's personal. Still, I would look at others work and get estimates before deciding.

It's a lot of work to paint a dresser right. It is detailed and tedious work which takes a lot of time.

Does this estimate also address the mold smell? With what you'd said about the pieces, I wonder what it would take to get the urine stains out of the other pieces to allow them to be stained rather than painted. I agree with the others above that you want to see the quality of the person's work.

With cherry, I'd have all the pieces stained.

So long as the wood could be restored to its true beauty I would definitely go with refinished. I don't think you actually have to stain Cherrywood to make it beautiful.

I am in the process of painting and glazing my bedroom set - chest, dresser, mirror, headboard and 2 nightstands. Yes, it is a LOT of work and I've been slowly working on it for a few weeks and am about 1/2 done. You can do it yourself, but be prepared for a lot of work. Some skip the prep work and that is a mistake. I don't care how many paints claim "no sanding needed" it always should be sanded. To restain it, you would need to strip all the old finish off first. Not sure what you can do about the mold smell though. $750 for one piece seems pretty high.

I think the slight mold smell comes from the headboard, which was locked in my parents' house after they entered assisted living. There had been a dampness smell in their house for quite a while. Here's the damage to the top of the nightstand. It's representative of the damage to the other pieces.. There are no stains, just finish damage. Thank you, Lisa. It was very disrespectful. I once found directions taped to the side of the chest. Has anyone ever used a auto painter to paint furniture? Though, I'm now wondering about just having it all stripped and restrained.

Paint - I would do it myself. Refinish - pay a pro, if you haven't done it before. $750 sounds like an awful lot for painting, but as justerrilynn pointed out, there are paint job, and there are fabulous paint jobs. Which do you need?

You can try painting a small drawer yourself, to see how you feel about the project and the result.

$750 sounds fair for a professional refinish.

Preparation alone will require more than just sanding and priming.

If there's odor and urine salts a special neutralizing wash is required followed by an enamel under-body to provide adequate enamel holdout for the topcoat

I don't know if all the old stain can be removed, but if so, you can just clear coat cherry. It will be much prettier than the original reddish stain. Or you can have a brown stain applied to counteract some of the natural red tone. Paint is for cheap wood, not heirloom cherry.

Thanks, Brushworks. i did mention the source of the damage to him, so, hopefully he included that in his estimate. That's a great idea, mayflowers! Clear rather than stain.

I think it depends on how you feel about the pieces and if you want to preserve them for future generations of your family.

If you want to preserve them and return them to their like-new condition and pass them down to your children then I'd have them professionally re-stained in the cherry.

If you are just "using what you have" and doubtful they will be passed down as family heirlooms, I would paint them myself. I painted our 30 year old bedroom furniture and it was time consuming but not difficult. I lightly sanded, primed, painted. I even used a roller with low nap. Now, I wasn't super particular about the finish because I won't be taking the set with me when retire and move away in a few years. A brush finish is probably more professional looking. Bedroom furniture doesn't get the wear and tear kitchen cabinets do and my paint job has held up just fine. I used BM paint in satin or semigloss.

I'd either use General Finishes milk paint (it's not like normal milk paint).

Or BM Advance high gloss.

http://chiccalifornia.com/2013/12/19/before-and-after-furniture-transformation-2/

http://thelittleblackdoor.blogspot.com/2013/03/high-gloss-dresser-tutorial.html

Or spray paint. There was a review of a spray high gloss by beekeeperswife (a long time ago).

Thanks, nosoccermom. I did save beekeeperswife's instructiond.

Thanks Lily'smom. I'm not looking for rustic. The pieces are very elegant, so I want the finish to enhance the elegance. Tank you for such detailed instructions.

I suppose it depends where you live, but I agree that is double what one would ever pay. A spray shop that is set up takes the nobs off, sands and sprays. So not a lot of detail work. Having it sprayed at say a car body shop would be the smartest..the paint will hold up then.

Older furniture is often much better quality than new. I tend to agree that stripping and clear coating it is the way to go. The beauty of the wood should be seen, not covered up.