You may be able to refinish the top but remember that it's likely thin veneer. Be careful not to sand too deep or you'll penetrate through veneer to underlaying wood. You could likely use a refinishing solution but be careful sanding! Just an FYI.

Oh, I forgot to add...very cool piece! Like the lines on drawer fronts.

Thanks to you both! @Jeff Smith, indeed, it is veneer and likely very thin. I'm almost afraid to touch it for fear it will fall apart. Can't imagine how it's lasted as long as it has, actually! Thanks for the ideas.

Join the Mid Century Modern Furniture Refinishing group on Facebook. Read the files for a couple of days. Then post the pics, and get some suggestions that you can work with.

Refinishing a top coat isn’t that hard in many respects IF the chemical does the majority of the stripping. It’s going to depend on what the top coat is. There are some tests for that.

The cerused wood finish though? That is a difficult one for even experienced pros. So, gather some knowledge, define the acceptable outcome vs educated effort, and don’t be afraid to use it as an entry console as is if that is what it comes down to.

Wow @User! I was JUST thinking I'd measure it today to see how it might fit in our entry!!! Thanks for the tips!

It will be just as "cool" with a painted white drawer face, and a refurbished /refinished top/case. If its very sentimental.......it's worth having done professionally. The drawer grain will still be evident through paint. Your parents will be happy it got a new lease on life: )

For the drawers you could try Nylo Friction Free Tape.

https://www.rockler.com/nylo-tape-friction-free-drawer-slide-tape

Not certain if the second picture is of the top or the face of one of the drawers. That is an interesting dip in it that might be able to be straightened but if it is on the top internal restructuring will be necessary. To fit that if it is indeed a dip rather than just something the angle of the picture causes is something best left to a professional who is expert in veneering.

Mai, that puzzled me too. But I think it's just an electrical cord messing with our heads.

It's a nice piece with good style. It'll be hard to replicate the stain. How about a nice runner across the top? :) Definitely polish the handles. They're great!

Nice cabinet.

Since you don't want to spend a lot of money, I'll not suggest a pro.

You might consider some round felt pads for the bottom of the legs. You can find them at big box and hardware stores.

https://www.amazon.com/Self-Stick-Furniture-Round-Felt-Surfaces/dp/B001WAK5X4

Haven't heard about using candle wax but my mom would say rub bar soap on the drawers where wood rubs wood if they're difficult to open. My thinking would be to get some fine sandpaper and use that if neither candle nor soap work.

Something else to consider is that moisture can make wood swell so you might not want to use it near a kitchen or bath. The dollar stores and big box stores sell products that absorb moisture that actually work. Setting one of those plastic containers behind something atop the chest of drawers might help.

If the pulls can be removed, and if they are brass, there are products sold for cleaning them. Alternately, you could clean them with steel wool soap pads; however, if they're just brass plate, doing that will remove the outer layer of the finish and you'll end up needing to paint them. If you do decide to paint them, consider Rust-Oleum rust reformer before using the Rust-Oleum in the color you want.

Are the stains atop the cabinet just visible or can you feel them? If you can only see the stains but not feel them, consider rubbing the top with some non splash bleach on a cloth. Try it on a small back area before wetting the entire top.

Old English makes a lighter colored scratch cover that might minimize the stains but I doubt they'll disappear using just that.

If you can feel the stains, you may need some steel wool or fine sandpaper to remove the finish and the top layer of wood to get rid of them.

Something you might consider if you find the top is difficult to repair is invest in a piece of tinted glass to set atop the cabinet and go ahead and enjoy it as is.

If you decide to cover the top with glass but cannot find tinted glass at an affordable price , you might consider using either a mirror (maybe have one from a thrift store cut to size) or frosted glass or you can get a roll of tint material from Home Depo to tint clear glass or make it look frosted.

Alternately, just use the clear glass but put photographs beneath it so the table top itself doesn't show. Use a glue that will enable you to remove the photos later w/o damaging them and glue the photographs onto construction paper cut to the size of the table top.

Thanks all!

@maifleur01 is correct! That weirdness that looks like a dip on the top is indeed an optical illusion (something to do with a lamp cord). I had to go back to make sure!

@suezbell, I LOVE the idea of adding a glass top with photos (obviously of my parents!) underneath. The chest is actually filled with photos from our early family days, so that's perfect. The stains on top can be seen but not felt.

This poor chest has been storage in the garage during our long remodel and it's covered in drywall dust and everything else. It probably got hit by at least one laundry flood, too, so kind of a hot mess but I love it all the same.

DO NOT PAINT I beg to differ I bet this was quite expensive when new. I would gently clean the drawers fronts and if you truly want to preserve it take it to furniture refinisher and spend the $$$ o make it beautiful again.

Right at the top of a half-thought-out google search of "midcentury cerused oak bedroom set" I see this: https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/storage-case-pieces/commodes-chests-of-drawers/two-tone-six-6-drawer-cerused-oak-dresser-credenza-mengel/id-f_14657062/

Is that it?

Dang, Patricia! You know it when you see it! :)

@Fori, yes! Wow! That is it! Thanks so much for doing the hunt for me!

@Patricia Colwell Consulting, thanks for posting the "DO NOT PAINT" sign! That was always my instinct. Proper restoration will have to wait until we work our way out of this remodel chasm, but I will get it done! Thanks again.

Hehe. I didn't look very hard and was actually surprised that that image popped up so easy. I was looking for the style and not IT. But it's nice to know what it's supposed to look like.

You might want to post this over in the woodworking forum. The second picture shows that the splatter from some solvent Easily dissolved the finish as the droplets flowed outwards. The most obvious solvent would be alcohol, but that would require a finish of shellac that would be non-existant by the '50s. Lacquer is the most likely finish. Any reason someone was using lacquer thinner or perhaps acetone in your garage? My point about the spatter is that the finish may be incredibly easy to remove with the right solvent; NO sanding required.

Thanks @chas045, this chest was storage in a dusty garage for probably 30 years, so who knows what splattered it on top. I figured it was just water stains. My dad might have used paint thinner or acetone in the garage at some point. He did a little bit of project building here or there many years ago but I'm just guessing something got left on this chest and no one bothered to check.

Agreeing about using wax on the drawers to make them slide smoothly - and don't be stingy with it.

And I would very much like to see how it comes out.

And it's easy to imagine perfume/eau de cologne. an alcoholic drink, nail polish remover, or even rubbing alcohol being spilled on a bedroom dresser...

The wood looks dry, wonder if you could use a furniture oil/wax to restore it a bit.

commenting to follow. that is a very cool piece!

mittens,,,i refurbish all types of vintage furniture. have done over 100 dressers/buffets/chests.

those spots on the top is water damage. they should sand off easily enough.

use an orbital sander at 150 grit to start and see if you can get it down to raw wood. be very very careful along the edges or you'll burn through the veneer. once you do that, you're toast.

go over it with a 220 to smooth it out. apply stain, wipe off. when dry apply a satin top coat.

ditto w/the drawers

For the pulls, use fine steel wool and Bar Keepers Friend. it will clean it right up.

I redid this vintage Drexel piece. The owner had used the top as an ironing board for 40 years! it was so badly warped, I couldn't salvage it. I got a new piece of wood to use for the top, but no way I could match the wood species. not even sure what the drawers were made of. I did manage to bring those back to life by sanding and staining. the rest I had to paint.

Wowza! @Beth H. : I'm not usually a fan of repainting old stuff, but that piece is SPOT ON! Kudos!

Sorry to say, my parents piece is under a bunch of construction tools and whatnot these days. I put a thick towel on top and so far it's survived ok (not counting the thick layer of dust). In any case, I'm so toast from this remodel, it's hard to imagine finding the energy to restore it. Any idea on what it typically costs to have someone do that?

shouldn't be that much. if you lived near me I'd do it for you. there isn't a lot of damage so I would guess a few hundred, maybe 4 tops?? hard to say w/o seeing it in person.

Is there a Makers mark on the inside drawer anywhere? should be the top one.

Well, I guess we could meet in the parking lot of State College Distributors, LOL.

There is a Mengel furniture stamp of in the first drawer or underneath. I'll snap a pic next time I'm over there. Here's an ad for Mengel furniture--worth a chuckle! https://www.tias.com/mengel-furniture-ad---1947-562414.html

message me if you want me to do it. if you bring it over and pick it up, I can have it done in a jiffy!

BTW, it's listed as Raymond Lowey for Mengel. It's white oak, cerused. (on the top. liming wax is mixed into the grain)

here's the original two tone finish and how those handles are supposed to look! (this is from Chairish and it's selling for $3800!! doesn't mean they'll get that, but I guess it's rather rare!)

1stdibs has it too

https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/mengel-furniture-co/furniture/storage-case-pieces/dressers/

I could ceruse it. now that would look awesome. would cost more because it's a ton of work, but that graining you have is perfect for cerusing.

slightly diff model

$4500 on 1st dibs

all one tone

and one that's painted

they had two on 1stdibs that sold for over 4K, I bet.

https://www.1stdibs.com/furniture/storage-case-pieces/dressers/ebonized-dresser-raymond-loewy-mengel-furniture/id-f_7777353/

all black and beautiful. I love this version. It's stunning in ebony. with this I'd do the inner drawers in a cobalt lacquer. ( I do colored inner drawers on a lot of my pieces)

Thanks @Beth H. :! I was over the moon when @Fori first dug up the 1st dibs link (about 10 comments up). I definitely want it restored for sentimental reasons, so I'd want it the same original colors (though I do love that cobalt lacquer interior you did above!).

I will ponder!

Raymond Loewy - lucky you!