Friends of ours lived in their Northridge CA home for 30+ years and decided it was time to retire to a new home. When they moved, they gifted us these two pieces, along with a couple other pieces of furniture. Our apartment is pretty small and in dire need of storage space, so I decided to combine the two pieces into one. Here's how I refinished the White Highboy.
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Here are the twin dressers on top of each other.
I almost forgot to take a BEFORE picture. |
I began the project with stripping down the hardware and removing the top boards and bottom panels.
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| I removed the front scalloped panel |
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This piece would be going on top of the other piece. In order to attach it,
I needed to cut the side board and legs down, as well as remove the top board. |
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A few of the drawers had panels that were pulling apart.
Some wood glue, clamps and overnight wait will fix them right up! |
Next, I took some furring strips (salvaged from another project) and arranged them within the inside of the two pieces, allowing me to attach them together. Nice and sturdy!
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| Furring strips allowed me to easily attach the two pieces together, on the inside. |
Once the two pieces were one, I began applying the stripping agent. I like to use
CitriStrip Stripping Gel. It is non-toxic (although you still need good ventilation and gloves) and very easy to use. Just paint it on and let it sit. The timing will vary depending on how many coats of paint are on the piece and in some cases, it may require two applications. This project took about 1.5 hours to start coming off.
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Once you see the paint bubbling up, you can start using the scraper
to peel it off. |
Once you have all the paint scraped off, its time to clean it up. You can buy the Stripping Wash, or what I do is just let it dry completely (after wiping it with old rags and let it sit probably over night). Once I had the piece all clean, I used wood filler to begin filling in unsightly holes and imperfections.
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Two pieces are now one. I trimmed up the old scalloped panel from
the other piece and reattached it in the middle to cover up the middle front seam. |
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| Filling in the side board gap and screw holes. |
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| Making those worn down details new again! |
Once the wood filler is dried (usually overnight) the sanding begins. I used a power sander with 80 grit on the piece, being careful not to push too firmly on the wood filler. Repeat with the wood filler, if you find there is shrinkage, repeat the sanding but by hand for finishing touches.
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| Drawers are all repaired and sanded. |
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| Ready for paint! |
For some pieces, I prime ahead of time. This piece I actually didn't have to. I bought a quart of Benjamin Moore Eggshell finish wall paint in an Antique White shade. The paint has a priming agent in it, so it adhered nicely. I used a good poly brush and lightly stoked on the paint in long strokes. I applied 3 coats of paint total. Once the paint was on, I grabbed a bit of sandpaper and began lightly sanding the edges to expose the raw wood. I then took a dark stain (whatever was on hand at the time, Minwax) and used a Q-tip to apply it carefully to the raw edges, wiping the excess into the wood. This also added a little bit of a "worn" look.
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| All painted up! |
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| The distressing, before the stain application. |
I always like to seal my pieces with a CLEAR water based satin Minwax sealer. This gives a little bit of protection from dust, dirt or scratches. Also, make sure it says "clear, water based sealer", as some will actually turn your piece more of a yellow shade (and that's icky!). Here's the finished project!
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All distressed and sealed! Original hardware sparkles due to the
simple dish soap bath and a good scrubbing. |
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my highboy! It doesn't take up much space and it adds A LOT of storage space and character to my bedroom!
Total investment: $25
Time Investment: 4 days
