Goodwill Mid Century Modern Dresser Makeover

Happy Monday!

Did you all have a good weekend? I'm fighting a nasty head cold, but I did manage to wrap up my Mid Century Modern dresser makeover and work on a 2x4 project for an upcoming challenge/round up.

A $15.00 Goodwill dresser gets a beautiful Mid Century Modern makeover!

I picked up this beauty from our local Goodwill for $15.00. It was tucked away in the corner with it's drawers wrapped with painters tape. As I walked over I secretly hoped it was 1. affordable and 2. smoke free. I got a little giddy when I noticed the $15.00 price tag, but it still had to pass the smoke test. You bet I removed the tape, opened the drawers and took a big whiff. It was not only free from smoke, but the drawers were clean and in great condition. To say I was excited about this MCM dresser and the possibilities of a great makeover would an understatement.

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The top had some deep scratches, so my plan was to refinish the dresser with a deeper, darker stain. I already had Minwax brand furniture refinisher, so I decided to give it a try first. I waited for a nice day, got in my painting clothes, turned on Luke Bryan and got down to work.

A $15.00 Mid Century Modern Goodwill find gets a beautiful makeover!

The layer of clear coat came off nicely and I was feeling pretty confident that I would be able refinish this piece. After I had all the clear coat removed I sanded the entire piece with fine grit sandpaper then wiped it clean. I tested a spot with my stain and it was a total FAIL! The wood only absorbed the stain in a few spots and it was super blotchy.

Since I was dead set on refinishing the dresser I ran out and picked up Citristrip and Mineral Spirits to see if they would work better.

I love citristrip for it's ease of use. All you do is paint it on, let it sit for an hour or so then scrap it off. I was AMAZED at how much stain came off even after using the furniture refinisher. After I scrapped off the stripper I wiped the entire piece down with mineral spirits before applying my stain again.

This is what happened....

Goodwill Mid Century Modern Dresser Makeover

Yeah, total FAIL!

At this point I decided to walk away, take a break and figure out what my next plan would be. I had spent so much time and effort on this piece and I was not about to give up.

I did a little research and found that A. sanding pine and softer woods can prevent the wood from taking stain and B. the wood may still have some residue that is not taking stain. Knowing that I sanded the piece and already used mineral spirits, I came to the conclusion that the dresser was more than likely made from a softer wood and simply would not absorb the new stain. I decided to let go of my vision of refinishing and moved to plan B.

I gave the entire dresser 3 coats of my favorite inexpensive chalk paint then sealed it with cream wax.

I kept the legs wood and just darkened them with Waverly antique wax.

The gold feet were in pretty rough shape, so I sanded them then applied gold leaf Rub 'n Buff.

I really liked how they turned out, but since I was keeping the original hardware I decided they would look better if they matched. I added metallic dark gray paint over the Rub 'n Buff to mimic the beautiful patina of the knobs and pulls. Thankfully, it turned out exactly as I planned.

The drawers received a nice surprise with beautiful black and white houndstooth wrapping paper. (similar)

***Tip*** Target and other stores will put their Christmas wrapping paper on steep clearance after the holidays. I always pick up paper that I can use year round, including this black and white houndstooth that I snagged for 70% off!

And just to show you that you don't need to spend a lot of money styling and decorating, here are the sources for all the items on and around the table.

Lamp / Throw / Family Rules Artwork (similar)

I hope you all enjoyed this MCM dresser makeover as much as I do. Eventually, it will find a permanent home in our basement, but first we have to install the new flooring. The new coffee table I am ordering has zero storage, so the kids games and spare books will be stored in this beauty.