It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! In case you missed it, last month’s furniture makeover theme was “words/letters”. My feed sack chair was a fun and funky project that still has me on the hunt for more feed sacks. It’s a must see, trust me. This month’s theme is “RED” – oh yeah. Time for a farmhouse dresser makeover. Yay!
I like red, especially this time of year. Before I even knew the theme for this month, I had already envisioned my piece as red, so it was an easy decision on which one to make over.
Festive, right? I want a rustic, farmhouse dresser and I got what I wanted. Let’s start at the beginning…
DIY TIME
This dresser was one of the three pieces that came home with me after the garage sale around the corner I mentioned in my dolled up dresser makeover last week.
I will admit the ornate highboy first caught my attention, but this one made me smile. It has such lovely form and I have a thing for skeleton key holes. There’s such a mystery as to why people thought they needed to lock up their clothes and possessions when most of the time they didn’t even lock their doors.
It would have delighted me to no end to bring this piece back to its original glory. The peeling veneer is just not repairable. Also, the damaged top is far too gone with chunks missing from where a mirror had sat, not to mention the deep stains.
Take a look at the drawers…see how the previous owner tried to nail down the lifting veneer? Though I don’t like the peeling look, I do like the nail heads. Yes, I’m funky that way. tsk.
However, If you take a closer look, you’ll see that the dresser had already had a red coat on at some point, and someone decided to strip it down. That’s probably when the veneer was mostly damaged.
Since I liked the blonde color of the wood, I decided to try to remove that peeling veneer and see what I got beneath.
ALMOST DONE
If you ever get a piece with veneer that needs removed, just do like I mentioned in my 10 Furniture Refinishing Essentials post. Soak some bath towels and lay them on overnight or for 8 hours.
That veneer will come off like butter off of a hot knife, I tell ya. SOOO much easier than scraping and nicking your knuckles. Ask me how I know.
Once the veneer was removed, I was left with a surface that just needed some sanding TLC.
NEXT STEPS
Can you tell those pulls are not original? I saw no sense in spending money on trying to locate some authentic pulls, so I took my Rub N’ Buff and gave them an antique feel.
It’s much more appropriate than bright shiny silver, don’t you think?
Here is the farmhouse dresser ready for a new red look after veneer removal. Sigh… It is already that time of year when I have to paint inside because it’s like January in November now.
I am going after an old worn layered look. To achieve that I used a base coat of green. My kids would walk by and say, “I thought you were painting red?” To which I’d reply, “You’ll see.”
When I started the red, my four-year old boy announced, “That doesn’t look too good.” Ha! I love the innocence of that age.
Who can blame him? At first you would think, yick.
ALL DONE
After the red coat, I sand the red down so that the green peeks through and also some of the wood. I finished off with a topcoat of a dark hand-rubbed wax. Now it looks like an old barn finish with it’s deep red color.
Those rustic worm holes and spots where the nails had been just screamed character to me and I love how the core of the drawer is now showing and displaying the story of days gone by. Nothing done to them except a good coating of linseed oil to draw out the natural color and grain of the mismatched wood.
What is more, here’s a fun split to see the difference.
Since this piece is missing casters, I dig back into my caster stash. I’m so thankful I was able to put this dresser back on its rightful feet.
CARIBBEAN
Ooh, I just love the rustic feel! The red is exactly how I had envisioned it. Now this farmhouse dresser is ready for the holidays and to add that special rustic touch to a farmhouse somewhere. Thankfully, it actually sold quickly from my online shop and is now residing in the Caribbean!
Magic Linen Waffle Blanket ~ $130
Finally, the dresser is in the spirit of the holiday.
In addition, pin and share to inspire others to see past the flaws and what can be found underneath.
To get these DIY tips & tricks in your inbox, be sure to sign up for my newsletter. Until next time!
Also, more makeover and DIY fun like this farmhouse dresser:
Additionally, don’t forget that there are all sorts of fun stories of “RED” being shared by my fellow furniture makeover ladies.
It turned out beautifully! Thanks for the wet towel idea….I’ve never heard of it!! ~Christy
It is a beautiful piece! Love the shape of it and thered is perfect! Love it!
Debbie
I love that you left the drawers wood. it looks perfect with the green and red!
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Wow Larissa you put a lot of TLC in this dresser. Love the toned down red. Thanks for the we towel tip – pinning that idea for future reference! Loving the red theme this month 🙂
Lol Your write up made me smile – funny read with my morning coffee. Love what you did with the dresser – warm and charming!
Larissa this is absolutely perfect! I LURVE it!
Such a beautiful piece! You really brought it to it’s full potential! You’re a talented lady, for sure!
Fantastic! Just in time for Christmas. Great job.
Just beautiful Larissa,
I love it when these pieces can be saved and made gorgeous again!
great job!
Hugs,
Karin
You did an amazing job on this poor dresser Larissa! Stunning!
Jeanette
This piece makes me really happy! I love the warm tones of it and the subtlety of the red. Just gorgeous!
Larissa…You’re dresser is gorgeous! LOVE the makeover and thanks for sharing how to get rid of veneer. Tha’ts the first time I’ve heard of that method! I love the nails in the drawers too:)
I had no idea that damp towels will help to remove veneer. Thanks for that great tip. This dresser looks so pretty and I’ll bet that it sells quickly. I like the natural wood drawers combined with the painted top and frame.
SO beautiful, Larissa! I like that you kept the beautiful wood on the parts that were in good shape, and thanks for the tip on removing veneer!
I love this piece and the red is my fave color too, Larissa. What paint brand and color did you use? I have a piece I want to try to on. I never try the dark wax over paint before, do you have to add clear first than the dark? Great piece!
That is gorgeous Larissa!!! I love the “touch” of red!! Perfect! 🙂
Nancy
First time visitor to your blog, beautiful work! The dresser is adorable and your photo staging is lovely as well 🙂
LOVE THE RED! I WOULD LOVE TO FEATURE IT , IF THAT WOULD BE OK PLEASE LET ME KNOW,
LAUREN
This is one of my favorites! I love red as an accent color, especially during the holidays. Great choice, oh and the two tone is another favorite.
That’s awesome to hear, Adina. Thank you! Yes, the multi-color style is one of my faves too. 😉
awesome I love to work with wood, I use stains most the time it brings out its naturalness. I wonder how a light stain in mahogany would have looked instead of paint! Just another thought. Merry Christmas 2017
If the dresser hadn’t had to have the sides removed, stain would be an option, like I mentioned. I love paint and stain anyway. 🙂