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Farmhouse Dresser Makeover ~ Rustic & Red

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.

Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
Festive, right? I want a rustic, farmhouse dresser and I got what I wanted. Let’s start at the beginning…
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com

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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser with Rub N Buff by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser with Rub N Buff by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.”
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
What is more, here’s a fun split to see the difference.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
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.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com

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 Beige Waffle Blanket available at Prodigal Pieces | shop.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces #bedding
    Magic Linen Waffle Blanket ~ $130
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com
Finally, the dresser is in the spirit of the holiday.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser with Heifer Head by Prodigal Pieces | prodigalpieces.com
In addition, pin and share to inspire others to see past the flaws and what can be found underneath.
Rustic Red Farmhouse Dresser Makeover by Prodigal Pieces | www.prodigalpieces.com

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Also, more makeover and DIY fun like this farmhouse dresser:

Rustic Chic Finish by Prodigal Pieces - You can create this look with paint and stain www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
Custom Reclaimed Wood Projects by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com #prodigalpieces
Additionally, don’t forget that there are all sorts of fun stories of “RED” being shared by my fellow furniture makeover ladies.
Themed Furniture Makeover Day ~ Rustic Red Farmhouse Cottage Chic Dresser by Prodigal Pieces www.prodigalpieces.com

Comments

  1. Debbie says

    It is a beautiful piece! Love the shape of it and thered is perfect! Love it!
    Debbie

  2. Marie Blackburn says

    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 🙂

  3. motherhen says

    Lol Your write up made me smile – funny read with my morning coffee. Love what you did with the dresser – warm and charming!

  4. Karin Chudy says

    Just beautiful Larissa,
    I love it when these pieces can be saved and made gorgeous again!
    great job!
    Hugs,
    Karin

  5. Breanna Bertolini says

    This piece makes me really happy! I love the warm tones of it and the subtlety of the red. Just gorgeous!

  6. Wendi Wachtel says

    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:)

  7. Paula@SweetPea says

    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.

  8. Christy James says

    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!

  9. Vanessa says

    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!

  10. Adina Johnson says

    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.

    • Larissa says

      That’s awesome to hear, Adina. Thank you! Yes, the multi-color style is one of my faves too. 😉

  11. Martha says

    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

    • Larissa says

      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. 🙂

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~ Laurel

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2020-03-21T21:34:13-04:00

~ Laurel

I love it! Larissa is amazing. She listened to what I wanted and then she took care of the rest! This is my second piece I've bought from her and I'm in love! I highly recommend her.

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2020-03-21T21:39:34-04:00

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2020-03-21T21:43:16-04:00

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