Granny’s Old Dresser

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Jennifer

My {amazing} sister-in-law, Ilke, gave me this dresser a couple of months ago. It belonged to my hubby’s grandma {we call her Granny}. She didn’t need it anymore and she asked if I wanted it. Ummm, yes please!

It’s beautiful, and I loved it the way it was, but I knew I could make it so much more!

So out came the mouse sander.

Surprisingly, this varnish came off very easily.

There were a couple of places in the wood that needed repairing though.

I’ve seen hubby use Elmer’s Wood Filler for several projects and thought it might work for this.

I globbed it on. Let it dry. Sanded it smooth. Then painted over it. It worked like a charm!

One coat of primer and two coats of Olympic Heavy Cream paint and it looked like this.

I decided to leave the top the natural wood color. It was pretty damaged to begin with.

So I sanded.

Added a coat of Minwax Red Mahogany Wood Finish

and finished it with a coat of Minwax Polyurethane.

Of course I added a little bit of a distressed look by sanding the paint.

Same as always, I start with a low-grit paper and smooth it out with a very fine-grit sand block.

The knobs were an antique brass and my dining room is silver and nickel-finish so I sprayed the knobs in my favorite paint, Krylon Brushed Nickel.

And when it as all said and done. . .

I had a beautiful new piece of furniture in my almost-finished dining room!

Love it! Thanks Ilke!

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79 thoughts on “Granny’s Old Dresser”

Amy Bennett on June 22, 2011 at 6:10 am said:

It looks great!

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Jeri on June 22, 2011 at 6:16 am said:

It turned out GORGEOUS! I love that cream color! Great job!

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Miss Kitty on June 22, 2011 at 6:20 am said:

WOW! What a transformation! I'm sure Granny will be happy her dresser found such a glamourous new life.

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driftwoodesign on June 22, 2011 at 6:30 am said:

Very Elegant! I've always loved that style of hardware.
Kristy @ 4 the love of WOOD

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Deb @ Paper Turtle on June 22, 2011 at 6:31 am said:

Wow, Jen, I love what you've done to this dresser!!! I'm so impressed by you and all the projects that you take on yourself. I got my grandma's old dresser a couple of years ago – it had about 20 coats of old paint on it. My hubby (who is a painting contractor) spent hours cleaning it up and refinishing it for me. Seeing you take this project on yourself makes me feel a bit lazy! LOL

Anyway! Well done and it makes a gorgeous piece of furniture!

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sarah on June 22, 2011 at 6:31 am said:

it is beautiful. i think i need to invest in a sander…..

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Jessica on June 22, 2011 at 7:05 am said:

oh gee. i wish people just wanted to give me gorgeous pieces of furniture like this! i love what you did with it. it looks just absolutely fabulous. dressers are just great everywhere aren't they?!

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A Day in the Life... on June 22, 2011 at 7:10 am said:

This looks great!

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Kelli @ RTSM on June 22, 2011 at 7:20 am said:

What a great makeover! I love that you kept the top natural….it looks great against the lighter colored paint!

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Anna on June 22, 2011 at 7:25 am said:

You did an awesome job! Refinishing furniture is work!!I have a few pieces begging to be worked on but dont have a garage, summer started too early this year so I am waiting for fall.

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destiny on June 22, 2011 at 7:58 am said:

soooo pretty! great job girl!!

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Sandi Sharp on June 22, 2011 at 10:15 am said:

Sandi @ Making It Homey said…I love how it turned out. The style is so gorgeous and you were right when you said you could improve it. I've been looking for one like that for some time, you lucky duck. Love it though.

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KT.Eves on June 22, 2011 at 10:52 am said:

I love love LOVE the way this turned out. Fantastic job!!!

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Mel on June 22, 2011 at 11:10 am said:

I absolutely love how this dresser turned out! It's more beautiful than anything youmcould buy at the store! i'm a new follower and I can't wait to see what else you have up your sleeve!

http://www.livelaughlove-mel.blogspot.com

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Andrea on June 22, 2011 at 11:10 am said:

It looks so awesome. Love the combo of dark on top and white on the bottom! Great job!

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Katie on June 22, 2011 at 12:55 pm said:

I totally love what you've done with this dresser.

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lauren @ West Furniture Revival on June 22, 2011 at 2:15 pm said:

The dresser turned out beautiful.. great look

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Donna~One Simple Country Girl on June 22, 2011 at 4:32 pm said:

Wow! Great transformation!

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Phil and Darby Hawley on June 22, 2011 at 5:04 pm said:

WOW what an awesome makeover! I love the color you selected! I'm a new follower

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Colleen on June 22, 2011 at 5:48 pm said:

so pretty. You make it seem like such a doable project – love that about your posts : )

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Stacey on June 22, 2011 at 6:50 pm said:

What a beautiful dresser! It must be nice to have such generous friends!
Stacey of Embracing Change

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Ilke on June 22, 2011 at 7:29 pm said:

Darn!! Why did I give this to her? I could have done the same!!

Lol!! No, I could not have! Who am I kidding?

You're welcome, Jen. I knew you could make this piece talk! It is in much better hands in your dining room! I am excited to see the finished room!

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Creative Raisins on June 22, 2011 at 8:50 pm said:

Wow what a great piece. I love the curves and the little details on this. It turned out really good.

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Jen on June 22, 2011 at 9:01 pm said:

Oh wow, this is just stunning! I don't know if I would have had the guts to paint my granny's dresser, but I'm sure glad you did because you pulled it off flawlessly. Jen @ http://www.icantstopcrafting.blogspot.com

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Shannon@vintagerestyled on June 23, 2011 at 5:36 am said:

Beautiful!

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janet on June 23, 2011 at 5:39 am said:

STUNNING!!!!!

Janet xox

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Kathy C. on June 23, 2011 at 6:11 am said:

Absolutely fabulous Jen! I was curious as to what color you were going to choose… like a bold blue or something. Then I wondered if you would choose the route of restoration. The end product is fantastic!! Can't wait to see what you do next!

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Between Blue and Yellow on June 23, 2011 at 6:18 am said:

A very pretty makeover, great job! I love dressers like that

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Decor & Harmony @ 4290 on June 23, 2011 at 6:32 am said:

The nickel hardware gives the dresser a modern twist it really looks dynamite!

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The Gunny Sack on June 23, 2011 at 7:00 am said:

I just love old dressers!! My grandma had one that that curved in almost a w shape, if you know what I mean. I would love to find one like it someday.

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Katie on June 23, 2011 at 7:41 am said:

Oh my goodness! I love it!! So gorgeous! Those style handles are my fave! I bet Granny loves it too!

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Anonymous on June 23, 2011 at 9:17 am said:

Looks awesome! Just out of curiosity, how long did you wait before putting the drawers back in? Any problems with the paint sticking? -Amber

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Kim @ Cheap Chic Home on June 23, 2011 at 11:35 am said:

I love granny's dresser, too! What wonderful lines and hardware it has. You did a great job. Hugs, Kim

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Nicole-Lynn on June 23, 2011 at 12:02 pm said:

It turned out so nice! Great job!

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Jennifer on June 23, 2011 at 12:39 pm said:

Amber, I put the drawers in several hours after it dried. The drawers stick, but not b/c of the paint. Just b/c it's old.

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Carrie on June 23, 2011 at 1:47 pm said:

Absolutely beautiful! Great job!

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Modern Wivelyhood on June 23, 2011 at 2:53 pm said:

It looks gorgeous! I love the two toned look, thanks for sharing!

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Desiree on June 23, 2011 at 4:14 pm said:

Wow! Looks great!

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Analog Girl on June 23, 2011 at 4:26 pm said:

I {love} this!! Thank you for all the details. I have been wanting to do a similar finish on a side table, so I really appreciate knowing what paints, stains, etc you used.

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Kelly @ View along the way on June 23, 2011 at 8:04 pm said:

That is gorgeous! The stained top is perfect. Now if I could just get a perfect little dresser like that to fall into my lap somehow…

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Katy on June 23, 2011 at 11:11 pm said:

WOW. I am so in love!! Great, great, great job! This is one of my favorite dresser makeovers I've ever seen .

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Yvette on June 24, 2011 at 6:06 am said:

I think this is just gorgeous!

Yvette @ AquaSeventy6

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Chris on June 24, 2011 at 6:32 am said:

First of all, I can't believe how lucky you are to be GIVEN this piece! It's gorgeous! You did such a great job with it! Thanks for sharing!

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gin on June 24, 2011 at 9:01 am said:

I love this dresser! I recently acquired a dresser that I'm going to attempt to turn into a china hutch. I'm going to bookmark this and use it as a guide because I've never done anything like it. Your step by step instructions are awesome…I need visuals. How long did it take you to finish it completely?
Thanks so much for sharing!
gin

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Heather on June 24, 2011 at 9:08 am said:

Very beautiful – I love this style dresser, something about the hardware, I think! What a gorgeous transformation. Well done!

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Michell @ Girl In Air on June 24, 2011 at 11:38 am said:

Oh it's sooo beautiful!!!

I have a dresser I can't wait to redo! I'm hooked on re doing furniture now and LOVE looking at what/how others do it too…

Great Job!

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Mindie Hilton on June 24, 2011 at 12:19 pm said:

I am just reminding everyone about tonights link party that runs Friday evening through Mondays!
I also have an ongoing give away link party now too.
Hope to see you soon.
http://bacontimewiththehungryhypo.blogspot.com/
come strut your stuff

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Jenny on June 24, 2011 at 4:16 pm said:

I so, so love the combination of stained wood with painted wood. Working on a dresser in those same tones myself! Lovely job!

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Deana on June 24, 2011 at 5:24 pm said:

I love it!! That looks fabulous. This post would be so great at my weekly blog party "from trash to treasure." I hope you'll join me!

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AquaSeventy6 on June 24, 2011 at 7:57 pm said:

Love it! Just gorgeous!

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Susan on June 26, 2011 at 7:01 pm said:

Just found you on Met Monday. Fabulous job on this dresser! Granny would be proud.
I like how you kept the top wood. Wonderful piece for your dining room!
- Susan

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Katy on June 26, 2011 at 7:14 pm said:

This looks great. I especially like the hardware.

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Trish @TheOldPostRoad on June 27, 2011 at 6:17 am said:

That looks awesome. You did a great job!
-Trish

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Melissa on June 27, 2011 at 7:07 am said:

Love what you did with this!! Thanks for sharing

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Johnnie on June 28, 2011 at 3:09 am said:

Beautiful dresser revamp!

Saved By Love Creations

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Jenn Erickson on June 28, 2011 at 9:14 am said:

Jen, you did a beautiful job of restoring this piece with a great history — and now you've given it even more history and meaning with all your hard work, attention to detail, and creative finesse!

Jenn

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Jamie on June 28, 2011 at 8:10 pm said:

Ahh! I love it, I am so jealous of your beautiful dresser!! Great job, your dining room is very lucky

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Jackie @ House Envy on June 29, 2011 at 3:05 pm said:

Absolutely beautiful!

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Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia on June 29, 2011 at 4:26 pm said:

I love this!! You did a wonderful job!
Stopping in from JAG
XO
Kristin

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ℳartina @ Northern Nesting on June 30, 2011 at 7:24 am said:

GORGEOUS Jennifer, I love it!! Martina

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Kelsey on June 30, 2011 at 8:03 pm said:

Gorgeous job! It looks amazing with the dark stained top! I am a huge fan of two toned dressers…check out the one I just did on my blog!! Great transformation!!

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Rosemary@villabarnes on June 30, 2011 at 8:49 pm said:

You gave granny's dresser a beautiful lift.

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Pretty Unique Furniture on July 1, 2011 at 1:15 pm said:

It is a lovely redo!

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Jennifer Lockerby on July 4, 2011 at 12:27 pm said:

Wow! I have this same dresser, however, mine is in great shape so I am not sure I want paint it. I will show DH and see what he thinks. Very pretty!

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Dave, Brooke, Kate and Calla on July 15, 2011 at 1:45 pm said:

love it so much. just emailed you some questions on doing the same to a telephone bench I found at a yard sale! You are so talented!!

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Kate in Austin on July 15, 2011 at 9:02 pm said:

What a great makeover. Love the transformation.

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Erin @ How to Nest for Less on July 21, 2011 at 11:14 am said:

LOVE THIS! I'm going to feature it on my wrap up party tomorrow as one of my favorite projects of the week! Hope you can stop by and take a look: http://www.howtonestforless.com

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Kristin @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia on July 22, 2011 at 8:29 am said:

This is such a gorgeous makeover! I love how you kept the top a dark wood, it's beautiful!
XO
Kristin

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SweetSugarBelle on August 3, 2011 at 2:06 am said:

This is GORGEOUS, Jen!!!

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Diane on October 11, 2011 at 8:17 pm said:

I just came upon your website via DIY. You are one talented woman! I love your style and you have given me inspiration to begin some of my rooms. Thank you! What color Blue is that in the dining room? It's gorgeous.

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Kari on October 15, 2011 at 9:16 pm said:

I wish my sil gave me a dresser like this. Beautiful makeover!

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Anonymous on December 13, 2011 at 10:14 pm said:

hi Jen. You talk a lot about Krylon Brushed Nickel spray paint. I hate my gold finishes in my bathroom and can't afford to replace all of them. Have you ever used them for towel bars, shower trim or even shower handles?

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Acooper on February 21, 2012 at 9:52 pm said:

Awesome job!! I love the contrast between the top and the base. The only thing I would’ve done different is leave the missing veneer spots on the drawers alone….once you paint over those spots and distress everything else it all blends in anyway and you never notice it!! I take a rock and put dings and little dents all over my pieces when I “redo” them…Plus it saves you time not having to repair all the damage! Try it…you’ll like it, and you can throw away the wood filler!!…lol

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Leigh on March 13, 2012 at 10:45 pm said:

How long did that take you?! I have some antique furniture that I’m thinking about refinishing, but I know it is going to take a lot of work! Just trying to figure out how many weekends though…

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Amber on April 2, 2012 at 5:43 pm said:

Jen,
I absolutely LOVE the way your dresser turned out! Great job!
I like your taste and cute personality.
keep up the great work!
amber

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Staci on June 16, 2012 at 12:37 pm said:

I love this! I just got a very similar dresser I’m going to “make new”. Curious … did you brush your paint? Spray?

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