Category: Learning Project

Let’s get started!

I am so excited about my learning project that it has been hard to reign myself in and take the necessary steps! I just want to get my hands dirty! As my first step I had to learn how to remove paint from my old dresser. This great YouTube video was a huge help to me.

I learned what I need to buy in order to get started. I need: CitriStrip, a paint brush, gloves, a mask, rags/ paper towels, a spray cleaner to remove wax and grime, a 5 in 1 painters tool, sandpaper, paper bag, Tung oil, slideez lubricant (for the drawers), and a stain or wood paint of my choosing.

Something I had to learn about was the language I was using. Was I refurbishing? Refinishing? Restoring? This article helped me understand the lingo!

Front view of the dresser I’m going to refinish
Back view. If you look closely you can see this dresser used to support a mirror. Too bad I don’t have that mirror!
Close up view showing a good view of the hardware that I am going to replace with something modern.
Inside drawer view displaying the layer of wall paper I need to remove.

This user on Tik Tok demonstrates how she removed stain:

@cecy..gtz

1st video. In this video, I show you how I was able to remove the old dark stain from the table. #fixerupper #diy

♬ original sound – Cecy

Learning Project Outline

I am so excited about my learning project. It took me a long time to settle on a project but I am pleased to announce that I am going to learn how to refurbish a very old wood dresser. I was walking down an aisle in Home Depot and a spray can caught my attention because it had a picture of a refurbished dresser on it.

Home Depot inpiration!

I realized I have an old dresser in my basement that we do not use because it is so ugly. Then I remembered my cousin had recently posted on Facebook that she had just refurbished two of her old dressers. So voila! That is what I have decided to do. My husband and I dragged the heavy wood dresser to the garage and I am ready to get into it. The problem is I do not have any idea where to start! We bought a sander but now I think the dresser is actually painted, not stained. I do not know. As my first step, I need to investigate how to remove both stain and paint. I will need to buy the supplies (and hope for some good weather!). This week I plan to remove the stain/ paint. Inside the drawers there is a layer of fabric that also needs to be removed. Learning how to remove the current finishing and completing that work will take up week 1.

Week 2 I anticipate will be a continuation of removing the current finishing from both the dresser and the drawers. I will need to remove the current hardware.

Week 3 I expect I will need to cover any scratches, dints, and damage with wood filler. I have never done this before either so this will take me some time to figure out.

Week 4 I hope to be able to apply a new finish. I do not know if I will use stain or a paint made for furniture.

Week 5 is when I intend to install the new hardware.