Found a campaign style dresser on Craigslist. Can’t wait to clean it up and refinish it.
It is from the manufacturing company Dixie, and is estimated to have been produced in 1972. It is solid wood, and has beautiful dovetail joints on the drawers.
Even if you live in an apartment, there is always room for this tiny little miter box for your projects! At 8 inches, this little jem is capable of being tucked away for storage, but offers plenty of flexibility when it comes to your crafting projects. I have used it in school for my 3d design projects, and now for mitering the corners of the trim I am replacing on the dresser.
The dresser was missing trim when I bought it, and after asking around for a friend-of-a-friend wood craftsman, I found someone who was able to replicate this impossible to find molding.
Living in an apartment, I only have a little corner of a room to dedicate to my refinishing project, and so tools that are small enough to keep in a tool bag in the closet (now I see why my father took over half the basement with his woodworking tools when I was a child) are a MUST.
3. Choosing Refinishing Options for your Vintage Furniture Piece
Before choosing your refinishing material (wood stain vs paint) it is wise to make the decision whether any flaws in your piece will be determining the finish, or if you will be replacing any parts with flaws.
Example: The dresser I am currently working on had a large stain on the surface of the top of the dresser. From just looking at it, I couldn’t determine whether it was a surface flaw (i.e. could be sanded out) or a penetrated flaw ( goes deep below the wood surface) and I would have to replace the top panel in order to fix it.
It turns out the large stain on top of the dresser is penetrated deep into wood. Meaning, unless I plan on painting the piece, the wood panel needs to be replaced in order to fix the issue.
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When choosing a finish, it is wise to look at many samples. Paint changes color under different lighting conditions (day lighting, incandescent, fluorescent) and so look at the colors under the lighting you will see it in everyday. If staining, rubbing the wood with a wet rag will show you what the wood looks like with only polyurethane on it. Stain on top of it will change the color from that hue.
I love to use accent colors on pieces. The particular piece I’m working on has some wood trim with a strip that would easily benefit from a contrasting color. I’m thinking of using that for my accent. For less ornate pieces, stencils can add some flair to the piece.
When you’re peeking around thrift stores and rummage sales, how do you know whether you’re looking at a great deal or a piece of junk? Sometimes it’s obvious, like with my bedside table that uses the cabinet door panel as part of it’s structure (hey, it was free and I wanted something to put my glasses on at night). Junk is quite obviously junk sometimes, shortcuts to a sale for a company that has no remorse about filling the world (and landfills shortly after) with garbage.
Other times, you have to do some investigating. When I saw the lovely little jem that is currently my “after hours” project, I wasn’t first aware of the value that was in front of me. I noticed it because I thought it was a cute little (ok, big) piece that had vintage charm and looked like it would be right at home in a 1960s boudoir, complete with a makeup table with beautiful family antique mirrors accessory trays. Simply stated, it stuck out.
I walked up to it, crouched down and look a closer look at the trim that outlines the center drawers and wraps around the sides (a detail seldom seen today). Next I took a little peek inside the drawers to see if it was in good condition. The outside finish was in rough shape and it was missing a few pieces of trim, but inside the drawers it was as if it was brand new. Peeking around the side of the drawer I discovered the magic detail, beautiful dovetail joints. In awe, I close the drawer and take a step back to look again. Certainly this piece was going for several hundred dollars and was just above the price range of the other dozens of people who have walked past it before me. I grabbed hold of the price tag wrapped around the drawer hardware, flipped it over and took a look.
WOW! It was almost a sign I was meant to have this dresser. Granted, this piece is from the manufacturing company Link-Taylor (a detail I discovered from the stamp in one of the drawers). Which was by no means an extremely high end manufacturer. They were part of a larger corporation and they mainly manufactured mid-range (but decent quality) bedroom sets. (I googled them when I came home, and although I haven’t found this same dresser anywhere else, it is quite obvious that they had various other styles and a full line of pieces). Nonetheless, someone saved up their pennies and purchased this after much thought and consideration. This was most likely a piece that was bought for a starter home when a couple was finally able to purchase their own things (instead of just taking everyone’s hand me downs to fill the house). I had no idea how this dresser slipped through so many other fingers to fall right into my hands, with such a great deal I felt as though it was a bargain I could not pass up.
I had no place to put this piece for the refinishing it was about to endure, and I wasn’t even sure how I was going to get it into my apartment (vintage buildings with tiny elevators do no one favors when it comes to moving furniture). I just knew I had to take it or I’d regret it for months to come.
*Stay tuned for a full post with detailed info on how to determine if a vintage (or new piece) is junk or a jem!
So I am in the process of refinishing my little vintage project (which you have seen in its original state in a past blog)
Although I don’t condone the use of harsh chemicals with toxic VOCs, for this project the only way I am going to get this done is with a chemical stripper. Had this piece been smaller, and less ornate I could have gotten away with an electric sander.
My advice for chemical strippers is to:
1. Create a cross breeze by pointing a fan from your project blowing away from you and another blowing fresh air towards your face
2. Use a liquid stripper with steel wool and gloves as opposed to gel. In my experience, although the gel does take finishes off with little to no effort, it creates a gooey mess (ew!) that’s near impossible to get off the furniture without going back over with either a sander or a mineral spirits. Save yourself the hassle.
3. Even if you think a drop cloth will not be necessary and you will be so careful not to make a mess… a mini mess disaster zone will occur around your project. Use the drop cloth and put on old clothes.
Stay tuned for the next stage!
I used to LOVE Ikea and all other mass retailers. I thought the idea of offering modern design at affordable prices to the masses was brilliant. At one point I aspired to be an Ikea furniture designer.
However, once I started studying design I realized the pitfall of offering furniture (and any other item for that matter) to the masses at low cost. Quality. Quality suffers when you take a great design concept and value engineer the conceptualization down to an affordable manufacturing price. Suddenly, that gorgeous new chair you just bought falls apart or the veneer is peeling off a year after you bought it. And like a drug, you’re back for more, right were you got the last piece.
Its terrible because when you get down to it, virtually the same amount of material goes into creating a quality piece that will last a lifetime as one that’s a fast-fix (i.e. You just got your first apartment, are broke but still want a beautiful living room). The omission of proper joints, material type, and high quality hinges (which makes for lower manufacturing costs), in fact makes furniture that after using and abusing (and hauling out of your living room, into a moving truck, and into your new apt next year) will in fact will be reduced to the sheets of MDF that compose it.
That being said, I have a crush on vintage pieces. They really do not build furniture like they used to. Plus, since these pieces are “dated” you can find them for *free* on craigs list or *cheap* at resale shops. Take my advice and pick one of these lovelies home and personalize it. Just cuz it may be “dated” doesn’t mean that it can’t be quaint, classy and rock way more style than the bedside table you picked up at Target last weekend.
**Stay tuned for my favorite ways to personalize and update your vintage furniture.
Ciao bella
