Five Tips for Rehabbing Furniture

Barrett and I experience what we like to refer to as “a laundry crisis” at least once a month. A “laundry crisis” is an extremely dire situation that results from the unfortunate combination of:

1) at least one fully grown adult who likes to dump their clothes on the floor at the end of the day and

2) the scarcity of drawer space that results from being exclusively attracted to mid-century modern credenzas instead of dressers/armoires.

The resulting outcome is clothing all over the floor of your closet, laundry hampers utilized as storage containers, and a complete inability to ever find a matching pair of socks again. It’s really not ideal.

So although we are exclusively attracted to mid-century modern credenzas, we decided that a dresser set was absolutely necessary for our lifestyle. All of this is to say, dresser sets ain’t cheap! If you’re not the DIY type, then I highly recommend you immediately purchase this west elm set, or this already pretty armoire, or this compact Scandinavian guy, or this, or this, or this.

However, we do fancy the DIY lifestyle. So, before I knew it, Barrett was on the hunt. Eventually we found a, rather sad looking, set on Facebook marketplace. We paid $50 for the two large dressers, and restored them with materials we already had on hand.

Take a peek at what the old gals looked like when we picked them up.

They were not looking great. However, they had some really beautiful elements to them. I loved the brass hardware, floral details, and deep drawers. We knew these had enough space for us, and would match our old house. After some sanding, staining, painting, and shining, they really had new life! Check ‘em out.

Restoring furniture is one of our, now, favorite weekend projects. After reflecting on restoring these two pieces, we compiled five tips for restoring old furniture.

Make a list of practicals.
When browsing antique stores, craigslist, or other places, keep a list of practicals in mind. It can get so easy to get caught up in all the treasures that antique stores hold. When we were hunting for a dresser set, we knew we needed a set. There were tons of single armoires and dressers that caught our eyes, but our whole mission was to solve the laundry crisis! We knew we needed enough space for all our clothes. We also had to resist getting caught up in pieces with shallow drawers. Storage requirements, wall measurements, and other furniture can help guide your list. Don’t get too caught up in form over function.
Work with quality (wood/brass/gold/etc.)
Keep your eyes peeled for quality: solid wood, brass accents, and craftsman pieces. Although Ikea furniture can be great for DIY-ing, it won’t last you very long. Make sure any dressers, armoires, nightstands, and other wood items are solid wood (not just paneled). Additionally, brass accents are heavy and won’t crack or wear out. Brass hardware also shines up beautifully (use Brasso).
Paint is your friend
Natural wood can be so beautiful, but paint can do wonders. We used some a navy paint leftover from our guest bathroom. The matte paint smoothed over any scratches or flaws in the woodgrain. It also can be a great way to tie any piece in with the rest of your house.
Know where to look (spoiler alert: it’s the internet)
Yes, antiquing can be so fun, but it’s not where most business is done. Most people who are trying to unload old furniture turn to Facebook or Craigslist. Barrett and I have found some serious gems on these sites.
Get a hand sander
Our Dewalt hand sander is honestly one of the greatest tools we’ve ever purchased. We use it for everything. They’re relatively inexpensive, and so helpful. You can use these on so many areas of your home. Whether you have pets that damage your baseboards (Anyone? Just us? Cool), or you want to paint your cabinets/furniture/moulding/etc, this tool is your friend.