Beginner here -How I do strip (by hand or sander) and paint (or stain) old dresser set to look great?

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I need your ideas! I am looking for a hobby! Thank you!

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  1. DAVID A says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    Depends on the final finish you’re looking for. Many people like a distressed finish; you may already have that. If you’d like a distressed finish but different color(s), just clean it well to remove dirt & wax {what you use depends on how badly it’s embedded; use TSP (tri-sodium phosphate) solution if it’s real bad; that’ll also help to de-gloss the finish so that the new finish adhers properly}, rinse, dry & begin applying your paint finish (use a primer if you don’t want any of the previous colors to show through). To obtain a smooth paint finish, instead of distress, you may need to strip the old paint with a chemical stripper- that’s if the old finish has lots of chips that would give an undesired roughness to your new finish. But, if there are just a few such rough spots, hand sand those to smooth out the edges. After any sanding or chemical stripping, be sure to wipe it down well (if chemically stripped, follow the stripper instructions for cleaning it off). Strippers are a bit messy & a little dangerous to use (the degree of messiness & danger depends on the specific product; if you decide to go this route, talk to a professional at the paint department; you may have to talk to several before you find one you feel knows what he/she’s talking about). After sanding/stripping & cleaning, apply a primer, followed by your top coat color. Some respondants to your question claim good results with staining but it’s normally hard to get the wood pores cleared of paint well enough to get an even stain job & even more difficult to get the pores clean enough to accept a deep stain so that the finish is dark. I suggest you ask friends of their experience & ask someone to look at your project to help you analyze the best route for you. One final comment- if you’ve got many ridges (eg carvings), it’ll take a lot more work to clear them of paint to allow staining. LOL

  2. miss_chrissy_dawn says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    I used a hand sander to do a crib..and then stained..turned out nicely

  3. Jenny G says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    ask someone at the hardware store for a chemical stripper. then sand with a fine paper before you stain. hand sanding takes alot of work, and by sander you can do alot of damage if you don’t know what you’re doing – it’s real easy to dig holes with those things. Stain just like you would paint. afterwards, you’ll want to put a protective coating on it some kind of varnish.

  4. Muggles says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    some of thoes chemicals work great getting off the outer layers of paint then you will only need light sanding then finish.

  5. shenzoe says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    If it is a nice old dresser do not use a sander on it, stripper only.

  6. satheesivan says:
    December 9, 2009 at 7:26 am

    use rougher sand paper first and then use fine sand paper, use ure hands for the parts the electric can’t get to and for designs, then paint if you want it to be a solid color and use stain if you want the grain in the wood to show through, if you use stain sand after you put stain on and then finish

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