Black-Birdseye Maple Empire Style Dresser

This was an empire style dresser that we found in North Carolina. It needed a lot of work, but we knew that it had some really good bones to work with. We decided to go with a darker paint color to contrast with the beautiful Birdseye maple on the drawers. More finished pictures are at the bottom of this blog! 

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Before you get started, you'll need to gather the following materials: 

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack

• Broadway Behr Paint​
•  Minwax Polycrylic Matte Base 32 fl oz Polyurethane
  •  Unlike oil-based poly that goes on clear, this will go on milky, but we have honestly been very satisfied with the result thus far.

Purdy Syntox Finish Brush

• You will need a special brush for the Polycrylic finish. The Purdy Syntox brush will do the trick. 

Bosch 2.5-Amp Orbital Sander

• Just remember, this is a staple item that will continually be used, so you can utilize this on a ton of DIY projects after you make the purchase.  We decided on the Bosch sander because of the quality of the Bosch brand; however, you can probably get away with a cheaper option if you don't want to invest in a nicer sander, and if you only plan on doing a few DIY projects with it.  

Gator 50-Pack 80-Grit 5-in W x 5-in L 8-Hole Hook and Loop Sanding Disc Sandpaper

• Depending on the type of stain that the original manufacturer of the dresser used, you may be able to get away with just sanding down the dresser without using any type of stain remover (This is huge, because stain removers are a pain).  Just keep in mind that if the dresser is not solid wood, then you may want to go with a more gentle approach; i.e., a combination of stain remover and hand sanding.  

• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog tape is a life saver if you are going for a more professional look.  Generally speaking, it is a time consuming task to tape up the dresser, but you will be happy that you did when you see the finished product. 

Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 60 Grit Medium Advanced Sanding Sheets 

Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 120 Grit Medium Advanced Sanding Sheets 

• A lot of what we said for the 60 grit sanding sheets apply here.  However, we use the 120 to smooth out the wood after it has been stripped to give it a smoother surface before applying stain. 

Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 320 Grit X-Fine Advanced Sanding Sheets  

• This sandpaper will be necessary for smoothing out the surface between coats of polyurethane.  This will definitely help you to accomplish a great final product.  

Before Pictures

Step 1: Remove the Original Finish from the Body of the Dresser

We sanded the body down. As we usually do, we start our sanding process with our orbital sander using an 80 grit sandpaper.  Then, we use 60 grit sandpaper to make sure all of the original finish has been properly removed.  Finally, we hand sand with a 120 grit sandpaper to get a smoother wood before applying paint. .  This process seems to be extremely effective in putting the dresser in its bare bones state.  Make sure you wash it off with a damp cloth so that there is not any dust or residue left on it. Once it is dry, it is time to tape around the edges! ​​​ We should note that we did not use the electric sander on the drawers because of the thin veneer (but we did hand sand them).

Step 2: Taping the Dresser

We ended up not having to do a ton of taping on this dresser, but we did end up having to tape the piece that sits on top of the dresser in order to protect the Birdseye maple. 

Step 3: Painting the Body of the Dresser

​After we were finished taping the dresser we painted the dresser using broadway paint.  We usually do two coats of paint to make sure that everything is sufficiently covered. We generally use Purdy paint brushes so that we can ensure that we get an excellent finish. ​​

Step 4: Applying Finish

After the paint was dry we were ready to apply a coat of water based Polycrylic to both the body of the dresser and the drawers with a Purdy Syntox brush.  After the first coat we sanded down the dresser using 320 grit sandpaper, then we applied a second coat of Polycrylic​.  ​

The End.

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