Drexel Red Stain-Over-Paint Dresser

This was an incredible dresser manufactured by Drexel.  Josh's sister and brother-in-law gave this dresser to us to work on, and are extremely grateful for the opportunity.  This was our first stain-over-paint piece and we loved it!  

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We used the following supplies on this dresser:

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• Behr Dark Crimson Paint
• MinWax Dark Walnut Stain
•  Minwax Polycrylic Matte Base 32 fl oz Polyurethane
  • Unlike oil-based poly that goes on clear, this will go on milky, but honestly we have been more satisfied with the result thus far.
• 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). Keep in mind that if the dresser is not solid wood, you may want to go with a more gentle approach, i.e., a combination of stain remover and hand sanding. 
• Pro Grade Precision 9 in. x 11 in. 60 Grit Coarse Advanced Sanding Sheets
  • You will need to purchase some sandpaper for hand sanding purposes. We like the 60 grit sandpaper for more precision stripping, and it seems to be more effective than 80 grit (in terms of hand sanding, not to be confused with what we use on our orbital sander). Make sure to get a pro-grade because it will last much longer than the cheap sandpaper, and the price difference is truly just a few dollars. We also recommend that you purchase the sandpaper in sheets because you can cut them in half and double the amount of sandpaper per purchase (this is preferred over purchasing the thinner strips of sandpaper; most hardware stores will sell both options). Finally, if you plan on doing a lot of DIY projects, then buy the contractor's pack (bulk pack); this will save you money over time and the frustrations of having to go back and forth to the hardware store for sandpaper. 
• 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 a 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.  
• 3-2/3 in. x 9 in. Imperial Wet or dry 800-Grit Sandpaper Sheets
  • You want to use 800-grit sandpaper for wetsanding after the polyerathane has been applied in order to give the piece a silky smooth finish.
• Frog Tape Trim Painter's Tape
  • Frog Tape is a lifesaver if you are going for a more professional look. Generally speaking, it is time-consuming to tape up the dresser, but you will be happy that you did when you see the finished product. 
• CitriStrip 32 fl oz Paste Multi-Surface Paint Remover
  • CitriStrip is extremely effective, but we must give a warning; due to the fact that CitriStrip is thick and sticky, it requires a little extra work to ensure that all of it has been removed from the wood, and it can be a headache later on if it is not properly removed (for us, a combination of mineral spirits and steel wool seems to do the trick). 

​Step One: Stripping the Original Paint

The first step was to remove the original stain from the body of the dresser. Since the top of the dresser featured a veneer, we decided to use CitriStrip, for we wanted to use something to remove as much of the paint as possible before we started sanding the dresser down (so that we would not sand through the veneer). We applied the Citristrip using a  super cheap paintbrush (think dollar bin at Home Depot). After letting the CitriStrip sit for about an hour, we removed most of the original stain from the body of the dresser using scrapers.

Note that you might want to use a combination of steel wool and mineral spirits to ensure that the CitriStrip has been completely removed.

Step Two: Sanding Down the Dresser

After the stripping process, we sanded the body and the drawers down. We usually start our sanding process with our orbital sander using 80 grit sandpaper. Then, we use 60 grit sandpaper to ensure all of the original finish has been properly removed. Finally, we hand sand with 120 grit sandpaper to get a smoother wood before applying paint. Note that we did not use the orbital sander on the drawers on this dresser because of their curved nature (they were sanded by hand)).

Step Three: Taping the Drawers

Before we painted the body of the dresser, we made sure to tape the inside of the body and the inside of the drawers. It is always important to remember to tape the inside of the body where the drawers slide in and out, and the inside portions of the drawers where paint might drip/or the paintbrush might touch. We will admit that this is not necessary, but if you want to have a re-purposed dresser that looks professional-grade, then every detail matters.

Step Four: Painting

After we were finished taping the dresser, we painted the dresser red. 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. ​

After the paint was dried, we also decided to distress it a little bit with 120 grit sandpaper. You don't have to do this, but you can always decide after the dresser is painted. You may want to keep in mind the type of wood that is underneath. The wood in this piece was very thirsty, so the distressed spots turned out much darker than we expected rather than fading into the paint as we intended. We think it turned out nicely anyhow!

Step Five: Stain over Paint

Sadly, we didn't get any pictures of this step of the process, but it is super easy! After the paint was completely dry, we applied dark walnut stain over the paint one section at a time. We started with the top of the dresser. Josh applied the stain with a stain pad, and I wiped off the stain immediately after he finished the entirety of the top of the dresser. Then, we moved to the sides of the body. Finally, we did all of the drawers, and we, again, immediately wiped off the stain.

Unlike when we typically stain a piece of furniture or wood, we did not need to wait for the amount of time allotted on the can. Using the paint-over-stain method is just to help the piece look more like an antique or to give the paint a darker tone. ​

Step Six: Applying the 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. 


Poly does two things: (1) it creates a layer of protection for the furniture from everyday abuse, and (2) it creates a smooth finish. We typically apply two coats of poly, but some projects may require more. After the poly has dried, we use a wet sanding technique with extremely fine sandpaper to ensure that the stained areas are smooth to touch. The wet sanding process is really simple, just spray on some lemon oil and lightly sand over the stained areas with an 800 grit sandpaper (you can also do this over the painted areas, but you need to be careful not to sand too aggressively over the painted areas or you will end up with a distressed look).