Grey and Red Mahogany Chest of Drawers

We found this dresser in an old farmhouse in rural Virginia.  After scanning the dresser over we determined that it was solid fruitwood.  Up to this point we have never had a fruitwood piece of furniture, so we were intrigued by the prospect of a new challenge.  Generally speaking, the wood on this dresser did not have the same intricate wood grain that we have come to enjoy with oak, maple, and cherry pieces, but to be honest it worked well for the design that we decided on.  The hardware was in near perfect condition and was unique enough that we determined that it would be worth incorporating into the design.

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As you will find out if you do enough DIY projects, it is easy to end up with plenty of leftover materials.  That is not necessarily a bad thing.  Luckily, when we were discussing designs for this project, two features continued to come up - red mahogany stain and grey paint: two things that we already had on hand.  We once again assessed the dresser to determine what to stain and what to paint.  After countless hours of pondering this very question, we decided to stain the drawers. 

We used the following supplies on this dresser:

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• Fusion Mineral Paint - Color (Bedford)
  • We purchase our Fusion Mineral Paint from a store in North Carolina called The Weathered Soul Shoppe.  You can buy Fusion Mineral Paint from a number of vendors in various locations, but we have found that The Weathered Soul Shoppe ships the paint quickly and has fantastic customer service.  The paint is a little bit pricey, but it provides a really great finish and has self-leveling features that reduces brush strokes.
• Minwax Gray Oil-Based Interior Stain
• Minwax Red Mahogany Oil-Based Interior Stain
•  Minwax Fast-Drying Polyurethane Satin Base 11.5 fl oz Polyurethane
  • We like to use the spray-on polyurethane on a lot of projects because it dries so quickly, it doesn’t leave bubbles, and we know that we get an even finish without too much work. It’s a little more money, but it’s worth it sometimes. 
• Stain and Polyurethane Brush
  • There are many options for applying stain to the wood.  However, we have found that using a stain brush allows for more control over the application process.  Please make sure that you have an old rag around so you can wipe up any excess stain that may have dripped on to areas of the dresser that you do not wish to have stained and any stain that may have dripped on to the floor.  
• 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. 

The original manufacturer's stain was thick and tough to remove.  However, we decided to go ahead and sand the dresser down to its barebones, rather than going through a stripping process.  With a little bit of elbow grease we were able to accomplish a fully sanded-down product.  As we usually do, we start our sanding process with our orbital sander using an 80 grit sandpaper.  Then, we hand sand with a 120 grit sandpaper to get a smoother wood before applying stain or paint.  

After we sanded the dresser down, we made sure to tape the inside of the 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 paint brush might touch.  We will admit that this is not a necessary step, but if you want to have a re-purposed dresser that looks professional grade, then every detail matters.  ​

We decided to stain the drawers first because it tends to take longer for stain to dry than paint. Sydney wanted to mix red mahogany stain with grey stain to create a custom stain color.  You can see a little bit of the grey stain, but it mainly turned out a red mahogany shade.  Sydney was a little disappointed since she imagined it having more of a grey tone to the stain, but the fruit wood soaked in the red mahogany beautifully. 

In order to make the stain, she found an old Tupperware container in the kitchen to use for mixing since she used a small quantity. For this custom stain, Sydney combined the stain with equal ratios. She poured in 1/3 cup of red mahogany and 1/3 cup of grey stain. Then, she mixed the colors together as normal.  We used a stain/polyurethane brush to apply the stain.

After we were finished with staining the drawers, we painted the body with mineral paint.  We usually do two coats of paint to make sure that everything is sufficiently covered. 

Mineral paint generally dries pretty fast, so we were ready to apply a coat of spray-on polyurethane to both the body of the dresser and the drawers after a couple of hours (a couple of hours is not indicative of how long it takes to dry, it's more us playing it safe).  

​Poly does two things: (1) it creates a layer of protection for the drawers 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 sand paper 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).  

The project was a success!