Is it a desk, is it a chest of drawers, no it's both! (AKA Red Mahogany Chest of Drawers/Secretary)

We have a friend that cleans out homes after estate sales.  He ended up coming across this extremely unique piece that we just had to have when we saw it.  At first glance it looks like just another chest of drawers, but at a closer examination one of the drawers pulls out into a fully functional desk.  If you are familiar with secretaries, then you will understand that they do not typically take this form.  This piece was solid maple, and the hardware was in great shape for its age (we made sure to clean the hardware thoroughly).  

This piece gave us a unique opportunity to do something that we have yet to do, and that is to stain the entire piece.  We absolutely love the combination that paint and stain bring to many pieces, but the wood grain was so beautiful on this piece from top to bottom that we determined that we did not want to hide any of that wood grain behind paint.  As you can tell from the pictures, there was a pretty major stain on the top of the dresser, and a few minor scratches inside the desk part of the piece.  Other than those flaws, the piece was truly in fantastic shape.  

We used the following supplies on this dresser:

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• Minwax Red Mahogany Oil-Based Interior Stain
•  Minwax 40910 Wipe-On Oil-Based Poly, 1-Pint, Clear Satin
  • We decided to give wipe-on poly a try for this project, and we couldn't be more happier that we did.  The wipe-on poly gives you the opportunity to have more control over the application process over that of spray-on poly.  It also does not leave brush strokes like paint-on poly.  Not to say that either of the other options are bad, but we were extremely pleased with the easy application of the wipe-on poly, and the finish that it provided.
• 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.  
    
• 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 sand paper 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 sale both options).  Finally, if you plan on doing a lot of DIY projects, then buy the contractors 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 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 sande paper 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 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. 

Because the dresser was solid maple, we were able to skip the messy stripping process and proceed to sand off all of the original finish.  There are times that you do not appreciate the wood grain of a piece until after the original finish has been completely removed; that is exactly how this piece shaped out.  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 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 stain might drip/or stain 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.  ​

After we finished with taping we stained the body and the drawers.  To be honest that was the easy part of this project.  

The hard part was staining the inside of the desk.  There were a lot of intricate pieces to make sure were stained properly.  With that being said, we are really glad that we spent the time to ensure that the entire inside of the desk was stained with the red mahogany stain.  

After we stained the piece we let it set for a little over 24 hours to ensure that the stain was fully dry, then we applied polyurethane..  Poly does two things: (1) it creates a layer of protection for the drawers and body 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.

Another successful project in the books!