Stanley Furniture French Provincial Dresser

This is a dresser that was refinished for our niece, Kinsley.  It was an ugly green color when it arrived at our shop, so we knew that we had our work cut out for us.  However, this was an opportunity for a major transformation, and we couldn't pass up the chance to work on this piece.  

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We used the following supplies on this dresser:

• Purdy 3-Pack Polyester-Nylon Blend Angle Sash Paint Brush Variety Pack
• HGTV Sherwin Williams Mercer White - HGSW4054
•  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).  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 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 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. 
• 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 green paint from the body of the dresser.  The top of the dresser was a thinner veneer, so 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).  To accomplish this we used CitriStrip.  We applied the Citristrip using a  super cheap paint brush (think dollar bin at Home Depot).  After letting the CitriStrip sit for about an hour, we removed most of the original paint 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. 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. Note that on this dresser we did not use the orbital sander on the drawers 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 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 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.

Step Four: Painting

After we were finished with taping the dresser we painted the dresser white. 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 an excellent finish.  

After the base coat had dried, we went ahead and started the detail work.  We used a greyish blue color that Josh's sister used to paint the walls in Kinsley's bedroom.  It was pretty to cool to incorporate that color into the dresser's color scheme.  

Step Five: 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 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).