Refinished Dresser - Part 1

I have been looking for an older dresser forever, and could not find one for less than $100. I liked the lines of these dressers - but didn't want to pay the high price tag for an already refinished dresser that wasn't exactly what I was looking for.

I searched garage sales, and Craigslist for months until I found the perfect dresser at the perfect price! For $35 I found a bright red dresser, that was a terrible color but had the perfect lines.

I knew that it needed a lot of work, and I was willing to work on it to make it exactly what I wanted. I started with stripping the paint, which was a job that took place over a couple of weeks. I first used Klean Strip Premium Stripper but found that this did not work very well. After researching different paint stripper options I went with Citristrip Stripping Gel and found that this worked very well. It took 1 coat of the Klean Stripper and then 1-2 coats of the Citristrip Stripping Gel and it was starting to look good again!

I also knew that I needed to strip the drawer handles, as the white paint was uneven and chipping. I wasn't sure how to do this but after reading a few things online and many episodes shows on HGTV I chose to follow advice from Nicole Curtis - Rehab Addict. I soaked the handles in a crockpot filled with on high for about 10 hours. After taking them out of the water the paint peeled off without any issue. I didn't know that it would work, but it was free so I thought why not try. I think the handles look great but the brass color does not match the gray I will be painting the dresser so I will repaint them white.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Refinished Dresser to see the final product!