My sister called me recently because they’d been out looking for a new dresser with her adult son. They weren’t finding what he really wanted – never mind the fact that most of it was made of pressed board – so she decided to call me to see what I had. The only dressers we had in our stash at the time was a set of MCM chest and dresser – solid wood. We went back and forth about sizes, colors and what we could do. I sent over several Pinterest pictures of what my dressers could look like with an up-do.

He settled on the 9-drawer dresser. Trust me, it wasn’t pretty and I wasn’t sure if a young adult could understand my vision but we got it all worked out and I began the project.

I started with my usual prep of a thorough cleaning inside and out, removed all the hardware and legs then lightly sanded it all down. Now I could really see what I had to work with. The top needed some wood filler due to the fact it had been scooted around upside down on a garage floor. Once the filler was dry the dresser got another sanding and cleaning. I have no pictures of all of that because it was pretty darn cold outdoors and I just wanted to get it done and indoors.

It’s the first time I’ve worked on MCM and managed to save the look of most of the wood. It was also my first time for working with Benjamin Moore’s Advance in a satin finish as well as Minwax Gel Stain. I’m pleased to say I would use both products again without hesitation. The gel stain was so easy to apply and it covers a host of imperfections.

The dresser is all done now and ready for pick up next weekend and I must say I am very pleased with the final product. It’s solid and pretty darn heavy and it’s been updated with a modern twist for a very nice young man.

If you’re local to Livingston County or the Lake Orion area we would be happy to give you a quote to freshen up a piece of furniture for you. We also have our pieces for sale in The Vintage Farm House in Holly.