Paint or stain

[Xjeep25]

My pics are on photobucket.   My user name is xjeep25

I want to start with saying thank you very much for everyones help on the last dresser.

I have this dresser that have two doors that open up to three drawers inside. Its very dark i don't know if it just dirty or really messed up.
Before i upset anyone i would like to get some of your opinions, of what i should do. It has some crap harden on the top and severe markings. Should i clean it somehow or just go ahead and paint or semi refinish it. My pics are on photobucket.   My user name is xjeep25

[bigwull]

would it not be simpler to upload your pics on to your pc...then on to here,...i don,t know where photobucket is....and i might get lost trying to find it...

[mart]

yes we do need the pics posted to this site !!  that way we can enlarge to see detail better !!  size your pics to about 1500kb,, or about that !!  its easy to post them here !!

[Xjeep25]

Here it is all closed up

[Xjeep25]

here it is open

[bigwull]

Thats better....now i won,t get lost!...

[ghopper1924]

Looks like dark walnut stain.

[Xjeep25]

Right now the value is 55 bucks. i would even scrub it Murphy oil soap first to see if it will clean up, before i start painting or re-staining it. NOW if its worth hundreds i will take a different approach to it. I have bought this dresser to use and hopefully pass down to my daughter. Of course kids will want the new best thing when she gets older.

[Xjeep25]

I agree with you on the dark walnut..Now should i just clean it or go ahead and do my thing. Will i be an idiot and stupid if i touch this dresser?

[ghopper1924]

I'm glad you're thinking about it to such a degree; it shows respect for the piece and whatever craftsmanship it possesses.

I would just clean it, stain if necessary, and leave it be. Unless there's a good reason to do otherwise, it's always best to have the original finish if you can manage it.

BTW, it could be mahogany. In any case, it's dark hardwood, looks to be 1930s. A nice piece, and it's good that you're thinking of passing it down.

[Xjeep25]

i figure that cleaning would be the right choice. I guess i had to hear it from someone else. Now cleaning it should i use 0000 steel wool or a cloth? Is Murphy's oil soap REALLY good for cleaning? I am sure it will be ok for this application, but i need to learn the correct way of cleaning. I also heard of boiled linseed oil, thinner and water. I have found that cheap coffee grounds left in the drawer (in bowl) will help the drawer smell, as well as a good wipe down with rubbing alcohol.

You guys have been Great! thank you for all of your support on this post and the other one i posted. I cant wait to start the vanity i bought for my girlfriend.

[frogpatch]

At the risk of going against the opinions here I feel that finish is something that was applied poorly years ago and should be removed. I would use a no wash varnish remover. I will not harm the stain or the wood. It will remove all of that unsightly stuff and reveal the beauty of the wood beneath. Then a good coat of tung oil and a little wax will make it look good. If you are passing it down it will be received better if it looks the way it was meant to. I am all for preserving the original everything but in this case I don't think its possible. 

[mart]

can you take a close up of the gunk !!If its what I think,, its the old varnish thats bad !! Some of that would look like a coat old nasty built up wax but harder !!  Thats a nice little dresser and is worth doing a good job on !!

[cogar]

I agree with Frogpatch.

You will be wasting your time if you try to scrub it down or stain it. A liberal coat of Old English furniture polish and a good rub-down would work better than the above.

If it is the old finish (varnish) that is wrinkled and cruddy, you can smooth it out with “lacquer thinner” but that is a very “tricky” process that involves using a soft cotton cloth, with just enough “thinner” to per say “melt” the old finish and enough rubbing pressure to flatten the old finish which will “re-harden”. Too much rubbing or too much thinner will completely remove the finish.

I will suggest that you “strip” the exterior only and use a “liquid” stripper, not a “paste” stripper and then apply a new finish. Don’t attempt to “strip” the inside, just give it the Old English treatment. And be sure to first do a stripper “test” spot in an inconspicuous place.

And I’m pretty sure you can not completely “strip” off that dark walnut or mahogany stain, but it will “lighten” it up some.

[bigwull]

I agree with Cogar...regarding the liquid varnish remover...i stripped an old pine kist last month....and at my first attempt,i made the proverbial...pigs arse of it...i used Ronseal paste....big disaster....then i got a bottle of liquid varnish remover and it did the trick.....now i,m in the process of feeding the wood with bees wax....i,ll post some pics when its finished....