Brick House

You’re looking at approximately 5 months of being intimidated by this dresser. I’m sure none of you have ever taken on a project, only to have it stare you down and tell you “I’m too much to handle.” I picked up this colorful 9-drawer Johnson Carper Mid Century Modern dresser that must have come from the home of someone who loved LEGO’s. Each drawer was a bold shade of yellow, red, blue or brown and the cabinet was painted a solid white. The only untouched surface was the top of the dresser.

Not too difficult, right?

I had also never refinished curved surfaces before. A number of you have expressed interest in refinishing pieces you have and my advice is still the same — start small, start cheap, start flat. I’m becoming more comfortable with simple, flat surfaces like dresser tops and drawer faces. These concave surfaces threw me for a loop. I stared at them for a good 3 months unable to do much of anything other than apply some CitriStrip and take off the outer layer of paint.

At some point in the process, you just need to start — or finish, in this case. The final month or two went a lot quicker than the first few. Many layers of paints were removed and still some evidence of its past remains. This piece went up to the Cleveland, Ohio area to live with a darling soul I had the pleasure to meet on a sunny spring day.