There’s nothing like the clean lines of midcentury modern furniture. I absolutely love it. It is sleek, stylish, and a little sexy. Except when its not.
I spotted this Bassett mid century modern dresser at a local auction and knew it was crying out for a makeover. I told Jason that we weren’t leaving without it and handed him our numbered paddle. Jason is in charge of bidding because I may or may not have accidentally bid against myself at my first auction when I was 14. I can’t be trusted with a paddle.
This Bassett dresser was structurally solid, but the finish was pretty beaten up. To be honest, it looked a little sad. I planned to restore the original stained look. However, when we got it home, I found significant damage to the veneer on the side that had been against the wall in the auction house. Years of neglect made this dresser a perfect candidate for a makeover.
To remove the old, faded finish, I used a cheap chip brush to coat the dresser box and drawer fronts in Citristrip Gel. The uneven bristles are perfect for applying a thick coat of the gel and are cheap enough to be tossed afterward. (No, this post isn’t sponsored in any way. These are just my favs for furniture makeovers)
Citristrip is my go-to stripping product because it doesn’t have the nasty chemical smell others have. It has gotten some mixed reviews but I have used it (and loved it) for years. It does need some time to do its work, so I wrapped everything in plastic wrap and let it sit overnight.
I painted out the box in Sherwin Williams Grays Harbor and stained the drawer fronts in Antique Walnut. I finished the insides of the drawers with two coats to tung oil.
