Cleaning And Repairing Used Furniture
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Refurbishing Used Previously Painted Furniture
Repairing used furniture can be time consuming but is a necessary evil. I’ve mentioned numerous times that prepping furniture is the most important part of a furniture makeover. Well, repairs are part of prepping. I talk this a lot because it has to be done.
The chest of drawers I have for you today was already painted when I bought it. But, it did need a few repairs. (Facebook Live Tour Video of Butler’s Antiques at the end of the post.)
Previously Painted Furniture
If you saw the post yesterday about all those chairs I bought at the junk shop then you’ve seen this chest of drawers.
The color is so pretty I didn’t want to paint it again. The paint is chipped in several places but I’m leaving that as is after a bit of clean up.
When I unloaded the chest from the truck I heard a couple of clunks. Not a good sound. Too heavy for money (always dreaming of the day). Two of the drawer sliders on the left hand side of the chest fell off.
Repairing Used Furniture
Not a difficult repair. Instead of wood glue I used my favorite power tool, the cordless Ryobi Brad Nailer, to nail the runners back in place. Waiting for glue to dry is even worse than waiting for paint to dry.
Next order of business was to clean the inside of the chest body (casing?)
I sucked up all that dust then wiped the inside clean using Simple Green. Soap and water works too.
The inside of the drawers were in good shape but the dove tail on the sides was loose. Nailed again. I was a little worried the wood would split when I used the nailer but it didn’t.
As I mentioned the paint was chipped in several places. The paint really wasn’t something I wanted to distress heavily. I just went over the rough spots with sandpaper then I did something different. I went over the paint with Howard’s Feed n Wax. Yes, I know the Feed n Wax it isn’t for paint but it shined it up nicely and gave the raw wood a bit of color. I wiped the wax off after a few minutes because it let the paint feeling a little slick.
FYI, shining up paint is not what the Feed n Wax is intended for. It’s up to you weather you want to try this technique.
I decided to leave the hardware as is. I could have painted it but wasn’t sure what color I would use. I wiped the drawer pulls with Feed n Wax too. ( by the way, I don’t work for Howard’s, just love their products)
The green chest of drawers is now ready to go to the shop. What do you think? Should I have painted it?
I have a few favorite pieces I’ve painted green…..
The lime green nightstand is one of my favorite green makeovers. And to think I didn’t like the paint to start with. Read the story about the paint and the bed (another piece that was already painted) here…..Lime Green Nightstand.
The wardrobe is green and black, another of my favorites…..Stenciled Wardrobe.
Get a look at the junk shop and the owner in the video below….
Butler’s Antiques in Kentucky
That’s it for me. Thanks for being here. You guys have a great weekend, Kathy
Author:Â Kathy Owen
Kathy Owen is the founder of the home decor blog Petticoat Junktion where she shares tutorials on painting furniture and upcycling thrifty finds into unique home décor. Her DIY projects have been featured on the Home Depot Blog, Plaid Crafts, Behr Designer Series, and in numerous magazines.
You go for it girl but I’m not even going to tackle upholstery. Glad you like the green wardrobe. One of my favorites
Looks good, Kathy!
Have you ever bought a used couch, loveseat, or recliner and then reupholstered it? This blog, combined with another (https://www.greatplainschemdry.com/used-furniture/) has given me the itch to try.
Do you have any experience with it? Love the green wardrobe!
I would paint it. It looks unfinished and rushed. The color does not bother me but I would have to paint it .
Thank you for the praise!! I can understand your dislike of green. It’s really easy to be mortified in your teen years.
Thanks Vicki. You’re input is worth more than 2 cents to me!
What can i say , I like the green a matter of fact I’m green with envy , . LOL ! Of course I love your work and so jealous of the stuff you score . Most of the time I leave out my two cents but today is a new day .
I’m not a fan of lime green and of course, I’m going to tell you why. Back in the day when I graduated high school and got a job, my dad decided I would need a car. So we looked at some older corvettes (my dream car). However, he thought I just might hurt myself in a corvette….so for the rest of the story. My dad found a 1949 Chevy and painted it……wait for it…..lime green. At age 18, I was mortified. No one wanted to ride with me. Now it was a good driving car so I kept it. Now that is why nothing in my house is that color. Oh, it didn’t matter to my future husband and he had a brand new 1962 Pontiac. So I definitely traded up. lol
You do amazing work and your blog always brightens my day!! Blessings!
Kathy, before I took the dresser into the shop I would either paint it or stencil or do something to dress up the plain drawer fronts. I know you love the color, but it would really be special with a little vavoom! Have you seen the rub on transfers from Iron Orchid? One of those would be great on this little cutie. You can order them on Amazon and they are fairly inexpensive for the bang they give to furniture. Make sure to check the measurements against your chest, but they are easily cut down if they are a little big. They have beautiful color ones that should work with the green, or you can just do a black and white one.
I’m afraid I have to agree with Annette. I just don’t like that lime green and I think it needs something else. Not sure what color I would use but I would paint it another color and distress it. Just my thoughts.
I love your re-do’s! Yet sorry Kathy, but I think it looks like something that is ready to be painted. (Don’t jump all over me folks, just my opinion. ) It may just be that I don’t particularly like the color.