Sharing all the tips & tricks of how to refinish old furniture & transform a bedroom dresser into a classic DIY nautical dresser with some navy spray paint, knobs & gorgeous original wood with pictures.
Table of Contents
How to Refinish Old Furniture – Vintage Nautical Dresser Redo with Navy Paint
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Vintage/ Old Dresser Before
We found this antique dresser at our local thrift store.
We had been looking for a sturdy tall dresser for Bennett’s room since my old high school dresser was just too wide for his room.
2 Tips for How to Refinish Old Furniture
When looking for furniture to refinish regardless of appearance I always look 2 things
Tip ONE – Is it heavy or solid?
I look for heavy pieces because that means solid wood not wood veneers or thinly cut soft wood.
Solid wood can always be sanded down and refinished.
Tip TWO – Does it have dovetail drawers?
Dovetail drawers usually (not always) mean quality construction.
The dresser had atleast 3 coats of chippy paint on it.
It also was missing part of it’s front foot but Jason was sure he could fix it and for $50 we felt that it was worth it.
I really like the style and shape of the original dresser.
It reminded me of a dresser that you find in an old cottage.
Sanding & Fixing the Old Dresser
Jason was able to fix the foot.
He did an amazing job you can’t tell that it is missing.
He sanded down the whole thing.
We decided to be a little different and keep the wood on the front of the drawers.
How to Refinish Old Furniture with Spray Paint & Polyurethane for the Exposed Wood
Jason spray painted the body of the nautical dresser and shellacked and added polyurethane to the drawers and the top of the dresser.
Adding New Knobs to the Old Vintage Nautical Dresser
We found the compass knobs online from Hobby Lobby.
For a couple dollars each, they were a steal!
Nautical Dresser Redo After
I love how the nautical dresser turned out.
He wanted a world themed travel blue boys bedroom & I think it looks fabulous in his newly remodeled navy boys bedroom.
Below is the nautical dresser in Ben’s finished.
I hope this answers some of your questions for hoe to refinish old furniture with our nautical dresser redo & inspires you to refinish an old piece of furniture at your home!
by Tara Lehman
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You did a great job. Love seeing the wood on the drawers. It is a great look.
Nancy, thank you so much! So glad you liked the wood we definitely weren’t sure whether to paint those or not:) Hope you are having a great week and take care, Tara
It turned out great, Tara! I love how you kept the wood in tact on the front, and I am loving anything navy blue lately. Those knobs are perfect! I may need to get a couple for myself for the dresser I’m redoing right now.
Hey Jenny! Thanks so much for your sweet comments about Ben’s nautical dresser! The knobs are really great and I can’t believe they were only $2! I will definitely be back for more knobs for the rest of my house! Can’t wait to see the dresser you have been working on!
Tara –
What a great thrift store find! I love those! I can’t wait to see his travel room! What a fun fun idea! I love how your whole family is involved in all of your projects! I can’t wait till my little one is old enough to “help” ! Thanks for sharing!
Cat
Thanks Cat! I can’t wait to see his travel room too:) Ha, if only we could snap our fingers and these projects would be done! My kids have pretty strong opinions on what they want AND don’t want:). My middle guy wants a library/lacrosse room..not sure how I will pull that one off:). It won’t be long before your little one can join in:)…Can’t wait to see what you guys create together!
I love this redo SO much – it looks fantastic!! And what skill to be able to restore the foot – kudos!
Hi Jami! Thank you so much!!! The dresser turned out way better than I had thought it would!!! Hope you are having a great week:)
It’s hard to believe this is the same piece. Amazing.
Thanks Marty! It really is amazing how different it is:). Hope you are having a great week!
This looks amazing!! I love it, especially the drawer pulls!
April thanks so much for taking the time to check it out:).
Tara, the navy is such a perfect contrast of the wood tone. Beautiful!
Heather thank you so much!!!
Tara, you did a beautiful job. Navy and wood — always an excellent choice for a boy’s room. I’m eager to see how the room comes together. I saw your link at From My Front Porch to Yours: Treasure Hunt Thursday link party.
Ann Marie, thank you so much for stopping by and for your sweet comments about my son’s navy and wood dresser:). Have a great week and take care, Tara
Your nautical dresser just caught my eye at the Get Your DIY On party – love it! Really liking the navy blue with the light stained wood and of course those fabulous compass knobs are the icing on the cake.
Thank you so much for your sweet comments about my nautical dresser Marie!
Love the simple details of this piece! Very classy now! Well done! I’m so thrilled you were able to share this at my Making Broken Beautiful party, I do hope you will join in again tomorrow :0)
Smiles!
Terry
So glad you like the dresser Terry!