French Dresser

The french provincial dresser.  I have refinished this dresser twice.  Actually, three separate dressers of the exact same kind.  One was an ugly white, another this and the third is currently in my garage. :)

 Dressers.  Dressers.  Dressers.  Where to begin?  How about I just stay specific for what I did with this dresser?
Rarely do you find a dresser anymore that is truly solid wood.  You will find dressers that have wooden bones, but most of it will be pressed particle.  If you come across a dresser that is solid wood, it will actually save you a lot of time.
You will notice that the above dresser was missing a matching handle.  I found a replacement at etsy.com for about $14 after shipping.  There are a lot of different styles of french provincial handles, so make sure you get the right size, curves and color.
When you get handles, it will save a headache to make sure the holes are the correct distance apart and that the seller includes the screws.

This dresser.  The sides are pressed particle board, the drawers are dovetailed.  What?  You thought dovetailed means that it is made of real wood?  Nope.  Yes, dovetailed means it is better made and the drawers will hold up much longer.  That doesn't mean anything about the rest.  If you buy a dresser, take out the drawers.  Make sure the slides work.  Make sure the metal is on the bottom of the drawers. These are things that are not easy to find.   Before starting anything however, take off all the hardware, one by one and put them into a large ziplock bag, labeling with masking tape which drawer it went to and labeling the drawers inside as well with the same tape.  (A, B, C etc)

After a light sanding, (very light because if you sand too much of pressed particle, it will be hard to fix the rough texture that will come through)  After sanding, I used a wood filler to fix any blemishes.  Wait for that the harden over night, then sand again.  I then used a spray paint primer.
Its the easiest way to get into detail.  Don't over spray paint, keep the bottle moving in a fluid motion.  When you are done, if you still have paint left, turn the spray paint upside down and spray once to make sure its cleaned out. Otherwise is can clog and if there is paint left, you won't be getting it out easily.
I then actually used one coat of chalk paint.  It adheres to anything and I know it is a good product that will hold up on the furniture I do.
Once that dried, I did two coats of latex paint.  The same stuff I used on the baseboards in my house.  I like to use the same paint that I used in my house so I don't have to keep a ton of paint on hand.  I finished with a light bit of spray paint to cover any brush marks.  I wanted this to look like an original piece, not a redo.
Done?  Nope.  After the paint dried, I waxed it.  "Waxed it?" you ask.  Yes.  Wax.  I believe it is Annie Sloan's wax that I use.  I put it on all my finished furniture.  It gives it a smooth finish and a great protective layer from future bumps and use.  I also put some wax on the wooden slides, to make sure the drawers slide effortlessly.

Almost there.  Now the handles.  Put them back on, make sure they are secure.  Take a breath.  Take a picture.  Enjoy your new dresser!