Restoring chest of drawers

aoifski · 09-03-2009 06:58PM #1

Have inherited an oldish chest of drawers from in laws and would like to use it as the wood matches my kitchen (alder) almost exactly.

The drawer fronts are in reasonable nick, but the top of the unit is a bit scratched and will need some tlc so be good enough for the kitchen.

So...not sure if this is the right thread, but does anyone know how I tell if it's solid or not and stained or just clear treated wood? I'm afraid even to do a light sanding on it in case the wood is not actually that colour. Or is the only way to tell to go ahead and sand lightly?

Or will I ruin it by doing this myself?!

Also the runners are just plain wood...is there anything I can replace them with or add to them to make them more smooth?

SpitfireIV · 10-03-2009 01:35AM

Hmmm, afraid I cant offer much advice on restoration, but as for the top of the chest I guess one way of telling if its stained etc is to have a look and see what type of wood it is, this would give a general indication as to what color it should be. Also, take out a top drawer or two and have a look at the underside of the top, now, obviously this wont have been finished, but it should be of a resonably similar tone if the top just has a varnish applied(+natural light + a patina etc).

You could give the runners a light rub of sandpaper just to free the drawers up a little, or give them a rub of candlewax!

As for restoring it yourself, well, if you have the time, patience and are handy enough I'd imagine it wouldnt be too hard, I'm sure there are plenty of books on the topic as well as internet pages, forums etc. I'd imagine it'd be a very rewarding undertaking.

Restoring chest of drawers

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