Refinishing an Early American Chippendale Tall Boy Dresser
Flaws and imperfections are part of the beauty of treasures from the past, such as this Chippendale tall boy dresser I found on the side of the road.
After rescuing this beauty from a rainy roadside location, I brought this antique tall boy dresser home for a little refresh. It was my easiest furniture refinishing job to date, and by far the most rewarding.
I will be hard pressed to score a better roadside furniture find— here in Dallas, or anywhere else for that matter. In my experience I don’t live in the best city for side-of-the-road treasures, especially compared to the Northeast where I grew up. But when I spied this early American tall boy dresser on a side street off of a main road in East Dallas while out with John and the kids, I couldn’t put it in the car fast enough.
The light color of the wood was the main selling point for me. I was actually tempted to keep it as is, but for the sake of preserving it and letting it look its best decided to sand the wood down and refinish.
It had been left in the rain, but luckily not too long to do any serious damage. There were a couple of damaged spots, which I was too starry eyed to notice until I brought it home. One of the slats between two drawers was missing (another was removed but luckily had been placed inside a drawer for easy fixing). There were a couple of chips to the front and side, and the back leg was bent in and had sadly been drilled through with a large screw in a previous attempt to fix.
With an antique furniture piece this beautiful, I consider any flaws added character. The imperfections also gave me an automatic excuse to keep it rather than resell, which is excellent because we definitely have use for it in the house.
How I brought this antique beauty back to life
I have done my fair share of amateur furniture restoration, and this was by FAR the easiest—which was one of the reasons I was so excited to find it. It literally just needed a light sanding, a bit of patching up in spots, and a new coat. No Citristrip. Tears of joy!
I started with a mid grade 120 sandpaper, moving gradually to a 320 for a nice smooth finish.
I coated it with tung oil, which is my favorite to use for many reasons. In terms of appearance, I like to keep wood looking as natural as possible. As opposed to a stain or a polyurethane finish, tung oil actually works to condition and seal the wood, as well as give it a nice finishing coat. It lets the natural beauty of the wood show. It’s also natural and non toxic.
I noticed only after adding the tung oil that there were streaks coming down from each of the handles—probably damage sustained from sitting in the rain. The brass handles were also missing some pulls, so I just spaced out the placement so each drawer would be easier to use.
Lastly, I removed the brass hardware and boiled in some vinegar and water, finishing it up with a good scrub using Barkeep’s Friend. I don’t mind a good patina on my brass now and then, but these were pretty discolored and unsightly.
The finished project
She’s just gorgeous, what can I say? I had the perfect spot in our room to swap out an old piece that didn’t fit well, so I get plenty of opportunity to admire my handiwork.
You can see the craftsmanship and quality throughout the piece- from the drawers which are each steadily larger sizes from top to bottom, from the beautiful hint of curling or waves in the surface of the wood, to the delicately carved feet.
A Google search revealed an identical piece listed as an early 18th Century Chippendale dresser. There is no maker’s mark, which is in keeping with this era and style of furniture piece. I believe it’s maple, but again, I’m not certain. Whatever it’s value or origin, it’s found a permanent home with me.
