Thrift Store Highboy: Elegant UpDo
June 22, 2009
For years, I’ve desperately wanted to bring some glamour and elegance to my foyer. It’s the first impression for guests, and it has been nothing short of dull for quite some time. Since our entry is only ten feet wide, I also wanted to bring reflective light and shimmer to the space as well.
Last week I hinted at the fabulous highboy dresser I picked up at the Goodwill for $35. Lucky me, it had only been on the floor for thirty minutes before I snatched it up. SCORE ! With a bit of stain and some new hardware, I brought this wonderful vintage piece into the modern age, and gave it a special new glow.
Here’s the foyer Before and After, upgraded for less than $50 dollars:
And here is the highboy Before and After the redo: 
Here’s how it all happened. As you know, I troll the local thrift stores looking for treasures. I chanced upon this solid wood new arrival and hustled – no I seriously ran – to the cash register to buy it before anyone else could, with my poor Ethan shouting “Mooooommmmiieee waaaaiiiit” as I dragged the poor little guy behind me. I spent part of my weekend giving this piece the TLC it needed.
Re-staining Previously Stained Furniture:
Step One, Sanding: Give your piece an all over good sanding, removing all varnish that may exist. Wear a disposable mask so as not to inhale any microscopic dust. In my case, I sanded the highboy by hand with coarse, and then medium, grade sandpaper. (My electric sander, although faster, would have been too rough on this delicate piece.) Work with, not against, the grain of the wood. It took over an hour to fully sand this dresser, and my arms were sore for two days straight, but hey I look on the bright side: I got a great upper arm workout.
Step Two, Conditioning: I’m a Minwax fan, so if you want to create better absorbency in your wood, you can consider using a wood conditioner like Minwax Wood Conditioner. Grainy or gnarly woods like oak or pine should definitely be conditioned beforehand.
Another really great trick is to use mayonnaise to take out water stains, like I also did with this project.
Step Three, Staining: To stain this piece, I used a staining pad and Minwax Gel Stain in Walnut. I truly madly deeply love this stuff. The gel formula is thicker, unlike regular stain, so you don’t need a brush, and it doesn’t drip. I recently used it to re-stain my entire two story oak staircase (reveal coming soon). How convenient is it to be able to stain upside down without drips? Brilliant !
The imperfections in the dinged up dresser soaked up this stain and were transformed into those ‘distress’ marks you’d pay so much for at a top retailer. This gel stain buries itself in the ridges, and translates into deep character, just like a glaze on painted wood.
One caveat: this gel product dries a bit more quickly, so you must work fast to get your stain strokes right. And don’t forget to wear gloves, cause this stain really stains !
Step Four, Reapply: If you desire added depth from your stain product, then reapply a second coat 24 hours later. Here’s what two out of three drawers looked like after just one coat (I applied two coats).
Step Five, Protectant: If you’ve used a regular liquid stain product, then you will probably need to apply a polyurethane to protect your piece. I’ve used Minwax Wipe-On Poly with success in the past on several projects. However, this gel based stain gave my piece such a nice glow that I didn’t find it necessary to add poly this time.
Here’s another tip I picked up from a painter friend of mine. If you want your oil based products to dry quicker than their typical 24 hour drying period, mix just a bit of Japan Drier into your product and cut your drying time to 6 or 8 hours.
So here is another close up of the drawers Before and After:
You can see how the ‘Before’ piece had a washed out honey color, plenty of dinks, and old-fashioned hardware. Just by staining the piece and adding new oil-rubbed bronze hardware from Home Depot ($12 for a set of ten), the dresser now looks like something out of the Drexel Heritage or Ethan Allen collection. I kid you not.
So perhaps you noticed that golden mirror over the highboy now has a nice champagne hue? My secret? A $2 dollar bottle of metallic craft paint in a taupe shade. Seriously.
Here is the mirror, halfway covered with acrylic craft paint:
Look at this detail below. Gorgeous, right?
So now I need your input, playing a bit of multiple choice.
I played around with a few preliminary vignettes, and I have a favorite, but I’d appreciate your vote. You’ll notice the flea market silver pitcher remains a constant. I love fresh flowers in the foyer, so it stays. And you’ll notice that a white ceramic bust makes an appearance (antique store find). Your opinions please.
A) Botanical Print with bust and clock
B) Paris Print with bust and clock
C) Silver Candlestick with bust and clock
D) Wedding Print with pair of busts
These two make me laugh, because they remind me of myself and Mr. CG, especially because I fancy myself with sassy jewelry.
So friends, give it to me straight. Which scene do you prefer ?
Tags: craft paint, highboy, staining
Kate, you've done it again! What a fantastic piece that is. I have used gel stain, but not in the same way. That piece DOES look SO high end now, great job. I'm gonna vote for B, with the Paris print, don't know why, I just like it. Don't forget to get back to me on guest posting at my blog. ;)
Great job!! I'm always amazed at how many items you transform – I can't manage to get 1 done within a month! I like option B :)
The IKEA botanical because I've got the same one!!
great re-do! my vote is for option D
The updo is b-e-a-u-tiful! The jealousy is practically seeping out of my pores. How embarassing!
I like the wedding scene, but I think the small silver cup could go. It doesn't add much to the scene, unless you stick some flowers in that too.
Also, that mirror is gorgeous! When you painted it, did you dilute the paint at all? It seems like some of the gold still shows through so I was wondering.
I like D best :)
A is my fav and B is next in line. Love the makeover!
A! Botanical print. It Pops the color in the real flowers. Yiu are so inspiring! Do yu have any reservations about the chemicals in all those minwax products?
I can't believe how great the highboy looks. I need to pay some better attention at my local thrift store.
I like c. Because I don't think you should hide that beautiful mirror. I also would remove the clock just because I always feel things are displayed better in odd numbers. Great job on the dresser. You are always an inspiration!
I say definitely option D. I think it has the perfect mixture of white, metal, and wood. I love that it subtly shows off your personality with the heads and has a wedding picture (is that your wedding?). The frame styles compliment each other too. Love it!!
Also, I am about kicking myself for not grabbing a crazy cheap silver pitcher at the Goodwill a couple days ago. I saw it and loved it but told myself I didn't "need" it….well after seeing yours with the flowers in it…I obviously need it! haha! :)
Thanks for all your tutorials!
I prefer the wedding picture, but I would put a black mat on it instead of white. It would make the picture stand out more and bring out the darker distressed areas on the dresser.
I actually like D the best. Although you may want to put the necklace away when entertaining (I've heard those Northern Californians can't be trusted).
D_ the wedding picture print, vase and two busts. I think it's formal enough, but has that pop of personality because you added the necklace to the one bust.
Great job! I would have to say "c",that one really jumped at me! Maybe b/c I love that candlestick and that the mirror is not blocked!
Have a "BLESSED" week! Natalie,
Gorgeous! My vote is for either the botanical print/clock/bust set-up, or the wedding photo/2-bust vignette. I'm a sucker for beautiful, personal wedding prints incorporated into decor.
I like the one without the prints. Just the clock, the candlesticks and the bust. But they all look nice.
Beautiful! I really like the wedding photo set up. When I saw it in the first picture, I thought it was awesome!
The one with the wedding photo is my favorite! The dresser looks beautiful! I've been stripping the stain off an old rocker this week and it is much harder than I thought! I am sore!
The Paris photo, for sure.
Lovely – PARIS!
The one with the wedding pic for sure. Do you do all the prep work indoors or do you have a workspace where most of the sanding, etc gets done? Fabulous work!
Oh, you are so brave to try a refinish. I need to get over the fear and just go for it!
My vote is for the Parisian print.
GREAT makeover!!! :) That highboy must be grateful to you. ;)
I vote for the wedding scene OR the silver candlestick. :)
I like D the best. I seem to have a prejudice against empty candlestick holders. The necklace on the bust cracks me up.
You did a wonderful job transforming that chest and as much as I love all the painted furniture out there I'm glad to see some stained wood. I have quite a few pieces that my dad built or refinished in my house and I think he would roll over in his grave if I were to paint them.
I would go with B or D. The fun thing is you don't have to pick one and stick with it. You can always mix it up!
I love D. You do such fantastic projects– I can't wait for the humidity to die down a bit so that I can work on many of the pieces I've been collecting after being inspired by you!
I vote for C–but then I'm a sucker for candleholders. You've done it again! Taken a sow's ear and turned it into a silk purse. Think this would work on veneer? I have a desk I'm looking at redoing.
I recently found your blog and am very impressed! I have an award for you at my blog :)
I'm all about D.
Well done!
My choose B. I love the colors in the Paris print with the mirror and clock. Beautiful!
these are so awesome! I vote for c
Definitely the wedding pic with the "his and hers" busts – (the Eiffel Tower would be a second choice). Love the dresser, in fact I love your blog and just became a follower. Thanks for all the GREAT tips and "how to's" – you make it so easy for others to follow your directions. Linda
Thanks so much for the tip about using gel stain. Your dresser turned out just stunning!
All the arrangements are beautiful, but my favorite is the wedding pic with the 2 busts.
Oh my goodness…i am LOVING your site! i just came over from ASPLT and am hooked (new follower). In fact, I can't seem to break away, there is so much fabulousness to behold. You are one talented lady! The metallic paint over the gold is amazing. I have sooooooo much gold stuff waiting to be transformed, and now I know exactly with what. Thank you!
~Amanda
p.s. My vote is either C. or D….both are beautiful!
My vote is for D absolutely! Love the wedding print and two busts. Perfect! I have so many projects around my house- you give me inspiration every day!
I like D…and I think you do too! :0)
I love the wedding photo with the two busts. Wish I had your kind of goodwill in my area!
I vote wedding! and I need my own busts. I've been trying to convince my husband that they're manly enough for his study. the 'after' mirror frame is perfect!
I like the balance and scale of B, with warmth and whimsy of D. D is a bit out of scale, and B feels a bit cold.
Love the wedding one!
I love the Paris print with the one bust. Less busy, but seriously romantic and pretty. I'd like the wedding one if the shot were bigger and in the print frame…
B, B, and B – do I get 3 votes? It's very balanced and I think it looks like it came right out of a decor magazine. Seriously I love B!
I have a dresser from my hubby's grandmother that looks exactly like this and you've inspired me to make it a piece I want to keep not just a piece I must keep. Thanks!
This is so awesome, girl! I haven't dipped into staining just yet. But this is such a great tutorial, I just may have to stop painting altogether! LOL! NOT! Anyhow, have a great week and thanks again, for sharing!
BTW, I like the clock/candleabra set up…
D all the way!
Great job on that redo!! GORGEOUS!
Wow…really, I mean WOW! Fantastic job! I vote for the wedding print and pair of busts.
Thanks for the tips and tricks on refinishing!
Nancy
What a gorgeous job! I love the wedding print. Minwax gel stain is a fave at this house, too.