Before

Before

Missing trim

More missing trim

Cat scratches (My cats did not do that.)

Paint job (I did not do that!)

Paint job

I got this dresser from a coworker a couple of years ago. I’ve been meaning to re-finish it or paint it or do something with it, because A) the colors are kind of awful and not something I’d choose, B) the paint job is kind of awful and not something I’d do, and C) it’s got a lot of damage.

I finally got around to starting on it this weekend. I thought I’d strip the top and maybe the drawer fronts, then paint the body, since there was so much trim that was damaged and missing. Once I got some of the paint off, though, I realized that it had been stripped before, then re-painted. The person who stripped it the first time did not remove the knobs, so they left paint under them. (And paint on them, because they also didn’t remove them when they re-painted it.) Worse, though, they scratched the living hell out of it. I’m assuming the deep gouges were from rough living, but the lighter scratches I found were clearly made by someone who stripped the piece and had not one single clue what they were doing.

Basically, it’s a hot mess. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it. Right now, the plan is to finish stripping the drawer fronts and maybe the sides, oil them with linseed oil, and paint the body. I’ll just live with the scratches. Of course, I may change my mind tomorrow.