Furniture Medic by MasterCare Experts Restores and Refinishes Dressers Handed Down from Customer’s Parents

It is amazing how objects can evoke memories of loved ones who have passed on.  This is why people like to inherit objects from their parents, grandparents, and other family members who came before them.  Family heirlooms help preserve memories of our elder family members and makes us fell as if we still have some connection to them, even if they are no longer with us.  One of the most common objects that people inherit from the elders in their family is furniture.

Restoring Parents’ Dresser Set

Wood furniture restoration involves removing what is left of the old finish so the surface damage could be repaired.

At Furniture Medic by MasterCare Experts, we recently received two dressers that once belonged to the customer’s parents.  The customer said that these two dressers had been in their family for more than 40 years as they were in their parents’ bedroom for as long as they can remember.  The customer inherited the dressers when their parents had passed away and years of use caused the finish and the color of the wood to fade.  They brought the dressers to Furniture Medic by MasterCare Experts so we could restore them to their original, like new appearance.

When the dressers came to us, they were showing signs of wear and tear.  The finish of the shorter dresser had worn out considerably on the top and there were nicks and scratches all over the piece.  The taller dresser also had some nicks and watermarks on the top.  The finish of both dressers had become worn overall, giving the wood a dull appearance.  You can plainly see the worn-out finish and minor surface damage in the before pictures.

These dressers had another problem in addition to the physical damage and wear and tear.  The customer’s parents were heavy smokers and the dressers had a strong nicotine odor.  We were asked to not only refinish the dressers, but also remove the nicotine odors.  Our expert craftsmen were confident in their ability to strip down the furniture, repair the surface damage, remove the nicotine odors, and apply a finish that would restore it to its original like-new condition.

Wood Furniture Stripping and Refinishing

Our experts can effectively strip your furniture down and apply a new stain, paint color, or finish to restore its original appearance.

The first thing we needed to do with the dressers was remove what was left of the finish so we could repair the surface damage.  We repaired all the nicks and scratches found throughout the furniture and removed the watermark from the top of the taller dresser.  After the surface damage was repaired, we had to thoroughly clean the furniture to remove the nicotine odor.  The nicotine odor in the furniture was very strong and we were successful at removing most of the odor.

The next step was to determine the right color wood finish to restore the dressers to their original appearance.  We offer a wide range of wood stains, paints, and finishes to match the original finish or create a new look for the furniture.  In this case, we color matched to find a finish that would revitalize the original color of the dressers.  The water-based stain was applied by hand and we finished by applying the finish in our spray booth.

When we provide wood furniture stripping and refinishing services, we will get the job done in the following steps:

• • The furniture is thoroughly cleaned to remove dirt and other impurities.
  • The remaining paint, stain, and finish is stripped from the wood.
  • The piece is sanded to remove the remaining finish, paint, and stain.
  • Surface damage such as scratches, nicks, gouges, stains, and watermarks are removed.
  • We color match to get the right wood stain or paint for the piece.
  • The new water-based factory stain is applied by hand, or if paint is chosen, it is applied in the spray booth.
  • The final finish is applied in the spray booth.

Wooden dresser before refinishing

Wooden dresser after refinishing

Our experts were successful in removing much of the nicotine odor from the furniture and restoring the dressers to their original appearance.  As you can see in the after pictures, the finish of the dressers is much more vibrant and the scratches, nicks, watermarks, and other surface damage is removed.  The customer was thrilled with the results when the dressers were returned.  We are proud to have helped restore these family heirlooms so that our customer can enjoy them as well as the memory of their parents that these pieces evoke.

If you want to revitalize a family heirloom that has become worn out over the years, talk to our experts at Furniture Medic by MasterCare Experts about our wood furniture stripping and refinishing services.  We can effectively strip your furniture down to the bare wood and apply a new stain, paint color, or finish to either restore its original appearance or create a new look.  You can choose from our variety of wood stains and paint colors available to get the right color or stain for your piece.  Give us a call at 630-653-3131 to get started with our wood furniture refinishing services or send us a picture of your furniture through our Submit Your Project feature.