In mid-August of 2003, I was commissioned to refinish and repair this dresser, which had been in my client's family since the turn of the century. It was made by the Statesville Furniture Company in Statesville, NC. At some point in time, someone painted the dresser black with a red primer beneath. The original finish was probably shellac.

The dresser was in dire need of repairs. The veneered top was a total loss and would need to be replaced. Several of the drawers needed major work to restore them, while the others needed small fixes. There were four drawer guides that had to be replaced due to broken or missing parts. I found several places where veneer needed repair, and finally, there was a musty smell in the drawers, which indicated the dresser had been in storage for quite a while. The good news was the case was in excellent shape and solid as a rock.  

My client lives in a log home furnished with many antiques. My instructions were to repair all that I could, and strip the old finish and replace it with a natural hand rubbed finish. He wanted to replace all the wooden drawer pulls with polished brass and I provided him with a catalog to use to help make his choice.

I'd like to acknowledge and thank Mike Mastin, owner of Curly Woods, for all of his help with my order. I choose to make a new top for the dresser and since the veneered drawer fronts were quartersawn white oak, I wanted something just a little extra special for the new top. Mike had some beautiful curly quartersawn white oak, which he ran through his helical head planer for me, since my small Delta planer would most likely have torn it due to the figure. The two boards arrived via UPS packaged in cardboard and in perfect condition. I don't think I could've picked out two prettier boards. 

Explore the links below to see this project from beginning to end. I think the end results were stunning and there's no doubt my client was very pleased with them!