I inherited a vanity and dresser from my great-aunt. I do not know much about the set, and have not researched it yet. It is simple pine (I think), and was decorated in a "Western" style. Scalloped edges with a cactus motif on the top dresser drawer and the vanity seat, with wrought-iron hardware, including horseshoe drawer pulls. When I was in high school, my father refinished the vanity for me and painted the vanity a cream color, and repainted the hardware black. After college I retrieved the vanity from my parents and have used it since. The dresser was never refinished.
After using shelving instead of a dresser for years, I decided I was tired of the lack of space and the messiness of using shelves. The dresser has been stored in a barn on my parents' 10-acre orchard. It was dirty and the paint peeling, but no major water damage or other problems after long years of neglect.
On January 2nd, I decided to start the year off right by digging into the dresser renovation, so I headed out to the orchard armed with work clothes and N95 masks. My father loaned me hand tools, sand paper, an electric sander, and a shop vac. It took me about three hours of solid work, but I removed the hardware, sanded off most of the (probably lead-based) paint, and used wood-putting to fill the holes left by hardware that I do not intend to replace. (I forgot to take "before" pictures, but I am leaving off the corner accent hardware, and replacing the pulls with knobs, so I only need two holes per drawer, rather than four).
That was the largest sanding job I have done, and I felt damn good when it was done, if foot- and back-sore. Here are some pics of the January 2nd work:
Thanks to my dad over at www.sanddollaradventures.com for taking pictures, and for use of the tools.
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