How to Restore a Dressing Table

A dressing table is similar to a vanity, except it has more drawer space for storing lingerie and accessories. There are several ways to restore a dressing table. You can strip away old varnish or paint to reveal the original wood, use faux finishing techniques or stencil the piece. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Find a well-ventilated space to work in. Remove all of the dressing table's hardware and store it in a jar.

2




Strip the wood and seal it with a varnish. Choose a non-toxic paint stripper such as 3M Safest Stripper. Non-toxic strippers usually require more than one application. You can also have your dressing table "dipped," which will completely remove all varnish or paint without any effort on your part. However, "dipping" costs more than doing it yourself.

3

Finish your dressing table with faux surface painting techniques. Create a faux marble surface and paint the lower part of the dressing table in a darker, coordinating color. Clean and sand the dressing table first. Paint the table top in a light color and allow it to fully dry before painting it with a darker glaze. Before the glaze dries, use a feather to create the streaks typical of real marble (see Resources).

4

Give your dressing table a cozy, vintage, shabby chic look. Clean and sand your dressing table. Apply a coat of paint in a pastel shade of pink, yellow or blue. Allow the paint to dry before applying a second coat. When the paint is completely dry, sand away the paint at the edges, and anywhere that the dresser would naturally wear over time, such as the corners and top.

5

Stencil your dressing table. Clean and sand the table. Give it a fresh coat of semi-gloss paint in a pastel color. Stencil details like floral filligrees, floral scrolls and simple flower patterns. Consider using wall stencils to completely cover the surface of your dresser with repeating patterns. Paint the bottom half of your dressing table in a coordinating solid color (see Resources).