My dressers and mirror need refinishing, I documented some of the problem areas for the Tall Dresser:
Scratches on the doors and face
Scratches and scritches from previous cat:
Damage from pull handle slowly breaking, caused by previous owner not maintaining tight handle screws
Rough corners, minor scratches
I think its made of pine
That's a good solid dresser that, it'll look amazing
It's definitely pine. Unfortunately, it can be hard to get pine to look right on the finishing side, and to choose finishes that keep it looking good.
Use a shellac-based sealer or pre-stain preparation before you apply your new finish, even if you're going to be painting it: a proper pre-finish sealer will keep your stain from looking overly splotchy in the near term, or the pine resins from discoloring your paint from underneath with time.
Also be aware that pine yellows over time, to the point of becoming orange. Your current finish is fairly dark and in a reddish shade that complements the natural yellowing, so if you like that end result, when picking your stain you should do the same.
But if you are thinking of going lighter and "brightening up" the piece, consider your choices carefully. You might even want to do a paint wash instead of a traditional stain.
Watch some "refinishing pine" videos on YouTube to give you more information, not so much on what to do but on what to avoid.
It is all too easy to make pine look like shit when you're refinishing. But now you have been warned, so if you just think it through before you dive into the new finish you'll be fine. It's all about pre-sealing (non-negotiable, IMO) and then choosing a finish and shade that accounts for how pine bleeds and changes color.
EDITED to add: Here's a video that illustrates five different ways you can go with your pine once you get it down to raw wood, if you're interested. She goes into the various options and why she does what she does: you should get a good overview of what you're facing from it.
Paint has always been a valid choice through the ages no matter the wood. And how you might finish pine depends a lot on just what species it is. And a pine, like southern yellow pine is actually harder than some so called hardwoods. It's the seeds produced that determine what is either a hard wood or softwood.
My hand made desk is fir. And with it's polyurethane finish, (it needs the hard shell help), is aging a beautiful yellow gold hue after 20+ years. And the tight knots add texture and character to the furniture.
If you get rid of the obnoxious "rivets?" (Don't know the woodworkers term) style by filling in and blending maybe? I think that would be an improvement. details like that make it look lower quality IMO.
those could be dowels. but i doubt it, as they all seem to match the grain. it is most likely a decorative element carved into the wood.
filling them in will be the easy way to remove them. but i know i would not be able to match them convincingly. drawer right top corner has a branch there for example.
hard to say from the picture, whether there is enough material for it. but if you have access to a big enough planer, you could easily remove enough material until the decorations are gone. reworking the edges shouldn't be a problem with a router or molder.
That might be easier than sanding and stripping all those indents
pine and stain to make it look higher value
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