![\"Ridiculous](\"http:\/\/ridiculousredhead.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Ridiculous-Redhead-Wavy-Oak-Dresser-Before-top.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHere is a shot of the whole thing which actually makes it look better than it did in real life. The whole back was broken up and falling apart. \u00a0The bottoms of 3 of the 5 drawers were being held together with clear shipping tape. \u00a0The edges looked a bit like someone had been teething on them.<\/p>\n
What it did have going for it were five drawers with all of the matching handles AND key hole covers which I am guessing are all original and very old. \u00a0And then of course there is that beautiful oak grain. \u00a0Each drawer is curved into a wave with such craftsmanship. \u00a0When people talk about the reasons old furniture is a cut above, this dresser had them all. \u00a0And here it was falling apart in my street. \u00a0These pieces are the ones I feel an obligation to redo, sometimes just so someone doesn’t slap teal chalk paint all over it. \u00a0 (Why is it that whenever I see something I think shouldn’t have been painted, it is always painted in teal chalk paint?)<\/p>\n I want to first say that I have no intention of making pieces like this look “new” again. \u00a0I think they should grow old gracefully like a beautiful woman. \u00a0Most 70 year old woman don’t look better with shiny new boobs and their eyebrows at their hairline. And you know what? \u00a070 year old dressers work the same way. \u00a0They look better with their wrinkles and dents. \u00a0The chip in the veneer or the wear mark from the handle – they are like our wrinkles and laugh lines. \u00a0They show our history, where we have come from, where we have been. \u00a0I try not to sand away all the patina the wood has developed over the years, especially in an open grained wood like oak where it can really make a piece shine. \u00a0And that is why I have come to love pure tung oil and why you see me talking about it so much. \u00a0It feeds the wood and highlights all the cool things about the piece. \u00a0The grain pops out at you, it becomes deeper and richer. \u00a0It gives the wood a warm feel that you simply feel you must touch. \u00a0It’s unlike poly that puts a barrier between you and the wood. \u00a0Pure tung oil requires you to rub your hand along the grain, even my toddler will do it. \u00a0The piece comes alive. And you want to sit down, buy it a coffee and hear all about it’s crazy adventures.<\/p>\n After sanding, the wood was very light and kind of unremarkable as you can see on the left side in the pic below. \u00a0The right side just had some pure tung oil brushed on and you can see the horizontal grain popping out and being more defined. \u00a0But what also has happened, the subtle grain that goes in waves diagonally are now coming out. \u00a0This was taken in my basement shop with terrible lighting \u00a0(I will one day get a good picture of this to show). \u00a0In real life wet tung oil makes the grain look like a hologram and get so excited every time. \u00a0Hence the terrible picture<\/p>\n So what about that hardware? \u00a0The top is the cruddy before. \u00a0And look how pretty they are after being cleaned up!! \u00a0And nothing toxic. \u00a0A short soak and scrub with some lemon juice then a little buffing with an old 320 grit sanding block that has virtually no grit left. \u00a0And of course elbow grease which is both non toxic and free.<\/p>\n There was also the matter of the broken back and drawer bottoms. \u00a0Brian took pity on me and rebuilt everything. \u00a0We kept whatever wood was still in one piece like the cross pieces in the back that hold it together. \u00a0There was a moment of exhaustion where we talked about just doing one piece of wood to cover the back instead but the cross pieces are too important, and I love the look.<\/p>\n So here she is n all her glory. \u00a0Wrinkles and all. \u00a0I think she is beautiful and one of my favorites.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>In this closeup you can see the beautiful grain on the drawers. \u00a0Also notice the hardware and key hole covers all cleaned and polished. \u00a0It is so rare to find a full set of original hardware.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n