We had a 35 year old maple dresser that we were going to take to the dump but instead we decided to refinish it. To go along with the theme of the room I wanted the dresser to have a worn beachy look with kind of an elegant style.

Step 1: Materials

All I used in the project were a couple different hand grit sand blocks, stain, and a specific spray paint with a puter look. In addition I used an orbital sander with 80 grit (use a belt sander if you have one but an orbital worked for me because I didn't care about scratching the wood hence the theme), screw driver to remove hardware, an old paint brush, rags, and painters tape (optional for the bottom part of the dresser).

Step 2: Remove Stain/hardware

Use your sander to remove the stain off the dresser until the plain wood shows. Do your best not to over sand espically with a orbital sander. Be prepared to change sand paper often. Try to sand in the direction of the wood even if you don't care about scratches, the finish will look a lot better if you sand in the direction of the wood.

Step 3: Stain

Apply the stain according to the directions on the stain container. Use the brush to apply the stain and remember less is more. Even if you want a beachy look apply a thin coat because its easier to put on than take off. Wait until surface becomes tacky to the touch and take you rag and lightly, in the direction of the wood and only in one motion, pull the rag down removing some of the stain. Continue this process until desired look is close but still a little too dark. Remember if you pull the rag from top to bottom on the first pass from then on only go from top to bottom.