Drexel-Heritage Dressers Jump Into 21st Century

Drexel Heritage Dresser Before

You never know what treasures you'll find at an estate or garage sale. When searching for used furniture, look at the "bones." If it's structurally sound, the rest can be fixed and refinished, revealing a classic, beautiful piece of furniture that is hard to come by. This was a great example of how very important it is to choose the right hardware for any project, as the hardware really makes a piece of refinished furniture shine.

This proved to be a challenging, yet very rewarding job for a client who had purchased these dressers at an estate sale. They were of excellent quality, name-brand furniture, Drexel-Heritage, in great condition, however, my client wanted to get an updated look for these classic pieces, bringing them into the 21st Century.

Drexel Heritage Dresser After

The challenge was twofold; stripping the old stain from two different types of wood and making the new stain blend, as well as replacing the original outdated hardware with new hardware she had selected, that didn't fit the original holes. Not until we had finished stripping the dressers did we realize that the bronze colored hardware she had originally given us wouldn't work. The drawer pulls didn't line up with the surface of the drawers causing the ends of the handles to stick up.

After we told our client about the handles, she decided to return the bronze drawer pulls and purchase smaller, nickel handles, which fit flat against the drawers. There was still the dilemma of size. The original hardware hole distance was 3.5" and the new hardware was 3", so in order to make the new handles work, it was necessary to fill the holes with dowels, then drill new holes and carefully center each handle so that they lined up. We then patched the outside of the new holes so they accept the stain and the interior of the holes for a finished, clean look. (This was no easy feat, as we wanted the old holes to be unnoticed on the exterior.) Fortunately, the new nickel drawer pulls were smaller, therefore they fit the curve of the drawers much better and looked fabulous!

Drexel Heritage Tall Dresser Before

Drexel Heritage Tall Dresser After

My client had excellent taste and knew exactly what she wanted and she got it. She chose Sherwin-Williams Warm Chestnut stain. Indeed, the stain gave this classic furniture a warm, rich color. The elegant nickel drawer pulls were a great choice, covering the holes and resting nicely on the curved surface of the wood.

This estate sale furniture got a new identity and will be enjoyed for many years to come.