Finally got the grain to pop on that old oak dresser

I picked up this solid oak dresser from a garage sale about two months ago. The finish was so dark and muddy you couldn't see any grain at all. I stripped it back, which took a full weekend, and then used a water-based aniline dye, followed by a coat of boiled linseed oil. The difference is night and day. The quarter-sawn figure just jumped out after the oil went on. It took the piece from looking flat and tired to having real depth. Has anyone else had a piece that just needed the right base layer to really come alive?

3 comments

3 Comments

abbyr962mo ago

Honestly, who has a full weekend to strip a dresser? Was it really that bad or did you just want a project? It's just a place to put socks.

bethcarr2mo ago

Just a place to put socks" is where you're wrong. A nice piece of furniture makes a whole room feel better. Some of us enjoy the work and like seeing the old wood come back to life.

robinson.holly18d ago

Did you ever try garnet shellac as a sealer before the dye? I read that it really makes quarter-sawn oak pop even more than BLO alone.