Should I stain or paint over an unfinished dresser?

Question

After weeks of searching for a solid white dresser for my young daughter and only finding cheap particle board, we ordered an unfinished pine dresser. Now, I am nervous. My daughters bed and bookcase is white, so we wanted to keep this dresser white as well.

My question is should we stain it a white wash? (I know that pine can be a little tricky to stain and would need to use a wood conditioner first) or should we go ahead and paint it a bright white, like the rest of her furniture?

Anyone have experience with this? I really appreciate your help.

Answer 1

It is pine...Paint it. Pine will produce a splotchy finish if stained. You can use sander sealer to help reduce this effect, if you do stain.

Answer 2

Unfinished Pine Dresser

Answer 3

Unfinished Dresser

Answer 4

Hi,
It really depends on what kind of look you want. If you want the dresser to match the rest of the furniture, I'd say paint it (I presume the other pieces are painted). Use a good primer and latex paint and give a light sand between coats to get a really nice and smooth finish.

If you were going to only stain it, the end result might be a little more rustic-looking than what you have already. Plus, pine does't really have an interesting grain to want to save it. After you've stained/whitewashed it, you should give it at least 2 coats of a water-based varathane in what ever sheen you like - lightly sanding between coats. There's no wrong answer; it just depends on what kind of look you're going for.
Good luck.

Answer 5

Either way you will have to stip the existing finish on your dresser. Of course, they look classier when they are stained but this can be a pain with old furniture because the wood will not be of very good quality in appearance once you have stripped it. Painting is much easier.

Answer 6

I did the same thing recently. It was a project for my niece and I thought that using white stain on pine would look nicer and last longer than staining. It looked terrible. I hated it. It is hard to work with pine and have it look nice. I had to start over and paint it.

Answer 7

....Custom cabinetmaker.........Whitewashing is reserved for exotic hardwoods....primarily OAK. Do yourself the least amount of work involved. paint the new piece white to match the existing pieces. Remember, sand the new piece lightly with a medium to fine grit to remove any imperfections on the surface. Layout the drawers faceup on the dropcloth/plastic covered floor, lay the dresser on its back. Always paint with the pieces horizontal to the ground, (prevents drips) Use a new brush w/exploded tip. Take your time, keep the brush continuously wet with paint, and keep moving from one side to the other. Good luck.

Answer 8

I don't think a white-wash stain would look good on pine, since it has such a pronounced, yellowish grain.

I would prime it with a pigmented shellac (I prefer Zinsser
B-I-N primer / sealer) and finish with paint to match the other furniture, either by brush or, preferably, spray or spray cans.

Answer 9

stain paint unfinished dresser

Answer 10

Stain is best because it preserves the wood better than paint. You can bye stain in colors. Ask a person who works in the "paint" department of an Ace Hardware, Lowes, Home Depot, etc.