An unplanned visit to our local Habitat ReStore lead to my discovery of this wonderful mid-century dresser! It was a random weekday afternoon and I went inside just to look around. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to have it. I noticed the damage but was able to look beyond that because I could see that it had so much potential. I loved the design and was thinking about how I could restore it as I walked over to it. It was priced at $40 and for a solid furniture piece like this, it was worth it!
I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the top drawer to find that it was made right here in town! This Basic Witz dresser was built right here in Waynesboro, Virginia. This was a real treasure with local history!
I felt really connected to this piece. Not only because it was made locally, but because I have family history at the Basic Witz Furniture Company. My Grandfather worked at the Waynesboro plant for a while and his father retired from the Staunton Basic Witz Company.
The Basic Witz Furniture company was in operation from the late 1800’s until the 1970’s when Stanley Furniture bought the company. I do not remember Basic Witz, but I do remember Stanley Furniture. I did hear a little about the company from my Grandfather. He is the reason I enjoy restoring old furniture.
My Grandfather was a skilled woodworker, restoring and building many furniture pieces. He did this as a hobby and I spent some time in his workshop. Because he worked at Basic Witz and inspired me to restore furniture, it’s easy to see why taking this project on was important to me.
Removing the damage might look daunting, but I want to share how I carefully removed it and brought this dresser back to life. It wouldn’t exactly match its original state and would not be perfect in the end, but this restoration really brought out it’s beauty.
I usually begin by stripping the old finish using CitriStrip. I like CitriStip because it doesn’t have harsh fumes like other furniture strippers I’ve used. It does a great job!
I usually let it sit on the surface for about 30-45 minutes. I want to give it time to work but don’t want to wait so long that it dries out.
I gently scraped it off using a plastic scraper, then follow that with mineral spirits. I use #0000-steel wool with the mineral spirits to scrub what’s left of the finish that’s been removed, along with the remaining CitriStrip from the surface. Then I allow it to dry and gently sand the dresser using 220 sandpaper.
For larger surfaces, like the top and sides, you can use a palm sander. I would recommend taking your time sanding it with the 220 grit sandpaper. 220 grit is a smoothing sandpaper and not harsh enough to really tear into the surface. You’ll be glad you had the patience to do that and my advice is to trust the process! I sanded an old Bassett buffet many years ago using a harsher sandpaper meant for stripping surfaces and I saw the sanding marks and small dips in the surface after finishing. I still regret that decision.
For the raised sections that were built as the handles on the drawers, I carefully sanded by hand. That revealed a different type of wood beneath the old finish. I don’t know what kind of wood it was.
The main surface appeared to be walnut. I am not really an expert on wood types, so that was just a guess after seeing the grain and the dark color when it was wet from the mineral spirits.
I wanted to keep this piece looking as natural as possible, so I decided to finish it with Shellac.
I’m a big fan of shellac for pieces like this because it’s a natural finish that is non-toxic and really brings out the wood grain. Shellac dries fast with a nice protective finish and makes it easy to repair scratches.
Shellac is good for a decorative piece like this one, but I would not recommend it for furniture that is exposed to a lot of wear and tear and everyday use, like a dining table. Water and heat can cause damage in a shellacked surface, so I would caution against sitting drinks or hot dishes on it. If we serve food on this dresser (it’s in our den) we always use trivets that raise the dish off the surface.
You can see how beautiful the finish was looking with just one coat! I decided to go with an amber-tinted Shellac from the Zinsser company. I wanted it to have a little color, especially since the handle pieces were so light.
I simply followed the directions on the can and applied three coats! It’s so beautiful!
We are very happy with our dresser, which is now used as a storage console and decorative piece in our basement family room. The family room is decorated with mid-century furniture, so the Basic Witz dresser was a perfect fit!
I decided to decorate it with some mid-century vases I found at a local antique mall. They added some color! And how can you go wrong with books? The brass bookends were made by Virginia Metalcrafters, which was another company in Waynesboro, not far from the Basic Witz Furniture Company!
I hung a few picture frames to create a small gallery wall and hung this gold plugin pendant to complete the look. I’ll admit I went into the family room just to stare at this the first few days. I was just so proud of my hard work. I feel it really paid off!
We are really enjoying our Basic Witz dresser and I look forward to the day we can entertain guests and serve food and drinks (with protective trivets!) after we are past this pandemic.
