Looks along the lines of my chest - an 1880's Cherry Eastlake Victorian.

Sorry that I don't have a better.

It's a nice old oak chest of drawers...
Wipe it with mineral spirits, sand it ( no patina left to save there) stain it and varnish...or poly or lacquer...
Put a thinned down shellac on all exposed wood and any odor is gone.
The brasses will even polish up!!
As Martha says..."It's a good thing!".LOL!
Linda C

I see potential. If I had the time I would give it a try.

NHB - it may be a VERY humble version of what you have - your pieces is gorgeous!

Linda - couple of questions..... you're saying to sand the water damaged areas? I haven't poked at them yet so I'm not sure they could even stand up to sanding, but I'll see. And about the thinned down shellac - you say on all exposed wood, but do you mean interior surfaces only? I'm assuming once shellaced, I can't stain or apply another finish on top so shouldn't shellac any exterior surfaces?

Stain and varnish....or whatever....those surfaces that show....but to kill any musty smell....make sure all interior and bottom surfaces are sealed.

Great find. Should make for a great project if you decide to tackle it. Might not be in the best of shape as of late but with a little time and minimal expense, you could have that piece looking great. I hope you post pics of the finished product. Good luck.

Are half the drawer pull upside down? Hehe. I dunno. It won't be easy but it does have potential. I've been assured by my New Orleans family that solid wood dries out just fine if given the chance. The broken cross piece can probably be glued and although the bottom trim looks a little mangled, it won't show too badly.

You might never want to keep clothes in there, but it IS cute. And c'mon--it's orphaned!

It sat in a spot that was repeatedly wet and dry for too long - such as a basement that sometimes flooded.

This is a good piece for learning more advanced repairs on ... let it air out, and take the drawers and frame apart and re-glue the joints. Replace the bottom of the drawers, etc.

Replace the back with fresh boards or even plywood, add a molding. corner blocks and bun feet to cover the damage to the sides and front.

Refinish to suit.

Not going to be nearly what it would have been if stored properly, but a useful decorative piece.

oh lazygardens - you have nailed my fear and outlined more than I want to tackle, I'm afraid. This has been sitting outside in pieces for almost 2 days now - bright sun both days so it's getting a good airing and drying.

With a little work it may be good as a storage piece in the new garden shed we are planning. But I'm not going to tackle a re-make on this - my project list is already a mile long.

If I can get it stabilized, the drawers all working properly and the odor contained with some shellac, I'll probably do a paint wash on it and call it done.

You don't need to shellac it if you're going to paint it, and actually that might make the paint not take. Let it dry well, for some period of time, then prime well with a sealing primer (Sherwin williams makes one) and paint. It would be a cute rustic piece for your garden room. If the grain has been raised due to the water issues be sure to sand those down first before you prime.

igloo the shellac would be in the insides of the drawers and the inside of the cabinet itself as a means to seal in the smell - it's seriously smelly. Paint would be exterior only.

That's if I do anything with it at all. My DH is thinking I have multiple screws loose.

class that cute little chest up and he will change his mind!

If you have a small power sander I think I would use it on inside as that is pretty ugly & it would also help get rid of smell. Do it outside & wear a mask or hankie over your nose to keep out that old stripper or whatever it is. I think I would use a sander on the back also. Be sure to go with grain of the wood. I usually hand sand but this is more than a light sanding job on the inside! Take hardware off & clean up with Brass -O It will take some rubbing. They should look great!

I heard putting coffee grounds in the drawers would take the smell away. I tried it on a piece not quite as bad as yours. Didn't work.