is it the color or the sheen that you do not like?

The color I just realized the flash made the wood look a lot glossier than it is! I am not sure what kind of wood this is btw

the color can be changed with stain or paint, with appropriate preparation. you might also want to add drawer pulls to dress them up a bit. it depends on the style of other furniture, rug, drapery, etc. that you will have in the room.

I have seen similar dressers painted black, and they looked great. My daughter painted a very similar one/turned out fantastic.

Refurbish it if you like to match your room or theme-some examples of refurbishing below:

I kind of suspect this is oak. It reminds me of a lot of furniture from the 80s or so. If that's the case, the color may be the aging of the finish. If it is oak, it stains beautifully. Painting takes some work if you don't want to see much grain.

Paint a color you love and add pulls

Ombré could look great.

It's hard to give suggestions out of context. We need to know what the room looks like, for instance color, style other furnishings to be able to suggest finish

Thank you all for your advice. We just moved into a 1920 cape so are starting from scratch in a way, also new to the decorating wold so a bit thick &!slow at times. This was my first post here & this forum is amazing!!!

On the fence:
I'm thinking the furniture is from 90s def has an 80s vibe as is. Oak is what I was wondering too. As for staining do u think I will need to do a lot of prep? I was wondering too how to get the grain from showing with painting. It may take a long time for me.

Also momof5x thx for the gorgeous pics. I saved the 1st one ( the green) for an idea for another dresser I plan to redo soon.

My son says I am the queen of painting things black and putting on funky hardware! Can't go wrong. Rough it up a bit with sandpaper, use a good primer and 2 coats of satin finish latex black paint. For a great finish you can lightly rub with fine steel wool between coats. When done, be patient! Let it cure for 2 weeks + before you put anything on the top of it. I like to use funky placemats ( those vinyl woven ones) if it's a nightstand or on top of dresser where it will take some abuse, or a few coats of varathane on top works well. I did that on several kitchen and dining tables for my kids. Curing time is crucial though. Don't rush it.

tandac, do a little research into homemade chalk paint (not chalkBOARD paint). You can paint over the dresser without having to strip or sand it. Just make sure there's no lose dirt, or cobwebs or anything like that. Do you know what type of look you want in the room? I would wait to paint the dresser until you know what color you really want.

One way to pick a color palette (if you don't already have one in mind) is to find a photo, painting or piece of fabric (you get the idea...) with colors that you like. Then you can use those colors in your room, and use the art on the wall, or the fabric for curtains, pillows, seat covers, etc. (Or don't use the inspiration piece at all, just use the colors).

Ps. They aren't ugly dressers at all, very clean lines and they will look great!

And YES as Lisa suggested, add some funky hardware!!

Remax thanks for the tips! U r right they really are not ugly it is just , as I think Kevin hit the nail on the head, they are too wild. Just too much going on. We also have similar cabinets in the house we are in 2 weeks now...I have been wondering how to deal with those. I'm going to look more into your suggestion of whitewash ...

And also Kevin I wanted to paint the kitchen cabinets white but I think it will be hard to cover the finish.

Yes the flat grain oak is wild! You might work on a small drawer and experiment with it trying different techniques till you get the look that you want. Then turn the painters loose! Good luck, post your finished pics and tell us how you got it! Enjoy...

Orange camera thnk you for your post. I do need help getting started! I had never thought of using something for inspiration & then nor even using it. I also realize now I jumped the gun posting these dressers . I have so many things I want to do now -- like beautifying the 6 adirondack chairs we got for a gift but that are more than a bit weathered....

Also someone mentioned making chalk paint & I'm on learning more on that. Just realized too that I'd been confusing chalkboard paint w/ chalk paint. Lol.

In any event I will be posting more _-- what a fantastic thing this houzz on my iPhone is! You ALL are great for taking the time to help out a novice like me. Cheers!

Yes i found that the oak grain "broadcasted" thru when I painted a sample drawer. Painter warned me but I thought I was smarter. He was right, I follow all of his advice now! All I can say is try things, look at pictures and don't be afraid to fail. You might make a friend and discover a painter you can trust!

There are many ways to give furniture a new look and new life! Paint, stenciling, adding wood trim.... here are two examples of makeovers people have done. and yes, sand (wipe down well), primer then paint! Learn from our mistakes...lol

Can't decide what color to paint the chairs? Pick 6 colors!