# dresser drawers, finish interiors?



## pickngrin (May 23, 2008)

Drawer interiors....Whats the pros and cons to finish Vs. bare wood?

I put a coat of polyurethane inside the drawers of my last project......we can still smell the Minwax poly when ever those drawers are opened.--6 weeks now.
Now I'm making two 5 drawer dressers, cherry with oak drawer sides, back and bottoms....Our CLOTHES will go in there. 
Shall I leave them without finish? Or do I need to finish and just leave them air out for a long time?

Thanks men!


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## joesdad (Nov 1, 2007)

pickngrin said:


> Drawer interiors....Whats the pros and cons to finish Vs. bare wood?
> 
> I put a coat of polyurethane inside the drawers of my last project......we can still smell the Minwax poly when ever those drawers are opened.--6 weeks now.
> Now I'm making two 5 drawer dressers, cherry with oak drawer sides, back and bottoms....Our CLOTHES will go in there.
> ...


You could try the water based Minwax poly. I use that if I'm clear coating small jobs in my basement. Dries fast and has no smell. On oak in warm conditions you will be able get three coats with light sanding in between in a couple hours easy.

Or try shellac or lacquer. Brush-on or spray, they stink less as well.


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## edp (May 25, 2007)

I always finish the drawers, inside and out. I am a big fan of sprayed lacquer. I sand and spray all the inside surfaces before machining and give the inside another coat to cover and scratches while finishing the outside.

Without a sealer on your wood, it will get dirty, become impossible to clean and detract from it's appearance.

Ed


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

joesdad said:


> You could try the water based Minwax poly. I use that if I'm clear coating small jobs in my basement. Dries fast and has no smell. On oak in warm conditions you will be able get three coats with light sanding in between in a couple hours easy.
> 
> Or try shellac or lacquer. Brush-on or spray, they stink less as well.



Ditto on that. Traditionally, drawers weren't usually finished on the inside. Maybe it never occurred to them, or maybe they didn't have forums to get advice on a finish that wouldn't be smelly.


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## Geoguy (Feb 22, 2008)

cabinetman said:


> Ditto on that. Traditionally, drawers weren't usually finished on the inside. Maybe it never occurred to them, or maybe they didn't have forums to get advice on a finish that wouldn't be smelly.


 
Somehow, I'm under the impression (and I can't remember where I heard or read this) that early drawers were intentionally not finished so they would slide easier - wood on wood with a little wax for lubricant (before drawer glides). I seem to remember making a table once with a small drawer that worked wood on wood. I finished everything with poly and it wouldn't slide properly untill I sanded most of the poly off the drawer bottom and the glide surfaces. Even after weeks of drying, the poly surfaces seemed to stick together a little.


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## pianoman (Jan 16, 2008)

Yes I think wood on wood works best for the slide. Just put a little beeswax on the parts that rub. I build a tennon track for my drawers...then plow a dado in the side of the drawers. Use no more than 1/16th" of play. Rick Also... sand the tracks to 400 grit before putting the beeswax on...works great!


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## jerry (Nov 1, 2006)

Unless I'm redoing a very old piece all the drawers I do are finished with shellac.

Regards

Jerry


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## mmwood_1 (Oct 24, 2007)

An alternate opinion: If you sand those oak drawer parts really finely, say 220 grit, and put some paste wax on, or use a buffer and beeswax on them, what would you need anything else for? After all, this is a dresser. Clean clothes are going into it, not anything oily or greasy or wet. They are closed most of the time, so how are they going to get dirty? Look at any antique dressers which have unfinished drawers. I've rarely seen any that were grease-stained, or had oil spots on them, or even dirt smudges. Except the ones my grandpa kept his tools in. Dust can work into the pores over time, but fine sanding and a waxing can make cleaning easy. I had antique wood dressers which had been done just so, and they never got dirty or anything else.


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## pickngrin (May 23, 2008)

I'll have to test some laquer then,,,,test a piece...yeah, I have some peices from the 40"s / 50s...stuff handed down through the family, no finish in the drawers...They seem OK to me...but its not real well made furnature either.


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