I recently bought a wooden dresser from ikea and it comes unfinished so
I want to maybe stain it and put a finish on it myself. I don't have
much experience (none actually) with doing something like this and my
big concern is that I don't want anythign i put on the wood to ruin my
clothes either the smell or the stain getting on them. Anyone have any
ideas/advise w/ what products I should use? Thanks.

wrote:
I recently bought a wooden dresser from ikea and it comes unfinished so
I want to maybe stain it and put a finish on it myself. I don't have
much experience (none actually) with doing something like this and my
big concern is that I don't want anythign i put on the wood to ruin my
clothes either the smell or the stain getting on them. Anyone have any
ideas/advise w/ what products I should use? Thanks.

What kind of wood? I'm guessing poplar or pine - probably not much
grain or figure to bring out. Pick a color of stain you like and go
with that. Test on a hidden part first. You might need to get a
sanding sealer if the stain tends to be blotchy (common problem with
pine). Any stain, once completely dry, won't stain your clothes, and
you'll want a more durable topcoat anyway.
Then pick a clear coat - varnish, polyurethane (water or oil based),
lacquer, shellac, whatever you like. Sand very lightly (320-400 grit)
between coats. Again, once dry, any finish won't stain or smell up
your clothes. Give it several days to be sure, depending on the finish
you choose. If you want your clothes to smell better than when you put
them in the drawer, you could get some aromatic cedar (sold in planks
or chipboard) and line your drawers with that.
Try a google search, or use google groups search to answer more basic
finishing questions.
Andy