A John Deere Publication

lady wearing a mask using a sander on a dresser

Jana Stangler of Utica, Minn., started refinishing furniture to relieve stress in 2020. What she thought would be a simple, pandemic hobby has turned into a creative passion that she pursues during any free moment of her day.

Rural Living September 01, 2024

A Fresh Coat

Giving life to treasured pieces.

by Katie Knapp

"We're strapped for space," says Jana Stangler, as she looks around their garage a little unsure how to solve the problem. It is big enough for four vehicles. The walls are lined with sturdy cabinets and work benches, and there is a full-sized refrigerator adorned with stickers and magnets. But, there are not four vehicles inside.

Instead, it is full of old furniture stacked up and waiting for attention, a bright and simple makeshift photo studio, a pop-up painting tent, and all the necessary tools for furniture refinishing.

Jana, her husband, and their teenage son live in a four-square, century-old home with a few outbuildings on the corner of two gravel roads in southeastern Minnesota near where she and her husband grew up. Their closest neighbor is a cemetery.

Jana is not shy about being an introvert, so this has been the perfect homestead for them to raise their son and have their own space. But when everything went online at the beginning of the pandemic and stress grew, it wasn't as peaceful as it had been.

"I was kind of going out of my mind," Jana says, transporting herself back to those long and dreary months of spring and summer 2020 when everyone was stuck at home. "My husband said I needed to find something to do."

Jana's mom had stockpiled old furniture thinking someday she might refinish the pieces herself, so Jana brought some home and got to work after working all day in her remote marketing position.

"I experimented with a couple pieces, and somebody wanted to buy them. Then it just snowballed into something I never could have imagined," she says, still in some disbelief four years later.

Jana started counting her completed pieces in 2022; she refinished 96 that year. In 2023, she did 78 pieces.

"I worked my way through everything Mom had, and then people started giving me stuff. Now I try to be a little pickier," she explains. "These days I like to focus on higher quality pieces because I would just get frustrated with the cheap stuff. But, I also can't say no sometimes, like that piece over there I got for $20," she says pointing to a dresser stacked on top of another, patiently waiting its place in line.

She says her favorite pieces to work on are midcentury modern. "I like the clean, straight lines," Jana explains. It is fitting Jana has been drawn to this style in her stress-relieving, creative hobby. Midcentury designers were likely looking for a little of the same peace when they made simple and utilitarian pieces in contrast to previous eras' decorative and ornamental styles.

Above. After refinishing hundreds of dressers, sideboards, and end tables, Jana has acquired a shop full of professional tools. She often prefers to highlight a piece's natural wood but will paint it if the quality is not good or the buyer wants something specific. Jana's new hobby has given her much more than she expected.

Restoring peace. Needless to say, Jana found her outlet.

She now spends all her free time in the garage, working on several pieces at once depending on if they are in the scraping, fixing, or finishing stage.

"I am out here every weekend and some weeknights and lunch hours," she says. You can see her shoulders release any extra life and work stress as she talks about her projects. "I tried so many things as I was learning. I read everything, watched videos, and asked questions of other furniture restorers. I finally know what products I like and which I don't, like it is definitely worth the money to use top-of-the-line paint."

It has never been about the money, but she has started tracking her expenses and time more precisely because it all does add up after doing hundreds of pieces.

"We decided it was time to set up an LLC after doing our taxes last year. Just running the heat in the garage all winter is enough of an expense to make a difference. Then when you add in all the supplies and trips to haul furniture…it was time to make it a legitimate business," she says. "I would also like to park my vehicle inside again one day, but that would mean we have to build another building."

The idea of having a dedicated workshop designed just how she wants makes Jana's eyes sparkle a little brighter, like they've been given a fresh topcoat along with the end table and sideboard she just finished. It would be her happy place, full of peace and pieces.

In the meantime, she will continue to find more worthy furniture at estate sales and resale shops, refinish to her liking, and sell through word-of-mouth and her social media business pages: @StanglerStyleStudio. ‡