School Desk Revival

Oak School Desk Before

While in Lexington, we came across this old oak school desk at an antique store. We got a great deal on it so we brought it home along with an antique China cabinet. This desk could have belonged to a teacher, as it was reminiscent of my early school experiences. It was in great condition, but definitely in need of refinishing. It was made of solid oak with only two drawers that at one time had dividers, long gone.

Oak School Desk After

It needed a great deal of sanding and stripping and proved to be quite a chore, but it was gorgeous when I completed the restoration. I chose a walnut finish and also to keep the wooden drawer pulls, as they kept the originality of the piece. The top had not been original to the desk, (although it looked like someone had replaced it quite some time ago), therefore it took the stain differently than the rest of the desk. Eventually we sold it to a family who lived only a block away from us. Since they had no way to get the desk home, so we gladly delivered it. They said they'd been looking for a desk such as this for their son's computer. It was a win/win situation!

Cute Corner Table

Corner Table Before

Corner Table After

I got lucky when I found this adorable corner table while visiting an antique store in Birch Run, while staying there for a night earlier this year in February. We love checking out local antique stores and estate sales while traveling. You just never know when you're going to find that "special" item you've been searching for. This was the case with this little gem of a corner table, which was exactly the right size.

The top shelve, edging and drawer is cherry and the other two shelves are pine, not uncommon for an old piece such as this. I decided to remove the edging, making it easier to remove the old finish, therefore sanding each piece and making repairs on one broken one, gluing together, then clamping it so it stayed secure. The table has a name and what could be a serial number on the bottom of the drawer; Butler, Style #517 - 1105. I researched it, but couldn't find anything other than there is a furniture company by the name of Butler.

Corner Table Top After

Corner Table Top Before

A little refinishing was all it needed, so I got busy sanding and stripping the entire table, paying special attention to the ridged detail in the front of each shelf. I used many sheets of folded sandpaper and sanding blocks which work great for the minuscule ribbing on the front of the shelves. If I wouldn't have removed all the finish, the new stain wouldn't have been absorbed, thus that area would have looked odd. It paid off, because the cherry stain I used looked great.

I finished off the piece with two coats of polyurethane and chose an antique porcelain knob to replace the almost invisible knob that had previously occupied the drawer's front. I was quite satisfied with the results, as this little table now graces the landing leading to the upper level of our house.

Corner Table on Landing

Edwardian Kidney-Shaped Desk

Edwardian Desk and Chair Before

Edwardian Desk and Chair After

I came across this amazing Edwardian Kidney-shaped desk and matching chair at an estate sale and knew I had to have it. Luckily, all the drawer pulls were in tact, but the top left one was missing a screw. Easy enough to find a screw and put the pull back in. The chair was in great shape, but the fabric was quite worn and dirty. Not a problem, as I could easily replace the fabric.

Drawer Pull Before Polishing

Drawer Pull After Polishing

My first project was the chair. I found a perfect gold fabric that pulls out the painted gold "arrow" design on the chair. I removed the seat and touched up the minor scratches on the chair itself, then replaced the fabric. It turned out to be a great choice as it looked great! Next was the desk itself. I replaced the missing screw and used tung oil to polish the wood until it gleamed. (Unfortunately, I took the photo of the cleaned desk and spent hours removing the background, before I polished the handles, therefore I added the photos [above] of the drawers separately showing the newly polished handles.) 

Once I pushed the newly upholstered chair underneath the desk, I knew I had indeed made the grand finale, hence the name of my business. I loved this beautiful desk and chair and together, they make a great team. The desk and chair are currently available for $675.00. Please contact me at 586.873.1405 if you're interested in purchasing them.

Chair and Desk After

Desk After

My Favorite Dresser

Dresser Before

Dresser After

This is probably my favorite dresser so far that I've done. It was a sad, old dresser which I found in the basement of an estate sale in Eastpointe. It was buried under old LPs, grade school photos, contact paper and various cans of bug spray. I spotted this piece and knew I had to have it. It had great potential but boy, was it a mess!

After the young man helped me load the dresser into the van, I got it home and assessed it. The drawers were filled with memories of a man who'd gone to a school in Detroit; report cards, school photos, a pink pearl eraser, pencils, torn photographs of kids in baseball uniforms and old utility bills from 1970. This wasn't just a dresser. It had been a part of someone's life. This dresser was just crying out, make me beautiful!

Dresser Top Before

Dresser Top After

I wanted to paint the dresser (as opposed to staining it) because the wood, while sturdy and in good shape, was a bit rough. There was

Bookshelves Go Black

Bookshelf Before

Bookshelf After

This was another large job we did for a Grosse Pointe client. She loved this old set, but wanted an updated look with fresh paint. She had been to Africa many times and wanted the bookshelves, desk, parson's table and chair to match the decor of her room. I suggested she go with black and she agreed. I also suggested to remove the gold accent corners as these only dated the pieces.

Once we got the furniture home, it was a long process of sanding every surface prior to painting. She had chosen a Sherwin-Williams black, which in theory looked like it was a perfect match, but when thinned to be painted, the end result was purple! Yikes! Luckily we noticed it before Jim painted the entire set.

Desk After

Desk Before

Quick thinking was needed here as we'd already begun the painting process and couldn't delay. We ended up replacing the paint with a Home Depot Behr paint, which was absolutely perfect. Black paint is a great choice when you want to repaint furniture as it is classy and matches most decor, however, the down side is that it's difficult to work with since the absence of light makes it hard to paint all the corners, and this set had many of those.

It's also difficult to photograph black furniture since the absence of light also makes it hard to capture details. If you use a flash, you get a "hot" spot in the photograph. I took the "before" photos outdoors and the "after" photos at my client's home, which wasn't the ideal place to photograph, but you get the picture. No pun intended.

Chair After

Parson's table and chair

Parson's table after

1960's Bedroom Set

Night Stand Before

Night Stand After

This was a large furniture job for a client in Grosse Pointe. This bedroom set included a nightstand (pictured left and right), a tall dresser, a low dresser, a mirror (not pictured) and a headboard. This was a popular 1960's, Early American style set. I actually had a nightstand very similar to this one as a child. It was popular back then.

My client wanted to keep the same finish and use the same handles. I started with the low dresser, then the tall dresser, nightstand and headboard and finished with the mirror. I spent two or three days removing the tarnish from the handles, then polishing them until they looked new once again. I love the shiny new brass finish revealed after all that detail work.

There are always surprises when you remove the factory finish from furniture and this set was no exception. The wood was pine, but because various sections of board were used, there was a great deal of color variation. Personally, I love this look as you can really see the wood grain, which tends to be hidden with a factory treatment. This is the beauty of hand-finished products; seeing the gorgeous wood beneath.

Low Dresser Before

Low Dresser After

Headboard Before

Headboard After

Tall Dresser Before

Tall Dresser After

Antique Cabinet

Cabinet After

Cabinet Before

This little gem was a project for a former co-worker. She had wanted to use it for the bathroom in her cottage. She had acquired the cabinet from a friend. After seeing the potential, she decided to have it refinished. It had been worked on previously, but because of the construction, I could see that it was indeed an antique, maybe sixty or seventy years old. The exterior was in need of refinishing, otherwise it had good bones.

She wanted to maintain the look, so after stripping and sanding, I used a pecan stain, which was perfect. It retained the original color, yet with a brand new, updated look. She had ordered new knobs, but they didn't arrive prior to the completion, so I just photographed it with the old knobs, but polished the hinges and other hardware. I love little projects such as this, that serve a big purpose!

Tiny End Table

Tiny Table Before

Tiny Table After

I came across this tiny table at a local garage sale. It was exactly what I had been looking for to use as a side table next to my chair while I watch t.v. It's extremely lightweight and at only 20-1/2" x 12", it was the perfect size. It was in pretty good shape, but I decided to refinish it anyway, just because I had a specific color in mind for the completed project.

It was a one day strip/sand job that took most of my afternoon, but once I had completed stripping and sanding it, I was able to stain it the same day. The legs were a bit loose, so I glued them together and let it sit over night. The next day the legs were secure and the table looked beautiful! I was so fortunate to have found the exact size table for the spot I needed to put it. You never know when you'll find that one special piece of furniture! I love this little beauty.

Yard Sale End Table Revival

End Table Before

End Table After

I got lucky with this little table. I needed an end table for the living room and couldn't seem to find one that worked in size. The previous one dollar garage sale Ikea table wasn't tall enough, so when I got this table at a yard sale, I knew I had finally found the right one. I'm glad I didn't pay much for it because it turned out to be quite difficult to strip. For whatever reason, there seemed to be endless amounts of lacquer on this table, requiring a LOT of coats of liquid stripper and more labor than I thought possible for such a small item! Wow! My arms were killing me after I had completed the top only and I still had the legs to do. Geez.