Antique Vanity Makeover

Vanity Before

Vanity After

This vanity had been in my customer's  in-law's family for a few generations. Neglect and time took its toll on this lovely vanity as the scratched surface attested to. However, I assured my customer I would make it shine and indeed, I did. The first step was to remove the hardware then get it ready for sanding and stripping, which was immensely tedious because the sides have a fluted rounded edge which required a metal brush to remove all the previous finishes, all part of the stripping process. 

Birch Wine Bar

Bar Before

Bar After

This simple bar was quite the challenge! Made of solid birch, this bar was in my customer's family since the mid-1960s. We received it in the condition it had been for over 50 years, painted white, with more than its share of scratches. Old hardware dated this piece, so we had our work cut out for us. 

You never truly know how much work a piece is going to be until you get into the "bones" of it. Stripping this small bar was deceptively difficult for a few reasons; there was a lot of surface area and the raised panel details as well as the legs and inside was an enormous task. The interior glass holders each took close to two hours to strip. When you strip painted surfaces and plan on staining them, it's necessary to remove every speck of paint. If you don't, the stain will not be able to soak into the wood as those tiny paint specks remain and stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.