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| Cedar Chest Before |
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| Cedar Chest After |
I found this lovely Lane cedar chest at an estate sale on my way to the grocery store. It was the last day of the sale and everything was half off! I was thrilled that this cedar chest was still there after a few people had expressed interest in it, but never came back to buy it. It was as though it was saved just for me. It was exactly what I had been searching for since spring. I was determined to find one that I could afford since I still had to put work into it to make it pretty again. My patience had paid off!
I needed a cedar chest to store my precious quilts. Cedar is a great choice as it is naturally moth-proof and smells great! This one was fairly large, which I needed to keep my large sized quilts in while not being used. It also has a great curved shelf on the underside of the top. This curved feature is something I had not seen before.
This cedar chest was very similar to the one I had purchased a few years ago and had to sell at the time because I didn't have the space to keep it in my granddaughter's room. Since we had moved, we now had a guest bedroom large enough to keep the cedar in and I was thrilled to have found this gem at exactly the time I needed it.
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| Cedar Chest After |
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| Cedar Chest Before |
The restoration was time-consuming because the bottom of this chest had a curved feature which was in excellent condition, rare for a cedar chest made in 1948. Sometimes the very thing I love about a piece of furniture, is the same thing that makes it difficult to refinish. It took about a week of stripping, sanding and applying a mixture of red oak and a bit of mahogany stain to achieve the warm, rich resulting color which matches the bedroom like it had always been there. I feel very lucky to have found this stunning piece of history and the vision to bring it back to its former glory.
My wife just acquired one of these chests from her father who passed away. Her brother started to sand it with out knowing what he was doing. I want to restore this for her. I am very handy and have some experience in wood working but not taking something old look new. We did and end table she got 2 years ago and it looked great. Any advice would be much appreciated. What sanding to old do you use? What stain brand or clear coat?
ReplyDeleteI normally use a strong stripper and putty knife to remove the old finish. Then I remove the residue from the stripper with rough grade 0 steel wool. Once all the residue is removed and the surface is clean and dry, then it's ready for sanding. Start with a 100-150 grit sandpaper, wiping away the sawdust when you're done. Finish with a 220-320 grit sandpaper until the surface is completely smooth. Remove all sawdust with a soft rag dipped in paint thinner or mineral spirits, including all the tiny cracks and edges. After you've done this, it's ready for staining. I use a quality stain like Minwax, but you can use whatever you prefer. Apply the stain with a soft cloth and remove any excess. One layer of stain is usually sufficient. If you want it darker, wait 24 hours and apply another layer. Once dry, brush on your choice of polyurethane. Make sure you keep a wet edge as you apply and try not to miss any spots. Allow the entire surface to dry for 24 hours before lightly sanding with a high grit sand paper. I recommend using a 320 grit. Remove the residue from sanding with a soft cloth then apply one more coat of polyurethane over the entire surface again. Generally, two coats of polyurethane is enough. However, if you feel it needs one more, coat follow the steps above, lightly sanding with a 320 grit sand paper and add the final coat of polyurethane. That should do it.
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