Decorative Walnut Antique Cedar Chest

Walnut Cedar Chest Before

Having refinished several cedar chests, this was definitely the most decorative and detailed ones I'd ever seen. I had no clue as to its age, as it had no markings on it, but judging by the way it was made and the materials used, I estimated it to be well over one hundred years old. It had no shelf on the inside, as many cedar chests do, but it was roomy enough to store many blankets, quilts and sets of sheets.

In order to properly restore this cedar chest in the best way possible, I removed the back decorative scroll, which had veneer damage, as well as the side scroll features, which were solid walnut, no veneer. The bottom of the chest was missing a back leg post and the veneer was damaged or missing. I knew this would be a major

Walnut Cedar Chest After

project, but to do it justice, it needed to be done right.

After removing the scrollwork, I began the tedious task of stripping the old finish with my choice gel stripper. Stripping is extremely messy work and requires several applications of stripper and many passes with a putty knife. The method I use is slow and steady, but gives excellent results. After liberally applying the stripper, I leave it on a bit, then slowly pull the putty knife toward myself (as to avoid gouging the wood) bringing a thick, gooey layer of the old finish and the now brown stripping compound with it, then swipe the entire mess into a plastic margarine container. (Never underestimate the use of these handy containers!) 

For the hard to reach areas of the cedar chest I used a wide selection of wood carving tools which are quite handy to get into the nooks and crannies, such as the front panel and beaded detail. I scraped as much old finish off as I could with the tool of choice, then used a small brass brush to remove residue I was unable to scrape off. I then used a steel wool pad to remove the rest of the residue prior to sanding. For this cedar chest I chose not to use my orbital sander, instead opting for hand sanding because of the beading and panel detail on the front.


Once everything was clean and sanded, the next step was to replace the broken veneer pieces by removing the old veneer and making new templates by tracing the shape onto the new veneer, then carefully cutting it with a utility knife. I did this for the bottom of the chest as well as the top scroll board, which had broken veneer on the backside. This proved to be a long process as each section required its own unique veneer cut. I applied contact cement to the veneer as well as the section of the cedar chest it would be adhered to, waiting five minutes between each application. I like applying more than one coat of contact cement as it insures the veneer will stay put once it touches the wood. This is where precision counts! Once it's down, there's no "wiggle" room to reposition the new veneer. Lucky for me the sections I worked on were small, so the new veneer snapped into place easily enough.

After all veneer was replaced, I applied a coat of dark walnut stain to the repaired scrollwork, as well as the chest, then left it alone for a day. I applied a total of two coats of polyurethane (allowing the poly to dry between coats) to the scrolls and vertical surfaces and three coats to the top, which gets the most wear. After seven continuous days of long hours with tedious, tiring work, this antique walnut cedar chest had been given a brand new look, transformed into a beauty that will be cherished for generations to come.