Damaged Caned Chair Makeover

Caned Chair After

Caned Chair Before

After doing many caned chairs, this one was unique because it was mainly metal and very heavy. It was surprising how heavy it was because when you looked at it, you wouldn't suspect it was so heavy! Anyway, the seat had been damaged and needed to be replaced. This was a "press-in" caning job, meaning the cane comes as a unit and it "pressed" into the open area of the seat once the old, broken cane was removed. The cane is held in place with spline that comes in various widths, based on the allowed opening of the groove left by the previous spline. 

I first removed the seat's cane on the edges with a knife then drilled holes in the spline, every two inches so I could shoot steam into each hole. This process allows me to carefully lift up the old spline which is held in with glue. I begin in the front then carefully move all the way to the back while gently lifting the old spline away from the cane. Once all the old material has been removed, I clean out the groove and get ready to install the new cane material. Prior to installing the cane, it has to be soaked at least 2-3 hours. This makes it pliable enough to push into the new grooves so it doesn't crack and break while applying. 

I used caning wedges that are carefully hammered along the groove line which makes room for the new spline. Then I start at the back of the chair and following the glue line, push and hammer the new spline into place. After the new spline is completely installed, I cut away the excess cane material and after a final clean up, the chair it done. It is recommended to rest at least 24-48 hours prior to someone sitting on it. 

Little Vintage Footstool Gets Reupholstered

Footstool after

 

Footstool before

This little gem of a footstool was one of two projects for a woman who had wanted some upholstery work done. The other one was a cushion cover for a loveseat. This footstool had very old fabric in a vintage style pattern. 

I met this nice woman at the Marine City Maritime Days back in August and she finally got around to moving forward with these small projects. The little footstool belonged to her mother and by the look of it had never been reupholstered, thus I removed the old fabric. 

The underside of the footstool had a very thin covering, kind of like paper which was stuck to the bottom and couldn't be removed, so I ended up covering over it. The hardware and screws that the legs attached to were very rusty, so I used my grinding wheel to remove the rust and make it better looking as well as easier to re-install. Despite the age, there were not a lot of staples holding the old material in place, which made it a speedy job by comparison to other projects of this size. 

Once I had removed the old material, I cut a new swatch of the gray plush material and sewed a square which I then fit over the new foam and dacron I used on the original wood which was still usable. After I reassembled the legs onto the newly polished hardware, it took on a brand new look. Handy little stool.

Chair for a Friend

Chair After

Chair Before

My guess is that this chair was approximately one hundred and fifty years old, give or take. The seat springs were poking though the bottom, making it something you would not be able to sit on without falling through! Not a good scenario. But when my friend of fifty-plus years had asked me if I could reupholster this chair, I said, "Of course!" I would welcome the challenge, especially since I have mastered re-tying seat springs so they can be functional. 

Spring tying is a skill that you must have if you tackle upholstery projects and doing it right is essential to the future life of the chair. (Check out the springs in the photo to see what they looked like before they were repaired.)

So once I had removed all the tacks and nails, I stripped the fabric from the chair. The seat had the original horsehair. Next step, I replaced the old webbing with new webbing and re-tied those old springs. I began the process of building up the chair's seat by covering the springs with burlap to keep them in place. I added a one inch layer of foam over the burlap and stapled it. Next I added a couple layers of raw cotton to soften the foam and shape the seat. Finally, I covered the raw cotton with a high thread count muslin to keep it all smooth and soft before I stapled on the new ticking material that my friend had selected. The material was great to work with and looked terrific. Whenever I work with patterns, I make sure I find center of the seat before securing the fabric to the chair to keep it even and appealing to the eye.

Stripes all lined up, I worked on the top. The old webbing was not attached very well, so I replaced it with new webbing for strength and comfort, as well as long-lasting wear. I covered the webbing with thin foam and raw cotton before I attached the new fabric. The back of the chair needed a little bit of raw cotton before I could cover it with the final ticking fabric. Once all the fabric was stapled in place, I cut fabric for the welt cord to replace the old upholstery tacks used on the chair originally. I attached the welt cord to the seat, back front and back and made sure I had enough material for the armrests, which I did last. For the armrests I replaced the horsehair with foam and cotton and covered it with the ticking and finished it off with the welt cording. What a difference this reupholstery made in this antique chair. And it is as comfortable as it is pretty.

Springs Poking Through

Before repair

Credenza Gets Painted White

Credenza After

Credenza Before

This was a classic Booker Credenza, likely from the 1970s or 1980s. Our customer had wanted a completely different look so she opted to have Jim paint it white. She had selected a soft white to match her decor. Once the paint was chosen and cabinet was in place, 

Jim prepared this large, heavy piece by removing the doors and shelving and then masking the leather detailed doors since they would remain the same. The doors had a really interesting raised leather curved design, which looked great with  the style of furniture that this was.

Once he had everything masked off and ready, he lightly sanded everything then primed it. Once the primer was dry, he carefully painted everything using Benjamin Moore paint in a matte finish. Jim's many years of painting experience comes in real handy for these large paint jobs. For this type of work, spray painting is the best solution. It is even and looks great, without brush strokes. Certain pieces can be brushed well enough, but for larger furniture, spraying is superior. The finished product looked great.

Three-Tier Antique Table Refinish

Three-Tier Table

Three-Tier Table

Chances are your grandmother had one of these three-tier tables in her home housing plants or knick-knacks. These were very common in the 1950s-1960s, used for various household items. This table was in fairly good overall condition but needed a minor repair on one of the fluted edge molding pieces. 

It's actually amazing that these molding edges were still intact since many other tables we've done in the past didn't have them or they were too damaged to salvage. It looks better with the edging as it also serves a purpose, keeping things from slipping off the tiers.

Jim decided to take this apart to work on it since this made it easier to reach all the areas that needed to be refinished. He stripped, sanded and stained the entire table unit with a blended stain mixture he created. We get great results when we mix and match stains with other stains. You get a very rich, deep color and it brings out the tones and flavors of the wood. The result was stunning, a lovely deep, rich color that looked terrific with the style of the table. He used satin polyurethane to finish it off and protect it for the customer's usage. So it is once again ready to be handed down to the next generation for their enjoyment.

To see another table we have refinished, click on the link below. This one is only two tiers, but was very nice.

https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/search?q=two-tier+table

Bookcase Refinished

Bookcase After

Bookcase Before

A simple three-shelf bookcase is always a handy way to store books and other items you want to keep close at hand. This old bookcase had seen better days as it was quite worn and in need of some TLC. Made of pine, this bookcase had a single drawer, handy for keeping checkbooks or receipts. 

It needed to be stripped, sanded and stained with walnut stain, then protected with two coats of  polyurethane to keep the finish new looking. The drawer pull just needed a little polishing and it was good as new. A perfect size for a small room or office, this bookcase will serve its purpose for many years to come.