Antique Cabinet/Secretary Revival

Cabinet After

Cabinet Before

This was an antique glass cabinet/secretary which had damage on the bottom curved section due to a dog chewing on it. Replacing wood from pet damage can be difficult since it involves putting something there that is missing. This area was uniquely difficult because of its location, right in the front and to make matters  more complicated, on a curve parallel to the curved glass door. 

There was also a piece of wood missing along the top in the back which Jim replaced with a matching piece of oak that looked like it had belonged there and was a great addition.

The rest of the piece was in pretty good condition but needed full stripping and refinishing. This piece had some lovely original features including detailed wood carving on the drop-down desk area right below the leaded glass panel which was a separate place to store knick-knacks. Three storage drawers were right below the desk area, a nice place to keep stationary and other desk items. 

Interior of  Desk Area

Jim had to remove the door, drawers, leaded glass panel and drop-down area to be able to access the interior and properly strip the interior. The shelves weren’t included in the “before” photo, but they were later added  in the “after” photo. Jim had to recreate the missing wood section where the dog chew damage was, no easy task, but somehow he created another piece of oak and formed it to follow the curve of the original radius so that it looked natural as if it had been there all along. 

Working with antiques are never cut and dry as each piece is unique and requires a lot of thought, time and improvisation. We always try to maintain the original integrity of the antique and the end result shows the time and dedication we put into every piece. This one is a great example of the process of refinishing as well as innovation mixed in with creativity and a great deal of time commitment. 

Antique Stained Glass Door Revival

 

Door Interior
Before

This antique door was well over 100 years old and had seen plenty of years of wear and weathering. The cracking was pretty severe and the windows, while amazingly weren’t broken, needed some TLC because the framework was deteriorating and held in by glaze. Unfortunately, upon removing some of the paint we discovered the door was not stainable, so our customer chose a fresh coat of paint.

The stripping process is always the most tedious in any refinishing project, but for doors a lot of the difficulty comes in with the type of paint that was used. The older the door, the harder it is to remove the paint. Milk paint was frequently used back then and with our experience, is quite difficult to remove. We either use a chemical stripper or a heat gun (or both) when we remove the old paint from most projects. 

Sometimes it’s just not possible to remove all the paint so we remove as much as we can then sand it smooth and prep it for paint. A coat of primer is necessary for any paint project whether it has had paint on it previously or not. Especially raw wood projects which always require primer. Once primed, painting flows smoothly. 

Door Interior
After

This door required more work because the customer needed the door knob and hardware moved to the opposite side because of where the door would be located, so it was necessary to remove the old hardware, fill the holes left with wood pieces, dowels and filler, sand it smooth and drill new holes on the other side of the door so that it opens correctly. The new hardware they chose was brass.

This door required refinishing as well as carpentry work. Jim made new moldings for the stained glass panels and replaced the center clear glass. The door was out of square so he made sure all was square and plumb which is necessary for a smooth installation.

As you can see in the photo to the right, once installed, the stained glass looked fabulous, adding charm and character to the kitchen. The color of the glass was not visible from the exterior due to the angle of the photo. Photos below are of the exterior before and after photos.

Door Exterior
Before

Door Exterior
After

Mid Century Modern Dressers

Tall Dresser After

Tall Dresser Before

Sometimes I have no words for the furniture that comes to us. This is one of those times. This was a Kroehler dresser set, a classic mid-century modern set that at its creation was probably very beautiful. Somewhere along the line the original hardware was lost (who knows) and replaced with completely different (not matching) hardware in a different finish. 

The original drawer pulls were the ones on the bottom two drawers, The center drawers had “scoopy” handles which were not at all correct for this period and the top large drawer had four knobs, also not matching. To say the least, this dresser had a bunch of mismatched pulls that simply didn’t work.

Long Dresser After

Long Dresser Before

Our customer wanted these dressers refinished and stained, however we realized that once we started stripping it wasn’t stained originally, but painted with a glaze treatment. Plus, there were broken veneered corners that wouldn’t have looked good if filled in and stained, so we suggested paint, which turned out to be the best option for these pieces. 

As much as we prefer exposing the beautiful wood hidden beneath layers of paint, sometimes it’s not possible because when we get painted pieces, it’s usually for a reason. But occasionally we get painted pieces that have gorgeous wood beneath and it takes on a completely different look once stripped and stained.

For these dressers, once the holes created by all the handles were filled in, sanded and smoothed out, painting covered them and they once again had a classic, clean line look common to the mid-century modern furniture people gravitate to. It had gotten an upgrade that worked great for these pieces. We also worked on two nightstands (not pictured) that were a part of this set but we didn’t get the “after” pictures of them. Then our customers decided to get a headboard painted to match the rest of the furniture so now they have a complete set that all matches. This one turned out great!

Bedroom Set Stripped and Whitewashed

Vanity Before

Vanity After

This is one of three bedroom pieces that came to us with an old yellowish paint that was at one time supposed to be much lighter. It had oxidized over the years and obtained some wear, so a refresh was in order.

My customer had wanted a whitewashed finish, so a full strip, sanding and application of white stain, which creates a whitewashed finish that she had wanted. The hardest part is always removing the old finish before anything else and with the amount of detail in this set including ball and claw feet, the stripping and sanding process took a great deal of time. This had to be done to all three pieces, removing the original hardware which luckily, was all in tact and accessible.

Dresser Before

Sometimes hardware pieces get missing so must be replaced. But

Dresser After

mostly, people prefer to use the original hardware in their restoration process.

When changing the entire appearance of an item such as going from stain stripping to painting for a more modern appearance, they will sometimes elect to replace the old hardware with newer, more modern hardware. It’s all personal preference, but it always looks great when it’s done.

Night Stand Before

Night Stand After

Old Steamer Trunk Renewed

Steamer Trunk Before

Steamer Trunk After

They say “every picture tells a story.” Well, if  This antique steamer trunk could tell a story, it sure would have plenty to say. We estimated this trunk dated back to around 1846, based on its condition and the materials used to create it (blunt end nails and very old leather straps). The exterior had seen better days (that’s the understatement), and the interior wasn’t much better. Needless to say we had our work cut out for us. Where do you begin on this type of enormous project? How do you start? It’s not like it comes with its own “restoration" manual.

Dresser Chalk Paint Makeover

Dresser Before Chalk Paint

Dresser After Chalk Paint

It's hard to believe that this lovely oak dresser was once used to store tools. It had been in a garage for many years being used as a tool bench and work surface so there was a bit of warping, but overall it was still in great shape. Although it had seen better times, the bones and structure were still good and we knew we could make it pretty again. We were both up for the challenge. (This was the last item in the "chalk paint makeover" using Annie Sloan's chalk paint.)

This dresser required some carpentry work before any painting could be done. The top had been split into two pieces, so Jim had to "biscuit" the two sections together and clamp them tight, then fill in the seams so that once painted, you would never know it had been broken. The left front leg had its back part broken off completely, so Jim re-engineered a new leg section, forming it perfect to match the right leg which was still in tact. Some of the drawers didn't open and close very well, so they required a bit of shaving on the table saw.

After he was done with his part of the job, I then sanded the sides and got busy painting. For this dresser, I mixed three parts graphite with one part French Linen which yielded a gorgeous color of a slate-ish gray, perfect for this particular piece of furniture. The thick, rich paint went on smoothly and looked terrific. I knew I would love this piece, since I just knew it would take on the largest transformation of the other pieces I had painted. Using clear wax on the entire dresser with black only on the bottom for accent was just enough to give it a sultry, rich look and a durable surface

The new brass drawer pulls provided the last touch of "bling," which was absolutely the crowning jewel for this amazing old girl. Wow!

Art Deco Vanity

Art Deco Vanity Before Refinishing

Art Deco Vanity After Refinishing

This was the second item in the art deco bedroom set we refinished. It matched the art deco dresser,  with the same wood and matching handles. It too was made of cherry. This vanity had two sections of damaged veneer; upper right front panel and lower left, beneath the drawer. It's possible to patch small sections of broken veneer, but other times it must be replaced, as it was here. The process of removing old veneer doesn't involve any special skills or tools, just a hot (no steam) iron, a pressing cloth and patience. The iron heats up the old veneer just enough to warm up the old adhesive so you can easily slide a putty knife between the veneer and wood beneath, gently lifting it off until it's removed. This was the process I used to replace the veneer on this lovely vanity. Once the old veneer was completely removed, I glued the new veneer in place, then used a sharp utility knife to remove the excess, then my mini dremel to smooth the edges.

Cheap TV Stand Makeover

TV Stand Before

TV Stand After Paint

This corner tv stand was a very lucky find for me! I had been looking for something to replace the "too tall" temporary tv stand with something lower, since the antique cherry cabinet I had used was too high and blocked a significant amount of light from the window, making it hard to open and close the curtains.

We simply don't have the time to build an adequate tv stand right now with everything else we're trying to accomplish outside before the weather turns cold, so finding this little gem was an unexpected surprise, especially since it cost me only $5.00!

Eastlake Dresser Makeover

1900's Eastlake Dresser

This lovely Eastlake mahogany dresser dates back to the early 1900's. While it's nearly impossible to trace its origins, it's not too hard to figure out that this piece is made of high quality mahogany with beautiful raised panels of rosewood which complements the reddish tone of the mahogany. (Unfortunately, I can't find the "before" photo for this dresser, or I would have put it in this blog post. )

We purchased this dresser at Materials Unlimited, in Ypsilanti. It was down in the basement in the farthest corner, behind some tall old boards. We almost overlooked it with all the clutter in front of it.

It was a miracle that this dresser hadn't fallen completely apart, considering the extent of damage it had withstood over a century. I can assure you, it didn't look like this when Jim pulled it away from the basement wall. It had broken sides, drawers and a cracked back. It required a lot of restructuring and elbow grease before it could be refinished, but it was well worth it.

It is easy for a trained eye to spot quality furniture, but with these five easy guidelines, anyone can do it. Here a few pointers to look for when deciding whether or not to have an item of furniture restored and reasons why restoration is a good choice.

1. How are the bones? A good "bone" structure with minor damage is worth refinishing. If the piece is damaged to the point where there is more replacement wood than original wood, while still usable, it may not as valuable. Check for major cracks or deep scratches on the larger sections of a piece of furniture, as these may affect the amount of work required to bring it back to life.

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. 

Elegant Cedar Chest Revival

Cedar Chest Before

This was a classic antique cedar chest, similar to the others we've done, but the first one with a combination lock on the front. It was in the family of my customer for many years, so she wanted it refinished to maintain of her family's treasures. It had seen better days, for sure, but that didn't deter us from making it better than new.

First, like most project we do, total stripping and sanding was in order. This revealed the beautiful linear design of this remarkable cedar chest. It was in great shape already, so a little refinishing made a huge difference. We were so glad the veneer was in tact, as many older chests lose their original veneer over the years, because they get used and see a lot of wear.

Cedar Chest After

After stripping and sanding, we applied a light stain which brought out the true beauty of the cedar. We added the proper hardware to the interior, which had an incorrect hinge set on the back and nothing holding it up safely. The front combination lock needed to be polished. It looked fabulous!

Once everything else was accomplished, a good interior cleaning and the chest was complete. My customer was speechless over the results. This chest was truly a unique piece of furniture which deserved all the TLC we could give it. Check out the other cedar chests we've worked on at these links: http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-waterfall-cedar-chest.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2014/10/solid-cedar-chest.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2013/12/1945-lane-waterfall-cedar-chest.html

Charlevoix Cherry Antique Dresser

Dresser Before

Dresser After

While on vacation, we came across this dresser at an estate sale at real date written somewhere on it that we could refer to! As with most antiques, it had great bones but needed some love. We found it at a beautiful house on Lake Michigan in Charlevoix.

There was an inscription written in the upper right corner of the

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