Antique Eastlake Dresser Makeover

Dresser After

Dresser Before

This is a great example of a perfect "before" and "after" photo of an old, beat up dresser that had seen better days and lots of wear. It is an Eastlake style dresser made of solid oak. The top was pretty much destroyed and needed replacement. There's only so much you can do with refinishing and restoration. Sometimes a total replacement is required, such as in the top. 

Jim made a brand new top using sassafras wood, which has a similar wood grain as oak, which matched perfectly with this dresser. He opted to paint it using chalk paint and treated with wax, which protects the finish and makes it easy to clean. He chose a lovely brushed brass for the drawer pulls which looks stunning with the new color.

This dresser has four large drawers and two smaller ones at the top. Each drawer bottom has been replaced since many were either missing or not operative any longer. The drawers were constructed with dovetail joints, so it was made well as new, but as the years pass by, it got its fair share of use and likely, neglect over time. What you see in the "before" photo it the way it looked when we got it home. The "after" photo is what it looked like once it was complete. 

This dresser is also for sale, asking $375.00. It is solid wood and will make a nice addition to your bedroom.

Tavern Chairs' Revival

Chair After

Chair Before

A set of four chairs that very much looked like they'd be at home in a 19th Century English Tavern, had been neglected for a long time and needed life breathed back into them. This photo shows the worst of the four, since it looked like it had been left out in the weather. It was in pretty rough shape. 

The original seat and back were black vinyl, with upholstery tacks surrounding the seat area and sides of the top. The seats were torn and the foam was destroyed. Time to renew.

There was a lovely medallion carving in the center of the back, which was almost invisible prior to refinishing. Made of solid (and I mean SOLID) oak, these chairs must have weighed 40 lbs. each. This made the refinishing and reupholstery project tough, because of how many times needed to move the chairs to complete the work.

To save time, Jim removed the black vinyl and got to work. He opted to take them apart so he could access the areas that needed to be re-glued and repaired and that's the best and proper way to do it. Apart, he sanded the pieces down to bare wood then stained them with English Chestnut stain.  Once the new stain was applied, the chairs were put together and "brought back to life." The final step was sprayed the polyurethane, and wow! The chairs were beautiful and that beautiful flower medallion just popped! 

Once he was done working his magic, it was time for me to work mine. The chairs needed new fabric. My customer and I agreed gray would be a nice color. The old padding was not usable, so each chair got new foam and batting on the seats. As I stated before, these chairs were HEAVY! Since adding material requires a lot of moving the chair around, it was necessary to lift them up to put on my work table then down again on the floor for stapling and then up on the table again to continue other parts. You get the picture. 

The curved back portion of the chair was trickier than it first looked, because each chair needed a template which I had to create from the chair's measurements instead of using the old material, since it was so distorted and badly damaged it was unusable. Upholstery has many challenges, one being sometimes you simply do not know what is involved until you get into it. Such was the case with the backs. Once I figured out that part, measuring the material properly was crucial, because if the measurement was incorrect, it wouldn't fit. 

I created templates out of card stock, which gave me the precise size of each fabric section. I had to line up the top edges of the curved portion of the top prior to stitching, so that once it was pulled into position, it would fit snugly to the bottom edge before I could attach the underside with staples. This required a lot of lifting, turning, more lifting, more turning, etc. Good body mechanics is essential when doing this heavy lifting.

The last step in the process was adding the double welt cord around the seat to finish it off with a polished, professional look. I used hot glue on the double welt cord, as it is the most effective way to attach welt cord, but I also like to reinforce welt cord with tiny nails to make sure it doesn't move over time. Needless to say I was extremely happy to finish these heavy, but lovely, tavern chairs.

Grandfather’s Chair Refinished and Reupholstered

Rocking Chair After

 

Rocking Chair Before

This was a very old rocking chair that belonged to my customer’s grandfather. It had plenty of use and had seen better days, so it was in need of some TLC. The right arm had broken off the spindle and needed to be glued back into place prior to any refinishing work being done. 

She had wanted to keep the same color, so we decided to go with traditional walnut, which brought out the beauty of the solid oak wood, refreshing the overall look and making it once again a beautiful piece of furniture.

Like most old rocking chairs, this one had a very badly worn seat which had the original horsehair stuffing and some very unusable other materials. The dust was enough to make me sneeze! My customer had chosen a fabric similar in color to the original, which was a lovely dark olive velour, to keep the original look and feel of the chair. Jim was kind enough to remove the old fabric, since I was still recovering from my stomach surgery and he took plenty of photos for reference. I have found taking photos to be an essential part of reupholstery disassembly, because you need to know how it was put together, before you take it apart and reassemble it properly, and photos are a great way to accomplish this.

The springs on this seat were installed from the bottom side, downward. I have worked on a few chairs like this and always wondered the reason for this type of installation of springs. For a chair to be comfortable, you have to have a “crown,” which is a curved top so that the springs are underneath you, covered by layers of various materials so you don’t feel the springs. Installed from the underside of the seat seems backward and puts more stress on the springs, since they can’t really support you properly. Since I have been doing reupholstery, I have learned the proper way to attach webbing to the underside of the chair and hand-stitch each spring to the webbing using a curved needle, then using the 8-way tie  to keep the springs tight, creating the “crown” chairs should have for support. 

After the springs are tied up and in securely in place, they get covered with upholstery burlap. This is the first layer to cover the springs. Since this chair had only five springs, I built-up the in-between spring area with a bit of raw cotton to keep everything level and soft. Next I covered the springs with a one inch layer of foam, which gets stapled to the chair’s seat edges, covering the springs. On top of the foam, I covered everything with a 1” layer of Dacron. This is a more dense material and really does a great job of covering the springs so you don’t feel them at all. My last covering was a high-quality layer of muslin. This keeps everything neat and makes it easier to attach the fabric, the last step in the process.

This chair originally had tacks along the bottom edge, but they weren’t the correct upholstery tacks. Someone used regular tacks that you’d use on a bulletin board, which are not adequate for chair use. I used brass upholstery tacks on the folded underside edge of the material so it will not fray. My final step for the fabric was to finish it with a double-cording on the chair’s arms and back spindles. This adds a nice finishing touch and secures the edges of the material.

The last step of the process is to cover the underside of the chair with chambray to cover the webbing and keep the dust out. It is also referred to as the dust cover on chairs and couches. This finishes off the chair and looks great.

Below I have a few photos of the springs’ underside tying and correct 8-way tying so you can see how much better it looks. I’m not really sure what the reason is to do it the underside way, but the way I’ve been self-taught is to use the 8-way tie on the topside of the chair.

Underseat tying,
incorrect way

        

8-way tie
correct way

Straightback Chair Gets New Cane Seat

Caned Seat After

Caned Seat Broken

This was a relatively simple caning job because it was the seat only, always preferable to the seat and back, which tends to be harder to reach. This is a circa 1930’s chair which had the original caning. One of the disadvantages of caning is that after time, it gets brittle and tends to break or bend. 

This one needed replacement. A trick that you can do if you have a caned chair with a slightly bended seat is to put a damp towel on the seat overnight. The damp towel will soften the caning and once removed, it should tighten up again once dry and the sagging seat problem should be solved. If it’s severely sagging or broken, there’s no fix for it other than a total replacement. 

Caning does come in different thicknesses. You can usually tell what size you require by the size of the holes. The larger the holes, the thicker the caning needed,  however, you can use smaller caning with larger holes but not vice-versa. But either way, a newly caned chair seat is nice and fresh and lends many more years to the life and use of the chair.

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. 

Six Chairs Get New Seat

Chair After

Chair Before

This was one of a set of six oak chairs. The chairs were a bit wobbly, but overall in good condition. At one time these chairs had caned seats, but the caning was long gone and replaced with a thin board and covered with vinyl. That was also a long time ago and the vinyl then needed to be replaced. In addition to replacing the seat, we tightened up the loose joints and gave each chair a good cleaning. The customer chose a dark brown vinyl, which was much like the old covering. She’d wanted to keep the same look.

Sometimes jobs are tough and other times they’re fairly simple. This was was a combination of both. The tightening of loose joints can be time consuming because in addition to gluing up the joints, the correct way to repair them is to glue and clamp them, usually overnight. It’s essential to use the right glue (you’d be surprised how many chairs we get with the wrong glue!) Wood glue is preferred, but you can use other glue, as long as it can be used for wood in addition to other surfaces.

This is called a “ladder back” chair. It has curvy horizontal back support with simple spindles on the bottom four sides. These chairs are one of many styles we have worked on over the years. We try to keep each chair as original as possible, when it’s what the customer wants. 

Oak Teacher’s Desk Revival

Teacher's Desk Before

Remember elementary school? Do you still remember your teacher’s desk? Well, this was once a teacher’s desk that used way back in the day of notebooks (not laptop computers), pencils, typewriters and maybe even an apple on the teacher’s desk. 

Unlike the desks I remember from my early school years, this one had a unique feature; a slide-out, built-in filing cabinet with many cubby holes and slots for letters and other teacher-ish items. I had never seen a desk like this one. And you can imagine how extremely heavy it was!

Teacher's Desk After

The desk top had been destroyed by fire. Our customer thought the top had water damage, but upon closer inspection, it was fire, not water that had destroyed the top. We also noted that the original desk was likely a roll top, which was no longer part of the desk. Unfortunately the top’s damage was so severe, it was not able to be restored. It had to be replaced. 

We generally prefer to use the original pieces of our furniture restoration process, but when that isn’t an option, we rebuild it to resemble as closely to the original design as possible. The burnt top was comprised of border sections surrounding the center sections instead of larger boards simply glued together to create a uniform, single directional top. This was more involved and complex than a directional top and required much more wood in various lengths, but the new top was outstanding when it was done. Jim did a tremendous job in rebuilding the  top to best represent the original one. If I was the teacher, I’d give him an A+!

Tedious would be an understatement in describing the process of refinishing and restoring this desk. Every drawer had to be removed and labeled. The pull-out filing cabinet was its own entity that required even more disassembly and extra steps. The unique part of this little cabinet was that it rotated so that the teacher could easily access the files in the back. It also had its original snap-in alphabetical folders that the teacher probably used to keep track of her students. The handles did not come off, so the stripping and sanding process involved keeping them in place and working around them. The inside of the desk,  as well as the back, also had to be stripped, sanded and refinished. The stain used was golden oak with satin polyurethane to protect the desk for years to come. 

Burnt Top

Newly Built Top

Antique 19th Century Caned Chairs

Antique Chair After

 

Antique Chair Before

Here we go with more chairs! This time it was a set of four (4) chairs, all in need of TLC. These chairs dated back to the late 1800’s, so they were 19th century chairs that had seen a lot of use, therefore a lot of wear and tear, literally. 

Originally the chairs had caned seats, but over time they likely broke and someone decided to cover the seat with stamped leather, or rather, a leather-look-alike that seemed more like a heavy paper between layers of very thin leather. Broken and no longer able to seat a person, it was high time to remove the leather “fix” and replace it with the original woven caning. But first, the chairs all needed to be stripped, which for this type of chair is very time-consuming because (you guessed it), spindles. Yup, spindles are what takes a long time to strip because there are many of them and they are rounded, making them inaccessible from one angle, therefore it’s necessary to rotate the chair continuously while stripping. 

A chemical stripper was the best option for these (compared to a heat gun), because it melts away the old, worn finish and reveals the wood beneath. Once all the old finish is removed, the chairs are then cleaned up by using soft rags (usually old t-shirts, which are excellent for this) and wiping away the residue left by the stripper with lacquer thinner or acetone. This is a necessary step prior to sanding or your sandpaper will clog up with the residue, making it difficult to remove. 

Starting with 100 grit sandpaper, the chair is prepared to accept the next grit, 150, until the final sanding, which is done with 220 grit. Once all surfaces are sanded, the chair is wiped with lacquer thinner on a clean cloth, allowed to dry, then it is ready for stain. This entire process (for this type of chair) can take from several hours to a few days. Again, spindles are a lot of work, therefore more tedious and time-consuming than flat surface chairs. Once the stain is applied with either a soft cloth or a brush, or both, you wipe away the excess stain, then enjoy the amazing transformation from raw wood to beautifully restored, refinished wood. 

We used "special walnut" on these chairs. The new stain brought out all that gorgeous woodgrain, which had been hidden by years of oxidation that happens over time. Once the chairs had dried from staining (we allow 24-48 hours), the first coat of polyurethane was applied. For these chairs we used a water-based semi-gloss, durable and easy to clean up after. That first coat protects the stain and prepares the wood for the remaining two coats that finish the chair. It is necessary to lightly sand between each coat of poly with a high grit sandpaper to give it “tooth,” which makes just rough enough to accept the next layer of polyurethane. Once the third coat was applied, the chairs were done and ready for the last and final step, install the new caning. 

These chairs had “press-in” caning, cane that comes in pre-woven sheets and cut to size, then installed and kept in place with spline. It’s necessary to soak the cane and spline for at least an hour (or longer) so that it is pliable enough to work with, otherwise it cracks and breaks. Caning “wedges" are used to “press” the edge of the cane into the pre-cut 1/4” groove in the chair. The chairs had a closely woven cane originally, so we chose the same style to keep it original.

It’s necessary to choose the right size of spline, which is based on the width of the opening, so that it keeps the cane in place while completely filling the groove. If the cane is too loose, it will not keep the cane taut. It’s a tricky process because once you have pressed all the cane into the groove, you glue it slowly, allowing the glue to run into the groove, starting in the back of the chair. Once it is glued, you push the spline into place, tapping it with a hammer as you go. If the spline has been adequately soaked, it will bend easily around curves. If not, it can break, especially if those curves are tight. 

Luckily these chairs’ curves were fairly wide, so it wasn’t too difficult to bend them around the edge. Once you reach the back where you started, make a small pencil mark and cut the spline to match the starting point at an angle and tap it with a hammer in place. After all the spline is installed around the entire seat, hammer the spline so that it is level with the top of the chair. There will be caning strands popping out that were left over from the placement after the spline is installed, so they must be trimmed off. I use a sharp chisel and snap them away by tapping on a hammer close to the spline, which removes the excess. You can also use snippers. This completes the caning process. Allow the cane to dry at least 24-48 hours before you sit on the chair.

Antique Oak High Chair

    

High Chair Before

    The very nature of a chair’s construction makes it quite time consuming

High Chair After

to work on. When a chair has spindles with curves and detail, the time spent stripping is even more time consuming than a relatively simple style. But the very best part of restoring any chair is the finished product, which always amazes me because of the drastic difference between how it comes to us and how it looks when it is restored. Yup, chairs are a lot of work, but the outcome is always worthwhile and successful.     

    A high chair such as this one was once used for a great-grandfather whom would have been seated in while his mother fed him mashed carrots. Needless to say if this chair could speak, oh what stories it would tell! Unfortunately, the most obvious story was that it was in need of restoration and repair. The seat was held together by panty hose (which works well in a pinch!)

    The center portion of the seat had split directly in the center as well as a minor split closer to the side. Therefore in addition to refinishing, it needed to be repaired first. The best way to achieve this and do it properly, was to take it apart, partially. Once it was separated all the way, it was cleaned and re-glued, then clamped overnight so that the glue would do its job and mend the splits. If this is done properly, the glue will hold for many years to come (providing a high school student that had long since outgrown the chair didn’t intend to sit on it!)

    After the chair was strong and secure again, the slow and tedious process of stripping and sanding was next. There are no shortcuts when it comes to stripping a chair, any chair. It simply takes a long time because chairs have a LOT of surface area. This chair had such pretty grain that had been hiding under many years of use. When this is stripped and sanded away, that original grain shines through, giving the chair a new life by revealing its original beauty. We selected “gunstock” stain and a satin finish for this high chair. I absolutely love the way the chair turned out! Once again structurally sound and the gorgeous wood revealed, this chair is ready for another century of being a family heirloom.

Check out the other high chair we’ve done by clicking on this link: https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2020/06/height-chair-before-height-chair-after.html

Early 1800’s Historical Filing Cabinet

Filing Cabinet Before

Filing Cabinet After

Working on antiques is one of the most rewarding aspects of our business. There’s a certain thrill to work on something that has been through a century or more and wonder what stories it could tell.

This filing cabinet was purchased in Virginia from an auction and paperwork stated it had once belonged to the son of Robert E. Lee. Since he has three sons and four daughters, we do not know which son it belonged to, of one of them had owned it. That’s so interesting! Knowing that a historical figure had once used this oak filing cabinet is a pretty cool piece of knowledge.

This cabinet was actually comprised of five modular sections, each setting on top of the other, fitting securely with specially fitted center boards that kept each section from moving while in use. The top section had many smaller drawers that were likely used for time cards which were likely stacked so they could be easily accessed.

The next three levels each had three drawers with uniquely positioned handles that were installed vertically, compared to modern file cabinets’ horizontally mounted handles. These handles were pitted steel and our customer had wanted to keep the entire unit as original as possible, so we left them un-polished, but cleaned them up.

For the wood, we used boiled linseed oil to rejuvenate and freshen it up. This also adds moisture that aging removes, preserving the wood for years to come. We adjusted and repaired a few broken areas, but all in all this cabinet system was in pretty great shape considering it was used in the early 1800’s. The bottom row had four smaller drawers with “scoop” handles, made of brass. Once everything was tightened, cleaned and put back together, the cabinet was still original but functional and sturdy. It will likely last another 175 years.

New Front Door

Door Before

Door After

A front door is most important feature of your home. It keeps out weather, makes a home secure, invites people inside and is a representation of the people living in the home. Therefore, a front door should be well maintained, weatherproof and attractive as well as functional. This front door had been exposed to the elements and over time it became weathered and worn. (We took the photo on our work table so we don’t have a “before” of the door in the home, but our customer sent us the “after picture.

The interior was in great shape, but the exterior needed the most attention. However, upon closer inspection, the interior had been affected by the exterior’s wear because the door had warped, therefore the trim surrounding each panel was lifting enough so that one could get a decent scratch at the least and broken or missing pieces which would be not easy to replace. Before we could start on the exterior, we needed to address the interior’s warping issue by carefully removing the “lifted” trim and sanding each piece down just enough so they could “curve" with the warped panel and would lie flat again. Then we could refinish the weathered front. This door was solid oak and weighed a ton. The door knocker was brass along, with the handle/lock, which carried a hefty price tag (quality costs money!) This door was begging to be made handsome once again. 

Because of the amount of trim and the narrow passages between the trim. stripping was intensely tedious and took a lot longer than expected (it always does!) Stripping took several days and sanding a few more. Since this was our customer’s front door (he literally didn’t have a front door for a week, other than the storm door), we needed to move as quickly as time would allow. We used a variety of hand tools in addition to the much-used orbital sander. Our favorite hand tools are a set of wood carving tools that allow us to get into the nooks and crannies and corners, so we can remove the residue that is left by stripping the old stain and varnish. Once that’s done, lots and lots of sanding prior to the fun part, staining. For this door we used golden oak stain which matched the existing interior color perfectly. To protect the exterior, we applied three coats of satin polyurethane. Once the finely crafted brass hardware was reinstalled, the door was complete, looking brand new again.

Rocking Chair Goes From Rubbish to Royalty

Rocker Before

Rocker After

Everyone’s heard the phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. ”Indeed, this seems to be the case for many old pieces of furniture as well as a ton of other interesting finds at flea markets, garage sales and estate sales. The fun is the hunt, the pursuit of finding that special “gem” that everybody else overlooked or simply didn’t want.

Other times people find something in grandpa’s attic that they really don’t want to deal with, so they toss it out. Sometimes it goes to a land fill, other times it gets another chance and life when someone sees the beauty hidden beneath layers of grime, old fabric (or in this case, missing fabric in the back), and broken springs that once held up the seat.

Rocker Back Before

Rocker Back After

This very old rocking chair was one of the lucky ones which got rescued and brought to us. It was indeed quite the challenge because it didn’t have anything but a big hole in the back rest where the fabric once was, with little to go by on how it was constructed. But first things first. Strip, sand and stain before anything else. But in addition to the standard stripping and staining, this chair needed new rocker rungs, because the original ones were broken and barely held together with rusty screws. There was no saving them.

It’s hard to know how old this rocking chair was, but when hay or horsehair is used, it’s a sign to be pretty old. My guess would be this chair dates to the mid to late 1800’s based on its overall construction. Rusty tacks held in what we believe to be leather, which was wrapped around the top of the chair and held in place at the top, bottom and sides with those tacks. The seat looked like it had been reupholstered back in the 1920’s and not updated since then. It was really, really old and pretty hideous. The bones of the chair was good, solid oak and quite heavy. It had springs that had long ago sprung loose of their rope that held them beneath the seat cushion which was also almost gone. Needless to say, we had our work cut out for us.

Side View Before

Side View After

Jim did a fine job stripping the chair, then making the new rocker rungs before it could be stained and finished with polyurethane. Making the rungs was extremely difficult because he had to make a template to trace the old ones onto then cut the new ones with a special router bit that was much deeper than the standard size to accommodate the thicker oak he was using. After lots of sweat and a few choice words, we got it done! Finally he could attach them to the bottom of the chair and finish the process of staining and protecting with poly. Once it was all done and dry enough, then it was my turn.

The seat came first. I measured and cut the 2” thick high density foam and made it fit the new seat which was made of durable wood instead of springs. Once the foam was in place, I added two layers of quilt batting to the top of the foam for extra softness. A very dark gray vinyl was chosen for the seat cover, so I made a template then cut the vinyl to fit snugly into the chair’s arm rest in the front and uppers in the back. Going around the wood in the corners is the toughest part because you want to eliminate the bulk without cutting away too much fabric, therefore a template is essential to get it right. Once I had it taut, I started with each side, adding a tack to hold it in place then worked my ay around the entire seat, cutting carefully and trimming the extra so it would fit well. I added tacks along the entire bottom edge on all four sides. It looked great! Then came the real tough part....the back.

First I had to attach 4” jute chair webbing horizontally and vertically on the opening of the back, to securely hold the foam and fabric in place. Once this was done, I placed a 54” x 22” continuous piece of 1/2” foam and wrapped it around the top of the chair, attaching it to the front and back bottom edges with temporary tacks. I had two layers on the front and an additional thicker foam on the back to fill in the large gap created by the open area of the chair. Once I was satisfied with the placement of the foam, I kept the edges from moving around by using my trusty glue gun. Then I prepared the fabric. I needed a 21.5" x 50” section of fabric. After I cut the size, allowing for folded edges and a generous seam allowance on the bottom, I attached the fabric to the front and back bottom edges first, then added temporary tacks about 6” apart along the sides to keep the fabric taut. Next and final step, carefully nailing in the decorative nickel tacks, I started on the backside, then carefully worked my way up and over to the front side, finished with the bottom front. Adding fabric to a chair that you have no reference as to how it was done prior is quite challenging, but can be achieved by applying techniques you acquire along the way. This chair made a complete 180 from how it started, from rubbish to royalty, fit for a king. Now it can live another 150 years.

Below are the photos that my customer had sent to me asking if this chair can be refinished. I knew it would be a real challenge, but a challenge both of us were up to.

Original Photo from Customer

Original Photo from Customer

Back top original photo

Antique Oak Buffet Refinished

Buffet Before

Buffet After

A lovely antique buffet made of tiger oak was an absolute joy to refinish and restore. Our customer wanted this old beauty to be lighter so to match her dining table and chairs, also tiger oak. This piece, refinished with lighter stain, really brought out the lovely pattern in the woodgrain, enhancing its natural beauty.

This buffet was comprised of two main components; the bottom with drawers and doors and the top which was a beveled mirror framed by curved oak pieces that matched the overall design of the buffet. Lots of craftsmanship went into the construction of this fine piece, therefore it deserved the best refinishing treatment possible. Each piece was carefully stripped, sanded and stained, then preserved with two coats of satin polyurethane. As always, we take the time to polish all the hardware so it too sparkles and shines, as does the newly refinished buffet. The hardware was all in tact and original, made of solid brass, the “jewelry” or “bling” of the furniture.

That beautiful beveled mirror really added so much elegance to this buffet. The interior was reinforced with a few nails (to secure the bottom panel) and the shelf was reinstalled upon delivery. This was one of our favorite pieces as it shows just how rewarding the restoration process can be.

Country French Table

Table Before Refinishing

Table After Refinishing

Tables are probably the most common refinishing jobs we acquire and most of the time we refinish and stain the entire table. Sometimes we paint tables. For this table, we combined both techniques, using stain and paint to create a harmonious new look, a perfect facelift.

This table had been stored in a barn for many years until someone had started working on the top, stripping off most of the paint. The base, however, still had a few layers of paint on it. For this table there were at least two, maybe three coats of paint, which required a great deal of time to remove. Wood carving tools were used to get into the "nooks and crannies" of the surface as it was quite porous, therefore it had absorbed all the original white paint. Since the top would be stained, it was necessary to remove every spec of paint. If you don't remove all the paint, it will still be visible when you apply stain, especially dark stain as in this table, which was stained dark walnut.

Since the original casters were well worn, we replaced them with new black rubber casters. The sides and base were painted antique white, which completed the "Country French" look the customer had wanted to achieve. This table had great bones and needed a bit of creative elbow grease to bring it back to life. Mission accomplished!

We had also done a dining room set using the same technique, combining paint and stain in the same way. Check out this blog post to see that: https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/02/from-amish-to-amazing.html

Spindle Chairs, Oh My!

Spindle Captain Chair
Before Refinishing

Spindle Captain Chair
After Refinishing

I'll be brutally honest. I absolutely do not like to refinish anything with spindles. Simply because spindles require a great deal of time due to their shape and amount of detail. When it comes to chairs, that translates into many, many hours of tediously time-consuming work. There is just no way to do it quickly. Stripping just one chair can take up to a week and that's if if you work on it daily.

For this set of chairs (two captain, two regular), the entire refinishing process took several weeks, because there were so many spindles on the top and bottom of each chair.

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!

From Amish to Amazing!

Amish Dining Set Before

Amish Dining Set After

This was a very well made, but dated Amish table and chairs set
which needed an update to match a newly remodeled kitchen. The table and chairs set was gorgeous oak with a large base. My client had seen a photo on Pinterest with a table and chairs set that had stain on the tabletop and seats and the rest was painted off white. It was a great look, so the decision was made. We received the table and chairs, then got to work.

The first step was to sand everything, top to bottom, then stripping the chair seats and tabletop, so it would accept the stain. With all the details in the wood, spindles and such, this was quite the time consuming task, which required a lot of patience and sanding tools of all kinds. Large sanding blocks for bigger areas and tiny sanding tools for all the crevices between the chair rails and the seats. The right tools make the job so much easier! Nothing replaces carefully hand sanding furniture.

Once all surfaces were sanded, we decided on painting first, saving the stained surfaces for last, since it would be easier painting around the stain instead of staining around the paint. It proved to be the right choice because even with light tack "Frog Tape," some of the stain seeped onto the painted areas, but not a problem as I was able to use an artist's paint brush and touch up those areas easily enough. Simple, not easy. It took hours to do this but the end result was worth the time spent. The paint we used was Sherwin-Williams "eggwhite," which was a soft off white, perfect for the "Country French" style the clients wanted. This new color matched their kitchen cabinets and blended right in with the newly remodeled kitchen. The end result is the clients got exactly what they had envisioned and it looked amazing!

Below, I had a bit my fun with my photo computer program and "merged" a "before" and "after" photo of one of the chairs so you can see what it looked like prior to the new finishes. It's not easy to create this kind of photo, because you literally have to be standing in the exact same position for each photo, then make them look like they are the same photo, even though they were taken weeks apart. It's a great way to see on one photo the huge difference a right redo makes for a worn out item of furniture. This was definitely a challenging job with stunning results.

Antique Wash Stand Refinish

Wash Stand Before

Long before indoor plumbing was introduced into society, people used a large basin and a wash stand such as this early American style to clean up after a busy day of working in the fields or at a factory.

Wash Stand After

With the ultra-modern technology available to us in this twenty-first century, it's hard to imagine life without a steam shower or a soaker tub, but people made use of what they had. This wash stand restoration was a pleasure because it was made of solid oak and pretty much exactly the same as it was well over a hundred years ago. It had seen some wear, to be sure.

If this wash stand could speak, it would have plenty of stories to share. I wonder how many people used this old beauty to clean up over the years? Did it belong to a man who had seen his

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!