Antique Desk Cabinet

Cabinet Before

This lovely old cabinet came to us in less than perfect condition. It had seen a lot of use over the years, judging by the scratches and wear, however, we were able to detect the high quality of the wood (tiger oak) and the overall structure of the piece and knew we would be able to breathe new life

into it making it shine again. 

Cabinet After

We determined that this cabinet once had a large door, likely glass, which had opened on left side where the shelves were located, but the owner no longer had the door and didn't mind not having one. The cabinet had only three of the four original wheels. Luckily we had the same style of wheels leftover from a previous job, so we were able to add the fourth wheel, making this piece much easier to move around. (It's a good idea to save hardware!)

Antique Oak China Cabinet

China Cabinet Before

China Cabinet After

We acquired this gorgeous oak China cabinet and immediately saw its potential. It was in almost perfect condition, with three mirrors, two glass shelves and two wood shelves. It had the original hardware and needed just a little work to expose its original glory.

Of course, as with all projects, I get "before" photos before beginning any project. Luckily, this large cabinet had wheels, which made it much easier to maneuver.

Other than minor scratches, the cabinet needed little other than touch-up and a good cleaning. I carefully removed the shelves, then unscrewed the angled shelving brackets, each made of brass, as well as the original brass handle and put them aside to be polished. The bowed glass door's molding had a few missing nails, so I used my pin nailer to reinforce the tiny 1/4" molding, holding the glass firmly in place. (I love my small nailer!) This process can be a bit dicy, because the molding holds the glass in place, therefore you don't have a lot of space in which to shoot nails, as the last thing you want to do it break that glass! Once that was done, I cleaned the interior glass first, then the exterior, which showed a lot of dust and smudges, likely from being stored.

Drop-Leaf Table

Drop Leaf Table After

Drop Leaf Table Before

I acquired this very old drop leaf table at a yard sale and when I asked the owner how much she wanted for it, I could hardly believe my luck! I was able to buy this table for only $2.00! I saw its potential and knew I could not only make it usable again, but could make it look better than new. I quickly paid her and loaded it into the back of my van before the woman changed her mind.

As you can see in the "before" photo, one of the ends was lower than the rest of the table, making it unstable and wobbly. That didn't bother me because I knew it was fixable. My husband, on the other hand, just

Tiny End Table

Tiny Table Before

Tiny Table After

I came across this tiny table at a local garage sale. It was exactly what I had been looking for to use as a side table next to my chair while I watch t.v. It's extremely lightweight and at only 20-1/2" x 12", it was the perfect size. It was in pretty good shape, but I decided to refinish it anyway, just because I had a specific color in mind for the completed project.

It was a one day strip/sand job that took most of my afternoon, but once I had completed stripping and sanding it, I was able to stain it the same day. The legs were a bit loose, so I glued them together and let it sit over night. The next day the legs were secure and the table looked beautiful! I was so fortunate to have found the exact size table for the spot I needed to put it. You never know when you'll find that one special piece of furniture! I love this little beauty.

Yard Sale End Table Revival

End Table Before

End Table After

I got lucky with this little table. I needed an end table for the living room and couldn't seem to find one that worked in size. The previous one dollar garage sale Ikea table wasn't tall enough, so when I got this table at a yard sale, I knew I had finally found the right one. I'm glad I didn't pay much for it because it turned out to be quite difficult to strip. For whatever reason, there seemed to be endless amounts of lacquer on this table, requiring a LOT of coats of liquid stripper and more labor than I thought possible for such a small item! Wow! My arms were killing me after I had completed the top only and I still had the legs to do. Geez.

Widdicomb Table

Widdicomb Table Before

Widdicomb Table After

This unique table was a special job I received shortly before Christmas. The client had extra tables he didn't need, but really wanted this one. Unfortunately it had been painted black, which covered up the gorgeous wood that lie beneath. He had started removing the paint, but didn't feel comfortable finishing it, so he called me. Of course I could take care of it!

He delivered it on a cold, snowy day. After he got it into the garage, I knew this table would be outstanding when it was done. I told him I'd have it done in a week, or possibly less. I got started sanding the table that afternoon and by the end of the day, it was ready for new stain. He wanted to go darker, so I suggested walnut. He loved the idea and agreed it would look good. While I applied the stain, I was amazed at how gorgeous the wood was. This table was made of solid oak, about 1-1/2" thick and had some weight to it. I applied two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane to protect the surface. The transformation was complete only a few days later, so I contacted my customer and assured him he would not recognize his table.

He picked it up the following Saturday and was astounded with the results. I mean, look at it! He was torn because his original plan was to eliminate some of the extra tables he had collected, but when he saw this one, he was undecided. Either way, he loved the way it tuned out. Ironically, later that evening, I received a text from him saying that if I wanted a good recommendation, he'd gladly give me one because he decided to sell the table on eBay and it sold only ten minutes after he listed it for $2,500!! I'd say it was the right choice. I love satisfied customers. It just makes my day!!

Widdicomb Table Before

Widdicomb Table After

Antique China Cabinet

China Cabinet Before

China Cabinet After

A massive oak China Cabinet such as this is always an impressive piece of furniture and requires a great deal of respect and special handling. While in overall great condition, this cabinet needed some love. It had a broken left panel on the right door, held together with tape. It was necessary to carefully separate the wood from the glass so it could be glued back together. The veneer was chipped, so I carefully filled it in and stained it so that it wasn't noticeable. I cleaned the entire surface with boiled linseed oil, which brought out the wood's natural beauty. The glass was original, as you could see the wavy nature of antique glass and in perfect condition. Over the years, someone decided to add a fourth shelf, therefore changing the position of the three original shelves. I left it as it was, figuring that the person who buys it can simply reuse the original holes to reposition the shelves. I recommended using it as a bookshelf since the solid oak shelves would be sturdy enough, but the buyer said she'd rather use it as it was intended, a China cabinet. And why not? This classic China cabinet was from an era gone-by, but with a little TLC, it should last another 100 years.

China Cabinet Before

China Cabinet After

1960's End Table

End Table Before

When I first saw this end table in the basement of an estate sale, I walked away from it, at first thinking it was just too ugly to put any effort into. After poking around, I decided to take a closer look and buy it. I'm so glad I did, because once I began sanding away the grime, I uncovered not only a gorgeous end table, but exposed two different types of wood! I decided to use the original handle on the drawer because it lent authenticity to the piece and I

End Table After

really liked it. I chose two stains to bring out the two identities of the wood and show off its grain. The legs once had metal caps on the bottom that were long gone, so I painted them black to differentiate them and give it additional character.

The linear look of the table appealed to me and I ended up using it in my living room, instead of selling it as I had originally planned. (I wished I could find another one and one day while randomly looking at Ebay, I found one...in Chicago! Darn!) I love this retro table and am so glad I kept it. Maybe someday I'll find its match closer to home...

Curio Cabinet/Desk

Curio/Desk Before

This may not be an antique, but it is certainly a unique item of furniture.

Curio/Desk After

Lucky for me, it didn't require a great deal of work as it was in pretty good condition when I acquired it. I replaced the makeshift wooden pegs (made out of dowels) which held the glass shelves, with metal shelf pegs. Much sturdier. I then glued soft felt to each peg to protect the glass shelves. I thought it was a unique piece of furniture, because on one side you can display collectibles and the other side was a pull down desk surface which instantly turned this flexible fine piece of furniture into convenient place to compose a letter, pay bills or use a small laptop computer to do your homework (if you're a student.)

Antique Dry Sink

Antique Dry Sink After

Antique Dry Sink Before

Last summer in 2012, we found this antique dry sink at a yard sale just down the street. My husband had seen it on his way back from the store and told me about it. Shortly after hearing about it, I went to the yard sale and brought it home.

It had belonged to the owner's grandmother and at some point, was converted from a dry sink. A high-quality Koehler sink had been installed which was in excellent condition. There were holes were the original faucet was, but it had been removed. I saw the potential and immediately envisioned a dark stain to replace the faded golden oak. We upgraded the tarnished brass handles with nickel hardware and bought a new nickel faucet.

Umbrella Stand Shines Again

Umbrella Stand Before

This is an unusual piece of furniture to be sure. We did work for a man who had bought two items of furniture from us and had already had us refinish a table for him. He had picked this up and wanted to see if we could do something to improve its looks. What is it? Well,

Umbrella Stand After

it's a very unusual Umbrella Stand, made out of about three different types of wood; maple, pine and mahogany. The front is a curved brass sheet which was badly marred and tarnished. The photo on the left shows the one spot Jim rubbed out the brass, revealing what promised to be a shiny metal buried underneath years of oxidation.