Antique Mahogany Parlor Chair

Parlor Chair Before

Parlor Chair After

This was a small, mahogany parlor chair in need of some TLC. It had a few broken sections which Jim was able to repair and then touch it up since the finish was in good condition. Touching up a piece of furniture is a less expensive alternative to a total stripping and refinishing, which involves completely removing the old stain down to bare wood and applying new stain and polyurethane.

This chair had nice carvings on the backrest with Queen Anne style legs. The seat was in pretty bad condition, so the springs had to be removed and retied on a new webbing bottom. 

My customer had selected fabric from one of my previous jobs, a lovely gold diamond design on burgundy material, which was perfect for this style of chair. What was once a nice cushion was completely gone, so after the springs were retied, I secured them with burlap which keeps the springs securely in place and allows for a nice construction of the other materials that followed. 

After the burlap was on, I added three layers of raw cotton to make the seat nice and fluffy, followed by three layers of dacron, which is a soft batting that adds comfort and bounce to the seat. The final step was attaching the gorgeous material and finish it off with a double welt cord that follows the bottom edge of the seat.

Small enough to stash in a corner and perfect for additional seating, this parlor chair is a perfect addition to any dining room, adding beauty as well as function. 

Hutch Updated to 21st Century

 

Hutch Before

Many people have a China cabinet or hutch such as this one as they a useful to house those precious collectibles, dishes and fancy glassware. And likely because they tend to be large and cumbersome, people are reluctant to replace them with newer versions because of cost, sentimentality or wanting to leave it to a loved one. This is one of the things we enjoy doing, breathing new life and purpose into such a treasured piece of furniture. Although this cabinet had more than served its purpose and was far from retiring, it required some updating. Still an attractive piece of furniture, it was well worth doing to give it a modernized look while still retaining the elements which were original to the design.

Hutch After

Our customer had wanted to keep the wood look instead of selecting paint, and had chosen a fog gray stain so she could still see the woodgrain. She had also asked that the top scalloping in the center be removed, one update, and the other that the plate rack on the bottom portion be eliminated. She had other plans for this large hutch which didn't involve using it for dishes and collectibles. Therefore Jim cut off the outdated scalloped top and carefully removed the plate rack, which resulted in a modernized, streamlined cabinet. Luckily, this massive piece of furniture came in two sections, as most large pieces do. 

There was a lot of prep work involved. Once the scalloped top and plate rack were removed, he proceeded to mask off the glass and mirrors and start the tedious process of stripping the entire thing. This was quite a lengthy process because of the glass and large mirrors on the top half of the hutch. It was also a large area to cover and some of it was hard to reach, even for Jim who has long arms! So after the stripping and sanding was complete, Jim finished this piece off with satin polyurethane to protect the surfaces. The finalized refinished hutch was stunning. Same bones, different facing. The best of both worlds. 

Our customer had chosen new hardware which looked fabulous and is using this lovely piece as a display case in her office environment. It's very cool to see it in its new home, isn't it? Leave comments below. We'd love to hear from you.

1932 Cedar Chest Refinished and Restored

Cedar Chest After

Cedar Chest Before

This is a vintage 1932 Lane cedar chest, with a walnut exterior. The top had been covered with material a foam because whoever had used it previously had done some real damage to the original top. Once Jim removed the foam top, what he saw was startling. 

The wood top had been completely unusable. It was covered with the glue that had been holding the foam in place and the fabric was attached with large tacks. Evidently whoever had done this wanted to cover the top and make it an effective seating area, which is not a bad way to go if you don't have the resources to refinish and restore the piece of furniture. After discussion the possibilities with the customers, they decided to replace the veneer with new veneer (good choice) and it looked great. Jim ordered a walnut veneer that had a self-stick feature which is a great way to go since you do not require adhesive to attach it.

Of course the entire cedar chest had to be stripped, sanded and refinished. Once that was done and the new veneer had been installed, he stained the entire cedar chest with English Chestnut stain (this year's most popular stain!) It turned out terrific. The new walnut veneer was the cherry on top of this hope chest which is once again a lovely, usable and beautifully finished piece of furniture. 

Old Cedar Chest Top (before new veneer) 

Oak Dining Table Makeover

Dining Table After

Dining Table Before

A classic oak dining table never goes out of style. One of the more popular tables we refinish are like this very one. Due to time and use, this table had seen some wear for many years and needed a lot of TLC. Basically in great condition, this solid oak table needed to be stabilized prior to refinishing. Some of the original wood components of the table were missing or broken, so Jim reconstructed them to stabilize the table. 

At some point wheels had been added, but they were metal and rusting, so Jim replaced them with new rubber wheels. Traditionally, wheels aren't recommended for dining tables, but sometimes they are useful when the person plans on moving the table's location.

The color had been faded, showing its wear. Our customer chose a lovely stain color, English Chestnut, which worked quite well for the table as well as the chairs it came with.  He used satin polyurethane to give the surface a durable finish and it looked great once it was done.

The chairs and table were not an original set, but once they were finished, the wood actually matched very well. The chairs will appear in a separate blog post titled, "Tavern Chairs' Revival." 

Octagon Sorrento Table with Inlaid Wood

Table Before

A small table with a big personality! What a beautiful work of art this was! This table was comprised of thousands of tiny pieces of inlaid wood to create a pointed star design in the center that extends outward in overlapping chevrons. Each section uses contrasting colors of wood tones in beautiful variations, complementing the overall design. The design really draws you in, begging for a close-up view. 

Table top after

The border also more dimension and each border is made up of a different design, some of the tiniest pieces measuring 1/8" x 1/8" in continuous lines that circle the gorgeous centerpiece.  The pedestal itself complemented the tabletop with its own unique detailed design (It's difficult to see that detail in this photo).

We believe the origin of this table is from Naples, Italy in a "Sorrento" style. This type of inlaid wood is known for its inlay wood tradition originating from Naples,  dating as far back as the 15th century. This unique, high specialized craft of art of inlay is made by inserting different materials into wood. This technique creates highly intricate designs and the process requires precision, patience and determination as well as attention to detail. Sorrento is the hub of the Italian inlay furniture and is known for its exquisite craftsmanship with woodworking. Some of these tables can cost upwards from $2,500 to $11,000, depending on design and size.

Once Jim had the table sanded, he used a natural stain since it didn't require a color change. The beautiful original colors of the surface are the true star of this show making it a true work of art.

Antique Chair Revival

Chair After

Chair Before

This chair was a challenge. Not only because there was a lot of fabric to replace, the chair was also very heavy. My estimate for this chair was that it was made in the late 1920's to early 1930's, based on the original material of which I found a small scrap on either side of the arm padding. The wood was cherry.

Once I removed all the sections of the chair, (you start on the back, which is the last section added to a chair) I removed the seat stuffing, which consisted of horse hair and straw. This is another clue as to the age of this chair. Prior to modern-day foam and fiber fill, upholsterers used horse hair and straw for the seat. Once I removed the nasty chair stuffing, it exposed the springs. The seat springs were in pretty good shape, but needed some overall tightening and re-tying, but not a complete eight-way tie. The back of the chair also had springs, which were in good condition. 

The chair had the original webbing on the underside, but the most recent upholsterer attached new webbing to the bottom to strengthen the integrity of the springs without removing the springs. I usually remove the chair's springs and replace the webbing when necessary, but this chair was in good enough shape with the original springs, thus needed a bit of extra tying. Once the springs were secured, I covered them with premium muslin instead of burlap. This allowed me to really pull and tighten the springs to keep them in place for the next step, which is adding the padding. Since this particular chair had a bit of wood showing, I touched up the wood with matching stain and used satin polyurethane to protect it. This is done prior to adding material.

The first layer of padding was a section of raw cotton, which comes on a large roll and can be pulled apart and placed directly on the chair's seat. The next layer was a 1" section of premium foam, then another layer of raw cotton. All these seat toppers were finished with another section of muslin which holds everything together and gives the chair its "crown," where it is higher in the middle section. The springs were held tightly and the bounce was perfect.

Fabric was next. My customer chose a lovely Kelly Ripa Home fabric with a nice design. After careful measuring, I covered the seat first with the material. Once I was satisfied with the seat, I chose to do the arms next. I stapled foam to the top of the arms and Dacron to the sides. This formed a nice cushion to support the arms without a lot of bulk. Using the chair's arms for measurement, I cut the right amount of material to each arm, attaching it from the back side to the front of the arm then pulling it back before attaching it to the back of the chair. I chose to do the arms prior to doing the interior back so that I had easy access to it. 

The back proved challenging because this chair was fairly large, so a generous section of fabric was required to cover it. I wrapped the fabric around to the back of the chair, curving at the top edges instead of the original style which was made with side inserts and welting. Each upholsterer does things a little differently. Once the fabric was firmly in place, the buttons were next. I made each button using a button kit that covers the metal button fixtures with the same fabric as the rest of the item. 

The buttons are pulled through the thick front to the back using extra long needles, then tied off in the back of the chair through the webbing. This is a tricky procedure because you are going through about 6"-8" of material and padding to reach the back. I use a strong waxed thread for added strength. I chose to put the buttons in a different configuration than the original (personal choice) which I felt matched the design of the chair better.  

After the buttons were in place, I stapled and nailed "curve ease" to the back edge of the chair so that I could attach the fabric, then it gets hammered it in place to cover the hardware that attaches it. I glued double welting to the arm fronts for clean finish. Once the entire chair was done, I stapled chambray to the underside. This is a "dust cover" to protect the chair from dirt and debris that can enter from the underside of the seat. It's a good way to finish off a chair. I love the way it turned out and boy, was it comfortable!

Dad's Old Desk Fixed and Cleaned Up

Desk After

Desk Before

My customer's father had owned this desk many years ago and during cleaning out his mother's home after she had passed away. He had wanted this desk restored in memory of his father and keep the desk in the family. The desk had a broken lower drawer, which Jim repaired, otherwise the desk was in pretty good condition. 

Jim removed the hardware then proceeded to strip, sand and re-stain the desk using walnut stain. He applied three coats of satin polyurethane which finished the surface nicely. The handles got a great polish and the desk was once again beautiful. A perfect size desk for anyone's use.

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

Updated 1980’s Dining Room Set

Dining Chair After

Dining Chair Before

A simple, yet functional dining room set made well never goes out of style, but the fabric sure does. My customer had wanted an updated look for her 1980’s style dining set and decided to go lighter. Sometimes this isn’t possible, depending on the wood, but in this case it was achievable. 

The four chairs all had rollers, which had to be removed prior to stripping. Once Jim had stripped everything, chairs and table alike, he began carefully sanding all surfaces and applied the new stain, golden pecan. This gave it a perfectly suitable color for the customer, lighter and updated. 

Originally she had not wanted to replace the fabric (based on budget) but once the staining and finishing was done, I thought I’d suggest she splurge and get the fabric updated as well and because I had given her a great price she agreed. I provided her with resources for the fabric and she chose a gorgeous Hillary Farr Design with an aqua chevron nap. It was the perfect accompaniment for the newly stained lighter wood. Had she not chosen new fabric, the old fabric would have been okay, but without the feel and touch of fresh new fabric. I probably would have chosen the same fabric since I am a fan of that color!

Dining Set After

Dining Set Before

The table had some damage due to her husband’s wheel chair, which Jim was able to sand out and make invisible. Magic happens when you sand furniture. You remove the old and expose the beauty buried beneath the years and grime. The table was solid wood, always a great thing to work on. 

When they say, “They just don’t make ‘em like they used to,” furniture would be a prime example of the truth of that statement. Not to say you can’t get that same quality, but the cost is much higher by comparison. But if you have that special piece of furniture that belonged to a grandparent or great-grandparent many times over, you  have a priceless piece of history that is worth keeping and definitely worth restoring.

Antique China Cabinet Refinished

China Cabinet Before

China Cabinet After

Grandmother's antique China cabinet needed an overhaul. While in pretty decent condition (we’ve seen much worse!) Made of mahogany, this cabinet had plenty of space with shelving on the top and doors and drawers on the bottom. 

The middle top had a decorative piece of wood that had broken and become disconnected, so Jim glued it back together and put it back on top where it belonged.

In the process of restoring this cabinet, it was necessary to remove the decorative wood that covered the upper door to properly stain that area. The glass was removed to preserve and protect it during the restoration process. Each step is carefully taken to get the best results.

Our customer had wanted to replace the original wooden knobs with new ones and she chose black knobs, which looked great with the refinished cabinet. Jim used a red mahogany stain with satin polyurethane which was the perfect finish for this piece. Upon completion, this old cabinet certainly looked much better than when we got it.

1940s Bedroom Refinishing Project

Low Dresser After

Low Dresser Before

This was one of several pieces of a 1940s vintage bedroom set which Jim recently refinished. It had seen some wear because it had been used for a few generations and needed some revitalizing and love. 

We were excited to take on this project which had two dressers as seen in this post. This bedroom set also had a mirror, bed with headboard and footboard and side rails (not pictured). It’s difficult to get photos of the items when they are delivered in sections. This furniture was in pretty good condition, had great bones, but the exterior had seen some wear and scratching, not uncommon for a vintage bedroom set. Luckily there was no structural or water damage which can be harder to rectify. 

Jim had blended two different stains to obtain a unique color that best suited the furniture. It turned out to be a perfect color for the dressers, resulting in a rich tone which best shows the woodgrain which was hidden prior to the refinishing. That’s one of the many perks of working with stains; custom blending which results in a unique color. It’s quite noticeable in the tall dresser (below) what a variation in color can be in the “before” photo. When furniture is made in a factory, the staining process is quite different from refinishing by hand. They use a spray stain that has a different look, more opaque so the woodgrain is not as visible as it is once it is stripped and refinished. One of the benefits of the hand stripping/refinishing process is that it exposes the natural beauty of the wood.

The scratches on the tops of the dressers were superficial, so they were easily sanded down once the dressers were stripped. Dressers require a great deal of work because each drawer is an individual section that requires removal of hardware and is treated one at a time while stripping, sanding and staining before finishing with polyurethane to protect the finishes. The low dresser (as seen in photos above) had six drawers with general depths. These older dresser have much more space than their newer counterparts and are made very well, so they are usually worth refinishing. It truly is an investment worth doing to preserve a piece of your family’s history.

Tall Dresser After

Tall Dresser Before

The taller dresser (shown left) had four large drawers and two smaller ones at the top. The oval hardware was original in the Federal style. Some customers prefer the original hardware and others like to give their furniture an updated look and replace it, but either way, refinishing a bedroom set is always worth doing because you already have made the investment in the furniture, so why not keep it for generations to come? It’s a wonderful way to honor your family’s history. 

A Very Old Rocking Chair Revival

Rocking Chair After
Refinishing w New Leather

Old Broken Chair
Before Refinishing

When we get an item of furniture, it varies in degrees of just
how bad it is and how much work it requires to get it looking good again. Jim and I love a challenge. The uglier it is, the more we love restoring it, because it provides us an opportunity to make it beautiful once again, in most cases, better than new. 

This old rocking chair was exactly the type of piece that gets us both excited in anticipation of what’s inside, what we’ll find and how to best treat the piece with the care it needs. And this one needed a lot of love. The springs were literally popping through the deteriorated fabric (see photo below). The stuffing was long gone and the webbing was hanging from the underside of the seat.

The first step in this type of restoration is removing all the old materials. And this chair had a LOT of decorative (at one time) nail heads that needed to be removed. Nail heads usually get bent when they are installed because the wood is so hard, it bends the nails, so they can seldom be reused. I recommended instead of using nail heads, I’d replace them with new welting, which is also known as cording or piping. This is a cleaner, more updated look and still appropriate for this type of chair.

Antique Buffet Rescued and Refinished

Buffet Before Refinishing

This antique buffet had been stored in someone’s garage for many years before we got it. My customer had gotten it from one of her students (she’s a music teacher) in exchange for music lessons. Who knows how long it had been stored in a garage, but it was evident it had taken on some deterioration as a result  of being stored outdoors. 

Buffet After Refinishing

The top veneer was in bad shape, some of it peeling up. We were unable to remove it, so we stripped and sanded it prior to adding stain and polyurethane (3 layers) to protect it from further deterioration.

Portions of the decorative wood pieces had broken off such as the second drawer front center which is a continuation of the design on the top drawer. The far left spindle was also broken off. Luckily they had the piece and Jim was able to reattach it, but there was still another section of this piece missing completely which he had to create and make it fit in the open space. It’s difficult to create a piece that is missing entirely because you can’t measure it against anything.

The first step in the restoration process requires removing all the hardware, drawers, doors and pieces that are easily taken off the piece, such as the top. By removing these sections, it’s easier to work on them as you can reach more areas to strip, sand and stain before re-assembling it. Jim removed the decorative center on the back top as well as the top which he sanded separately, then reattached when completed. He had to create the missing spindle and glue those pieces back into place. The broken drawer sections were re-glued back on. 

This buffet had a “hidden” secret drawer which was the third and bottom drawer that forms the bottom decorative edge. Jim replaced the bottom portion of that drawer because it had a felt lined bottom that was difficult to open and close so he removed and replace it. It was common to store silverware in these drawers and they were frequently lined with felt which is a deterrent for discoloration of silver. The last step for any project such as this one is cleaning and polishing the hardware. This adds that special final touch that really completes the restoration process.

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. 

Mid-Century Chair Stripped / New Needlepoint Seat

Mid-Century Chair
w/Needlepoint After

 

Mid-century chair
before refinishing

It’s amazing how styles from the past tend to pop up fifty or sixty years later, as if the idea is brand new. This mid-century modern chair is classical 1960’s style, wide, low back and clean lines which were commonly seen in living rooms across America which mimicked the Scandinavian style. I loved the lines of this chair. 

This chair was extremely well made, quite strong and needed no tightening or repairs. The back had a few missing veneer pieces, which were easily filled in and stained so that it was hardly visible. 

I made the choice to completely strip this chair instead of touch-up because I felt that this is what it needed. In order to be true to the piece, you must determine what’s the best course of action to make it look the best it can. In this case, I stripped off the old finish, luckily wasn’t too difficult to remove as old stain mostly is. It came off easily and once that was done, I thoroughly sanded it, removing the excess stain and stripped. I cleaned it with lacquer thinner and sanded it smooth. 

I was very happy with the way the chair turned out. The light cherry stain was definitely the perfect color to offset the dark color of the needlepoint. A nice foam padding finished off the seat so that the chair is as comfortable as it is pretty.

I chose cherry stain to keep the color light which I felt complimented the lovely needlepoint seat that my customer made just for this seat. This was the third seat such as this that I had made for this same customer. The other two were benches. She is making a needlepoint seat for each of her grandchildren. She makes the needlepoint then finds the chair or bench which is the right size for the needlepoint. So far she’s been pretty lucky! 

To see one the previous needlepoint benches I made for this customer, check out the link below. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of the other one, but it had a blue background with a black bench.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5936537173467203420/24816612440806533 

His and Hers Twin Rocking Chairs

 

Rockers Before Restoration

Rockers After Restoration

Twin chairs! This was definitely a first for us, having two identical rocking chairs to refinish at the same time. The most surprising feature of these chairs was the size. Each chair weighed in at 60-70 lbs., possibly more. This required both of us to unload them from the customer’s van and bring them into our work space. 

Having chairs such as these as heavy as they were, made working on them quite challenging. They were not only heavy, they were huge! We have a large rocking chair in our living room with a similar style, but ours isn’t nearly as heavy as these were, nor is it as tall as these were.

The keyhole cutout design in the back center of each chair was a unique feature that gave them personality, adding a nice detail. The front of the chairs’ seat had a very rounded and thickness that I could hardly wrap my hand around. Yes, definitely massive. One of the chairs had suffered dog chew damage on the lower right leg spindle. The chairs had been repaired by someone else for the damage prior to us doing the refinishing. 

The chairs were both fairly worn and really cried out to be stripped, sanded and stained. This process was very time-consuming due to the sheer size of these mammoths and the detail, mainly the spindles, which if you’ve read other articles in our blog you know that they require a great deal of time and attention to remove all that old finish. We use work carving tools which allow us to get into the nitty-gritty of the spindles’ curves and tight spot. You’d be surprised at how much stain there is on any item of furniture even though it may look worn. There’s still a lot to remove. And that takes time. There’s simply no getting around that part of this work.

When the chairs were all stripped and sanded, Jim used English Chestnut stain, followed by three coats of polyurethane which will protect them for years to come. Refinishing really shows off the gorgeous woodgrain that was unseen prior to refinishing. That’s the beauty of a full refinish. You can see the woodgrain that is normally not as visible when furniture comes from the factory. Their process is different from hand finishing, therefore has a different look. 

If you've ever wondered if that special piece of furniture you’ve held onto for many years because you don’t know if it’s worth restoring, take a look at the wood. More times than not, once it is stripped, it is better than new because the hand stripping process restores it to its original beauty that was likely not seen when done on the assembly line. The value is already there so refinishing is always worth it. Unless a piece really is made cheaply and has no sentimental value, having it restored/refinished is a great way to preserve a piece of your family’s history or create a new family heirloom for future generations.

Mahogany Buffet Refinished

Buffet Before

Buffet After

One of my personal favorite refinishing woods is mahogany. Being a darker wood with a natural reddish tone, when refinished the woodgrain is more apparent, making it look fabulous. When furniture comes out of a manufacturing plant, much of it hides the natural grain of the wood. Unlike refinishing, furniture right from the factory woodgrain isn’t as prominent as it is upon stripping.

This buffet was a good, sturdy piece that had seen some wear, but overall was in great shape. There were minor scratches on the top, a few on the front legs and sides, but nothing that stripping and sanding can’t remove. Surface scratches are almost always removed when sanding, however, if the scratch is a gouge, sanding can only do so much. Especially with veneer furniture. If you sand too deeply, you will remove the veneer and go too far into the wood beneath (big problem!) That’s why we love working with antiques; the wood, even if it has veneer, is thicker and much more durable, thus better to work with on the refinishing end. 

That being said, the finishing product looks fabulous. Once it was stained and protected with satin polyurethane, Jim polished the original hardware, a Federal Style, and once again the piece looked like new (if not better!) I love the way hardware makes a piece truly stand out. Over time the brass will oxidize, faded and dull. But polished, it shines and adds beauty and freshness to any piece of furniture.

The beauty of working with a piece such as this mahogany buffet is that you have so many color choices with stain. Our customer chose “Carrington,” by Varithane. It’s a rich, warm color with no overly red tones. Mahogany can accept most stains, but seldom can you go a lot lighter with it because the wood is naturally reddish and darker, like walnut. A good tip to keep in mind when choosing stain is the wood itself. 

Darker woods usually cannot go much lighter than their natural color, but lighter wood, such as maple, birch or pine can accept both light and dark colors of stain. An example is if you were to put the same color stain on five different types of wood, each one would look different. Some wood has more grain than other wood, such as oak compared to birch. There are also different types of the same wood; tiger oak, tiger maple, birds eye maple, and so many more. The choices are endless as are the stain colors, so it’s not difficult to narrow down which stain is the right one for you.

Luckily we have plenty of experience in choosing the right stain for your project (unless you are 100% sure what you want). But no matter, the finished furniture item will always be the one you love the most.

Antique Caned Chair Replaced Seat

 

Caned Chair Before

Caned Chair After

This is an antique parlor chair which had a broken caned seat. It’s not uncommon for this to happen with old caned chairs. They don’t hold up well to a knee or an active child who decides to jump on the chair as if it were upholstered. Caning is pretty durable but does have its limits.

Caning comes in many sizes, so it’s important to measure the holes in the diameter of the chair’s seat and get the caning that fits those holes. This chair had 1/4” holes, so it used 1/8” caning, which is considered medium. Caning also comes in super fine, medium and larger sizes. The procedure is the same, but I prefer working with the medium size cane since it is stronger than the finer sizes and holds up to the pulling and tugging that comes along with installation. 

Chairs get a lot of use, so the upper portion tends to get dirty from the oils from our hands, so they require cleaning and polishing for them to look fresh again. This one needed a good cleaning and a touch up of polyurethane instead of a complete strip. If a full strip isn’t in the budget, a partial strip usually works well. Either way, the chair is always better than it was prior to the restoration. This chair was made of maple, a hardwood, so it will hold up for many more years to come. If you have a caned chair that is a big saggy, simply lay a damp towel on it overnight and it will tighten the caning again to its original tautness. Just a little tip that allows you to get more use out of the chair before investing in a complete cane renovation. 

Amish Oak Table and Chairs Painted and Stained

Dining Table Before
(without leaves)

 

Dining Table and Chairs
Painted w/Stained Top

This lovely oak table came with two leaves and six chairs. Our customer had wanted a different, updated look so we suggested painting combined with keeping the table top woodgrain, but staining it little darker. 

They had originally envisioned an antique white, but after reviewing their décor choices, settled on latté, which is exactly as it sounds, a coffee color with a generous amount of cream added for that perfect flavor, or in this case, color combination. 

Prepping furniture for paint, especially chairs, takes patience and time. Mainly because it is all done by hand. You can’t use a power sander for chairs (except minimally) and spend hours scuffing up all the surface area to prepare it for first primer then two coats of paint. You also can’t skimp on the prep work as it directly effects the outcome of the project. 

We stripped and stained the table top, which had minor scratches, a rich, dark walnut to bring out the beautiful wood tones. The table’s pedestal base was painted to match the chairs, all done in latté. While some people simply do not like to paint furniture, there are times when painting is a nice choice. But by no means are you limited to using only paint. The combination of using paint and stain marries two distinct styles into a well-blended upgrade to outdated furniture without sacrificing the original integrity. 

The chairs, having many spindles, take a great deal of time to prep for painting. Chairs, period, are one the most time-consuming of all furniture projects, because there's so much surface area on a chair. Plus, the more detail (hence, spindles), the longer it takes to prep them. It’s also why chairs can be costly to refinish (or paint). All those surfaces need the same amount of attention and prep time. Ultimately, you have many colors in both stain and paint to choose from for your perfect furniture project.

Antique Mahogany Secretary

 

Secretary Before

The art of letter writing is almost a lost art. With the influx of everything

Secretary After

instantaneous with text messaging, e-mail and FaceTime, who wants to take the time to hand write anything? Yet, there’s something appealing to putting pen to paper and feel the words as they appear on your page. This antique mahogany secretary had been in the family for many years and had likely been witness to many such letters. It was probably used for bill paying, keeping track of household expenses and storing those stationary items to keep them accessible when you needed them. Because it was used quite a bit over the years, it was quite worn and needed refinishing. It’s hard to see in the picture, but the “after” photo shows new knobs, which were glass. (Unfortunately they don’t photograph very well.)

Secretary Inside After

Secretary Inside Before

Mahogany is one of my favorite woods to restore. It has such lovely patterns and tones that are rich with color and movement. This is a dream to strip and stain as it takes the new stain quite well. The interior also needed to be stripped, which is quite tedious because it had to come apart, otherwise you can’t reach those little cubby holes where envelopes are kept. It’s time-consuming work, no doubt about it. These things simply take a lot of time. 

There are no shortcuts to quality work. This piece, like many of that period, was a perfect size for a small office and a tidy way to keep track of those pesky papers you don’t want cluttering up your table. After it was stripped, sanded and re-stained then protected with two coats of polyurethane, it was once again a lovely piece of furniture that will be useful for many generations to come.