Antique Jewelry Box

Jewelry Box Before

Jewelry Box After

This mahogany jewelry box had been in this man's family for many years as it had belonged to his grandfather. It had seen some use and it looked like someone tried to repair it, but wasn't very successful. With masking tape on top, this lovely old piece crying out to be refinished.

This wasn't my typical refinishing job, but I'm always up to a challenge, so I gave it my best attention. I actually enjoyed this "table top" restoration, which was a refreshingly small job compared to some of the monster jobs I've done in the past years. The years had taken their toll on this box as it had darkened with oxidation and wear.

Table Top Makeover

Table Before Refinishing

Table After Refinishing

This tabletop had seen many years of use and was crying out to be refinished. It was also extremely heavy, therefore needed a firm grip just to get it onto our work surface. Made of solid birch and about 1-1/2" thick, the table seated at least 8 people. The legs required nothing because they were made out of metal, which was a perfect foundation to turn this 1980's table into an "industrial urban" table. Giving new life to an outdated piece of furniture is the greatest reward of the inevitably tedious amount of work that these projects require.

1948 Lane Cedar Chest

Cedar Chest Before

Cedar Chest After

I found this lovely Lane cedar chest at an estate sale on my way to the grocery store. It was the last day of the sale and everything was half off! I was thrilled that this cedar chest was still there after a few people had expressed interest in it, but never came back to buy it. It was as though it was saved just for me. It was exactly what I had been searching for since spring. I was determined to find one that I could afford since I still had to put work into it to make it pretty again. My patience had paid off!

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!

1940's Hutch Makeover

Hutch Before

Hutch After

This 1940's hutch caught by eye at a local antique shop here in Marine City. I fell in love with the great lines and gentle curves of this unique piece of furniture. A plain glass door was functional enough, but I could envision something much more suited to this beauty, so I added a leaded glass panel with bevels and glue chip glass to enhance the hutch adding classic, timeless styling.

With relish, I peeled off hideously sticky contact paper circa 1965 from the interior and painted the shelves with serenity blue chalk paint to give it a modern flair and fresh appeal to today's contemporary styles. I replaced the broken back with a section of bead board, which added vertical lines and created additional texture. It looked great! The exterior was in overall terrific shape, but needed refinishing, no easy task. Section by section, I carefully detailed
and stripped, using my special set of tools to remove many years of old finish which hid the beautiful cherry beneath.

Beautiful Oak Table Refinish

Oak Table Before

This great oak table had strong "bones," but the surface had minor surface scratches and required gentle sanding and a new finish of golden oak stain to create a better than new look. Oak is one of my favorite woods to work with because it handles sanding well, allowing the grain, commonly hidden by layers of grime and

Oak Table After

wear, to come to light. 

Decent sized, this table was the couples' primary dining table, so I made sure I put a "rush" on it and got it done quickly. Lots and lots of sanding and three coats of polyurethane, this little gem was once again a great piece of furniture that can be used for years to come.

Mid-Century Modern Nightstands

Pair of Mid-Century Nightstands Before

Nightstand After Refinishing

Twin nightstands designed in the mid-century modern style have clean lines and classic styling, but needed freshening up and refinishing. It was common in the 1950's to apply a coat of glaze over stain for an extra layer in addition to modifying the overall appearance of the wood. The downside of this procedure was that it is extremely difficult to remove the additional top layer of glaze as well as the polyurethane and finally, the stain that lies beneath it all.

These nightstands had layer upon layer of glaze which took a while to remove. Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell exactly when we had stripped the last of the glaze until we began staining. A good indication that you haven't quite removed all the previous finishes is when the wood repels the stain. When that happens, you can tell, trust me. The areas surrounding the spots where the finish hasn't been completely stripped will accept the stain, leaving the rest blotchy. It's frustrating because once you spend hours and hours stripping and sanding and sanding more, you expect that your hard work paid off and you can now enjoy the "fun" part of the process, staining.

The extra layer of glaze is hard to detect as it is practically invisible. Only when stain is applied does it become painfully obvious that the piece still requires a lot more stripping, sanding, and ultimately, labor. There's  no way to avoid it, so you may as well accept it. Stripping is hard, tedious work, but it must be done. The end result was a pair of lovely, usable nightstands that will indeed withstand the test of time for another fifty plus years...or more.

Mid Century End Table and Nightstands

Mid-Century Modern End Table Before

The desire for restoring mid-century modern furniture is quickly

Mid-Century Modern End Table After

on the rise with for people who enjoy quality furniture with the craftsmanship style popular 1940's and 1950's. This table had great form, was very sturdy and well structured,

Eastlake Dresser Makeover

1900's Eastlake Dresser

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

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

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

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

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

Dining Room Table

Duncan Phyfe Dining Table

A large dining room table is one of the most challenging of all furniture restoration jobs, due to the sheer size of the project. Tables are large, heavy and difficult to transport, not to mention all that surface takes a while to strip, sand and refinish. That's why tables are amongst the highest price items when it comes to refinishing cost, but personally, I still prefer a large table to a set of chairs with spindles! Don't get me started on spindles. They're lovely, indeed, but they require a LOT of patience and time.

This lovely mahogany dining room table was quite large to begin with, plus it had two 12" leaves that also needed refinishing. This table had a few surface scratches, luckily they weren't too deep so I was able to sand them away, leaving the table's surface as good as new and ready to accept the stain, for which I chose mahogany, to match the wood. Once restored to its former beauty, this table took its place in the dining room, ready to serve up many family meals for years to come.

Tea Cart Repair

Tea Cart Before

Tea Cart After

This lovely antique tea cart was in need of a broken wheel repair along with refinishing the lower shelf which had seen its share of scratches and wear. Evidently a caretaker who takes care of the owner's ninety-one year old mother had somehow tipped over the cart, breaking the wheel into several pieces.

Made of maple, this tea cart had a gorgeous finish, which I strived hard to maintain while refinishing it. The wheel, however, was a bit of a challenge as it needed to be completely rebuilt.

Using a section of wood that looked close to the original wheel, we were able to make a template of the unbroken wheel, then cut out a brand new one with a scroll saw. The outside of the wheel had to be carved out with a lathe, so that the rubber gasket could be wrapped around it as it had been originally. The finished, repaired tea cart was as good as new and ready to be used for another one hundred plus years.

Antique Buffet Pretty Once More

Buffet Before Refinish

Buffet After Refinish

A friend of the family had this lovely red oak buffet in her family for generations and spent the summer sanding it down to bare wood, but when it got down to the nitty gritty, she threw up her hands and asked me if I would finish it for her by stripping the details around the medallion and all the tiny areas she was unable to reach with her sander. I told her I'd be happy to do this and once she delivered it, I got right to it. After doing the detailing in the fluted sides and inner corner edges, I gave it a final sanding and used golden pecan stain for the finish with two coats of polyurethane to protect the wood. I decided to add a third coat of polyurethane on the top only, since that gets the most amount of use. 

Once the staining was complete, I tackled the brass pulls, ten of them. I spent approximately seven hours polishing them until the looked like new. When possible, I like to use original hardware as it fits the period of the furniture item. These were indeed gorgeous and looked like the day they were made when I was done with them. I've done buffets similar to this one, but the character of every piece is unique and it always surprises me when I stand back and look at the "before" and "after" photos and think, "I did that!" It's truly rewarding in a way that only someone who loves old furniture can appreciate.

Pulls and Hinges Before Polishing

Pulls and Hinges After Polishing