Beautiful Antique Buffet Refinished

Buffet Before Refinishing

This was one of my favorite pieces to restore. It had been in the family for years belonging to a beloved grandmother who had passed on, so I really wanted to do it justice. Other than a few minor surface scratches on the top, the rest of this buffet was in amazing condition with everything still in tact. It was a fairly large piece, tricky to load in the truck.

Buffet After Refinishing

I love working on mahogany and cherry wood. The top of this
buffet was cherry while the rest of it was solid mahogany. The four front legs had detailed spindles which required a great deal of time and effort to strip thoroughly. I removed the back upper edge so the veneer that had been peeling away could be glued back in place before it was securely glued into the original holes.

Two front drawers and two cabinets, one on each side, gave this buffet a nice, balanced look. I chose to use dark walnut stain with satin polyurethane after everything was stripped and sanded to bare wood, always the first step of any refinishing project. The top received four coats of polyurethane for extra protection and durability.

Brand new hardware made all of our hard work "pop" and looked beautiful with the newly refinished surface. And boy, did it ever look great once it was all done.

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!

Bench Gets White Chalk Paint

Bench Before Paint

A bench such as this one provides a great place to sit practically anywhere in your  home. But like with many pieces of furniture, after a while you tend to overlook this well-loved item. You may feel a bit guilty because you still love it, but know it needs that special something. In this case, the bench was destined to be a brand new look, which was accomplished by applying Annie Sloan's "Old White" chalk paint and finished with Annie Sloan's clear wax to seal it.

Bench After Paint

By its nature, this bench was a very labor intensive item to work on because of the amount of surface area, and of course, the spindles, which are difficult to paint. Spindles are my least favorite aspect of any furniture painting, restoration or refinishing job because they are, well, spindles. (Don't get me started!)

Chalk paint doesn't require a great deal of sanding or other prep work commonly needed to guarantee a greatly finished painted product, but I chose to lightly sand the entire bench anyway because that's just how I roll. Call it a pet peeve, but I feel that a little bit of sanding is better than no sanding.

I chose to brush the paint instead of spraying because I feel that you still get better coverage and a thicker, richer end product with brushing and for this piece of furniture, it worked quite well. That's another benefit of chalk paint; you don't see the brush strokes as it dries very smooth. The Old White paint was a light and bright color which literally changed the personality of this bench from outdated to outstanding. I added the customized stencil flower for a little something extra and it looked great. This bench received clear wax only so it will be protected from scratches and will be easy to care for.

Couch Table Chalk Painted

Couch Table Before Painting

This [behind the] couch table was the second project I painted using "Annie Sloan's" chalk paint and wax system. As in the Queen Anne Table in the blog post below, I used Annie Sloan's French Linen chalk paint.

I gave this table a shabby chic "distressing" by

Couch Table After Painting

scraping away the paint randomly with steel wool and a folded scrap of 100 grit sandpaper. After the paint had dried, I finished the table with generous coat of Annie Sloan's clear wax, then highlighted the border detail with Annie Sloan's black wax which brought out the border detail along the edge of the table top.

Once the wax had dried 24 hours later, I was able to lightly buff the table until it had a smooth finish which will be easy to maintain and provide a lovely, durable piece of furniture for many years.

Queen Anne Table Chalk Painted

Queen Anne Table Before

This was a lovely Queen Anne table in need of a new look and it was decided that paint would achieve this nicely.

Queen Anne Table After

Chalk paint is great to work with. The first coat shows the brush strokes, but this goes away after you paint the second coat giving you great coverage. It also dries very quickly, in 20 minutes so you can easily finish a project from start to finish the same day. Chalk paint has unique qualities and those qualities allow you to experiment with finishes, such as waxing. Prior to this project I had not heard of chalk paint waxing, but I was willing to give it a try.

Entertainment Center Downsized

Entertainment Center Before

As far as projects go, this was by far one of the largest in size as well as reconstruction. The original entertainment center consisted of the far left and far right panels only. After a while, the owner decided to have a center section built for the television and hired a carpenter to construct it so it would match the original bookshelf and desk areas. He did an amazing job in replicating the design of the original piece and it had served its purpose.

But this entertainment center had to go through yet another transformation. This one involved keeping the carpenter's addition of the television section and removing the far left panel altogether, reducing the piece to two sections, thus downsizing it considerably. It was necessary to cut the center and left sections and building a brand new left side panel which would support the center upper shelving units. This was no easy feat, but with a bit of creative re-engineering and reconstruction, a vision became a reality.

Entertainment Center After Reconstruction

The entertainment center was to be painted dark gray and fashioned with updated brushed nickel hardware, which completed the transition from outdated to updated on an otherwise functional piece of furniture.

If you have that special piece of furniture that you have grown fond of, be it something that has been in your family for generations or something you really love, for those pieces it's better to keep them (as you have invested in it already) instead of purchasing something new, which may not work as well as what you already own. This is a good example of what can be done with a perfectly good piece of furniture. Paint and new hardware creates an stunning, modern look which will function for many years to come. "Cheaper to keep her."

Teak Table and Chairs Upgrade

Teak Table and Chairs Before

Table and Chairs After

Every so often we get a special furniture job which requires lots
of attention. This very curvy teak table with matching corner chairs was such a project. I had never seen another table and chair set that looked like this one, with chairs that literally wrapped around the curved corners of the table.

Indeed this was a nice little package of table and chairs which was being upgraded from worn outdoor to being used as a kitchen table.

Chair Before

Chairs After Stripping Raw Wood

My customer wanted a whitewashed look to match her cabinets. I had not used this technique before, but was ready to give it a try. But first the tedious and time consuming process of stripping and sanding had to be done. And wow! It was deceivingly harder than we had thought it to be, because chairs by their nature have a LOT of surface area and these chairs, with their unique curvy feature had an angled corner leg, which created a lot of tiny crevices to get into and strip so that they would accept the new stain.

Chair After Staining

The table had a center support with four branches that supported it and didn't interfere with the way the chairs pull up to the table. After sanding the top to bare wood, the gorgeous teak that was hiding beneath layers of outdoor wear became visible. It made sense to turn the table upside-down and work on the underside that way. After two long days of carefully stripping and sanding the detailed underside, the table was ready for stain. Each chair took a couple of days to fully strip and sand so they would accept the stain well.

Teak Table Before

I used "Coastal Boards" stain, which was actually an off white shade that, unlike paint, wiped off easily and left a beachy style finish which was very similar to the whitewash technique. The finished set looked great, exactly what I had envisioned. The teak took the stain well and ended up with a slightly creamy appearance to give it an updated, modern look to be enjoyed for years to come.

Completed Set in Kitchen

Teak Table After

Antique Oak Folding Table

Folding Table Top Before

Table After

Every so often we will get an absolutely divine piece of furniture such as this antique folding table made of solid oak. As a furniture refinisher, I prefer working with solid wood over veneer because you can't beat the outcome of a great piece of wood that most antique furniture is made from. To be a true antique, an item of furniture should be at least 100 years old, otherwise they are considered vintage.

Hand Carved Glass Top Table

Table Before

Table After

I'm always impressed with hand carved wood such as this gorgeous Bavarian style table, a unique piece with lots of charm.

The table had a removal glass top which was also encased in matching wood with a lovely curved edge. The glass was quite scratched, a clear sign that whoever had owned this table had put it to use, which is wonderful because furniture is meant to be used and shown off.

Antique Corner Chair

Corner Chair Before

This adorable corner chair caught me completely off guard as I wasn't searching for a chair when I came across it at a barn sale here in Marine City. The chair is likely over 100 years old, built at the turn of the last century and I simply had to have it. I could see the

Corner Chair After

potential since the chair had a sturdy frame and other than the missing center detail scrollwork, nothing was broken.

The chair had the original seat and the cushion was in amazingly great condition, so I negotiated a price of $18.00 for this little beauty and took it home with a thunder storm and my two grandchildren running ahead of me toward the car. After carefully placing it in the back seat, I headed home with my new treasure.

My original idea of painting the chair gave way to a total strip and restoration as I couldn't imagine covering up that beautiful mahogany and hand carved details on the chair's legs. Stripping took three days, because details such as this chair had took time to get it right. I pulled out all my stripping tools including my wood carving tools to remove the old stain which tends to get trapped in the nooks and crannies of the hand carved areas. It took a lot of scraping and stripper to completely remove the old finish, but once it was down to the bare wood, it was worth all the time it took. I was so happy I made the decision to strip instead of paint!

I marveled at the elegant condition of this fine little gem of a chair. The wood had a luscious sheen and smooth velvety feel. I knew it would take the mahogany stain well, which of course, it did. I chose a soft cloth and carefully applied the stain, then removed the extra stain with an old t-shirt. Old shirts make for great staining because they leave no lint. I try to avoid cloth with the possibility of leftover material on the wood surface.

Corner Chair in Sunroom

Once the chair was completely refinished, I applied two coats of polyurethane. While waiting for the polyurethane to dry, I removed the old seat cushion and replaced it with a piece of fabric I had my eye on. My plan to use this chair in the sunroom dictated that I use fabric to match the "Tame Teal" paint in the sunroom. The fabric was absolutely perfect and matched like a charm. I now have an adorable little chair to rest my feet on when I'm enjoying a good book in my lovely sunroom.

Waterfall Nightstand

Waterfall Nightstand Before

This adorable nightstand was the last piece of the waterfall collection of furniture which completed the bedroom set we refinished and restored. Unlike the art deco nightstand, this one was lightweight, with gorgeous woodgrain hiding beneath the watermarks and rings on the top and a few minor scratches on the sides. But it had great bones, so to do it justice, needed carefully detailed stripping. Because of the curved edge in the waterfall furniture style, refinishing is time consuming work, but well

Waterfall Nightstand After

worth it.

The grooves on the outer edges of this piece was where the old stain accumulated once stripper was applied so I used a wood carving tool and carefully scraped out all the extra gunk (that's what I call it!) This made it easier to sand and ultimately stain with the golden pecan stain I selected to match the other furniture in this set, which was a set of dressers a headboard and footboard.

This nightstand was my favorite piece because it was cute and tiny, thus easier to handle than the larger furniture items. I could pick it up and place it on my work table (saving my back in the process) so I could get a better look at the work that it required.

Waterfall Headboard and Footboard

Waterfall Headboard Before

Although getting the "before" photos of this headboard was a bit tricky because of where it was located at the time, it shows enough to see the wear and scratching that had happened over the many years of being used.

Waterfall Headboard After

This headboard matched the waterfall dressers and nightstand in this bedroom set with matching "V" shaped veneer in the center and decorative wood panels that were set in on each side. A rather large piece, this headboard required refinishing on both the inside and the outside to do it justice. It required many hours of stripping and then sanding, using various grits of sandpaper to best prepare the newly exposed surface for stain.

As in the other items of furniture, I close golden pecan stain to replicate the original color and bring out the luster and gleam of the wood beneath. The results were awesome! Furniture of this era is well worth preserving and holding onto because as they say, "they just don't make them like they used to!"

Waterfall Footboard Before

The footboard had the actual waterfall feature, the curved top, and required a lot more preparation than the headboard because it had water damage on the interior side and some broken veneer here and there. Using a hot, dry iron, I was able to heat up the original glue and flatten the lifted, curling veneer enough so that it lay flat.

For the rest of the veneer that didn't want to flatten out, I carefully applied wood glue through a wood syringe (which allows you to tuck the glue into small places), and used many clamps to secure the veneer until the next day, when I was able to remove them and proceed with the stripping and sanding. Using an iron is also how you would completely removed old, damaged veneer by keeping the iron on the wood and moving it slowly while you follow it with a sharp putty knife and lift the old veneer off. It works well, but requires patience and attention to detail.

Waterfall Footboard After

The footboard, like the dressers, took a long time to refinish, but it looked fabulous when it was done.