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was to be painted dark gray and fashioned with updated brushed nickel hardware, which completed the transition from outdated to updated on an otherwise functional piece of furniture.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

Waterfall Dressers

Waterfall Dresser Before

One of my favorite furniture styles is from the 1940 era, such as this gorgeous waterfall style dresser. It's named waterfall because the top edge is curved, gently sloping downward in a graceful, flowing style unique to that era.

Many types of furniture featured the waterfall style; cedar chests, tall and low dressers, vanities and footboards. This dresser was one of two dressers in the second bedroom set I had restored. The tall dresser has five drawers, but identical handles, which were still in perfect condition.

But the same thing I love about this style makes it the most

Waterfall Dresser After

challenging to refinish because stripping and sanding that sloping curve so that you are able to expose the bare wood evenly takes patience, time and dedication. This is not something that can be rushed. It has to be done slow to do it right. It also has to be done by hand. It takes longer, but it's worth it as the finished results speak for themselves.

Tall Dresser Before

The tall dresser had a decorative top panel which was attached to the back. We removed this piece so it too could be stripped and refinished separately from the dresser.

The five drawers each had their own personality and

Tall Dresser After

looked different from one another because of the way the veneer was put on the front of the drawers. They were also tricky to put in the correct drawer slots, likely custom fit at the time the dresser was made.

Once the stripping and sanding was complete, we used golden pecan stain, which brought the natural beauty out for these lovely vintage dressers, adding a rich, deep tone in the wood that was hidden beneath years of oxidation and dust. Now these dresser can live on to be used for the next generation for many years to come.

Art Deco Footboard and Headboard

Art Deco Footboard Before

Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to take a "before"photo of the headboard and footboard of the art deco bedroom set, so I used the original photo my customer had sent me (left).

The footboard and headboard had extensive veneer damage and required large sections of veneer to be replaced. This was accomplished by using a hot (no steam) iron and removing the old veneer, then sanding the surfaces so they were smooth enough to accept the adhesive prior to dry fitting the veneer in place.

For the headboard and footboard we used two different veneer styles; oak and mahogany, but stained them both with cherry. This gave the piece a beautiful look with contrasting finishes that completed one another, similar to the original style. I love the way the richness of the wood comes through with using these two excellent quality of veneer products!

Once the veneer was cut a bit larger than the surfaces that they would be adhered to, we carefully laid them in place. Then the stripping, sanding and refinishing could be done easily. After final sanding with fine grit sandpaper, we applied cherry stain and two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. The headboard and footboard turned out great! Luckily I was able to get an "after" photo of the footboard, seen below.

Art Deco Footboard After Refinishing

Check out the other items of this bedroom set by clicking on the links below:
Art Deco Nightstand
Art Deco Vanity
Art Deco Dresser

Art Deco Nightstand

Art Deco Nightstand Before

This art deco nightstand matches the dresser and vanity as part of an

Art Deco Nightstand After

art deco bedroom set restoration. This vanity had broken veneer on the top left and bottom left panels as well as noticeable amount of water damage.

To do this right, we removed the handles, drawer and door (as in the dresser) and replaced the broken veneer sections with new matching veneer, then continued the process of stripping, sanding and staining, using cherry stain and three coats of semi-gloss polyurethane to match the other two pieces in the set.

The lower portion of this nightstand opened like a door and had a single shelf on the inside which was just a piece of cardboard laid on top of two flimsy strips of wood that weren't original to the cabinet. We made a new shelf stained it to match and nailed it to the wood strips; much stronger than cardboard and allowing more options for storage on the bottom of this nightstand.

Art Deco Vanity

Art Deco Vanity Before Refinishing

Art Deco Vanity After Refinishing

This was the second item in the art deco bedroom set we refinished. It matched the art deco dresser,  with the same wood and matching handles. It too was made of cherry. This vanity had two sections of damaged veneer; upper right front panel and lower left, beneath the drawer. It's possible to patch small sections of broken veneer, but other times it must be replaced, as it was here. The process of removing old veneer doesn't involve any special skills or tools, just a hot (no steam) iron, a pressing cloth and patience. The iron heats up the old veneer just enough to warm up the old adhesive so you can easily slide a putty knife between the veneer and wood beneath, gently lifting it off until it's removed. This was the process I used to replace the veneer on this lovely vanity. Once the old veneer was completely removed, I glued the new veneer in place, then used a sharp utility knife to remove the excess, then my mini dremel to smooth the edges.

Art Deco Dresser

Art Deco Dresser Before

Art Deco Dresser After

This lovely art deco dresser was one item of a complete bedroom set with other art deco items. This dresser is a classic example of timeless beauty with clean lines and elegant design. Made of lovely cherry, this dresser had a great, solid structure and plenty of use left, albeit a bit worn around the edges. It needed a good, solid comeback and had been crying for a total restoration. But no restoration is easy. This dresser required a lot of attention to details.

First we removed the hardware (which would later be cleaned and polished by hand) and the drawers, some of which had bottoms that weren't completely attached. A few nails in the exact center of the support board in the back of these drawers reinforced the bottoms, so they were once again strong enough for perfect functionality. Each drawer was then completely stripped, sanded and stained with cherry stain, then put aside while we did the same work on the body of the dresser. The stain brought out the beauty of the wood's grain, always my favorite part of any restoration.

Handles before and after

Measuring at 52" tall, this dresser offered plenty of storage with deep drawers and a solid body. The bottom decorative rail had been loose and fell off during the pick up drive, therefore it wasn't show in the "before" photo, but we glued and nailed it back after refinishing it as well. After applying two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane, this deco beauty was once again the star of the show. The handles had been polished and after they were reinstalled, added the "bling" which was the perfect touch in another great refinishing job.