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.

Woven Chair Replacement

Weave Chair After

Weave Chair Before

Caning and weaving are similar, using the natural fibers of cane or rush, but this application has a different technique, using a herringbone weave instead of spline or woven cane. It’s actually quite fun to do, but takes a lot of time and steps that must be followed, or you end up having to remove a lot of rows. This type of weave can be done in many different styles. 

Herringbone is just one of many. Basketweave is also popular. There is a “radio” weave which looks like the weaves are laid on top of one another. This particular one is my favorite because it is relatively quick and fun to do.

The art and technique of chair caning seems to be a dying, lost art, but with patience and trial and error, you can learn it. I didn’t have this skill until someone had asked me if I knew how to cane a chair. That was about five years ago. I told them that I didn’t know how to cane a chair but would be able to figure it out. The first one I did was frustrating and I swore I would never do it again! Then after the second and third one, I knew the system, became more familiar with the steps involved in doing it right and by the tenth one I was a pro. I’m still learning because each chair has its unique qualities and challenges, but the simplest ones are still my favorite. It’s relaxing and fun to “bond” with an old chair, imagining the stories it could tell me if it could speak. 

Straightback Chair Gets New Cane Seat

Caned Seat After

Caned Seat Broken

This was a relatively simple caning job because it was the seat only, always preferable to the seat and back, which tends to be harder to reach. This is a circa 1930’s chair which had the original caning. One of the disadvantages of caning is that after time, it gets brittle and tends to break or bend. 

This one needed replacement. A trick that you can do if you have a caned chair with a slightly bended seat is to put a damp towel on the seat overnight. The damp towel will soften the caning and once removed, it should tighten up again once dry and the sagging seat problem should be solved. If it’s severely sagging or broken, there’s no fix for it other than a total replacement. 

Caning does come in different thicknesses. You can usually tell what size you require by the size of the holes. The larger the holes, the thicker the caning needed,  however, you can use smaller caning with larger holes but not vice-versa. But either way, a newly caned chair seat is nice and fresh and lends many more years to the life and use of the chair.

Podiatrist Office Chair Seat Fix

Whole Chair Before
New Vinyl

This was a first for me! Last month I received a call from a receptionist at a podiatrist’s office. She inquired if I can reupholster a torn patient chair. Since I had never done this type of upholstery, I told her the truth that “No, I haven’t done this but I’m willing to try.” I asked her a few questions and for her to send me photos. 

Back and Seat After
New Vinyl

Once I saw that it was only the seat that was torn and
the only part of the chair that needed replacing, I realized that it was indeed something I felt that I could tackle and told her so. She asked me to quote two prices; one for just the seat and one for the entire chair. I sent her both quotes and the next day I received a response that the doctor wanted just the seat replaced. I explained to her that although I would likely be unable to match the vinyl exactly, I could come close. Since I had no idea how old the original vinyl was or where it was purchased, I could only go by the photos and order something similar.

Once she brought the torn seat to me, I got to work. The seat, it turned out, was actually connected to the back at the bottom edge with a wide piece of vinyl that was stitched and stapled in place. Replacing the torn vinyl required removing all the attaching pieces of vinyl on the upper and lower portions, as well as peeling up the lower portion of the chair’s back to reveal the sides and access the seat itself. I had to see how it was put together before I could completely take it apart. 

Removing all the components of this chair proved to be quite the challenge, but once I did that, I could clearly see how it was constructed. From experience, I’ve learned to never assume I will remember how something was put together after it’s been taken apart, so I took photos of each removal step which would be repeated in reverse to re-assemble the seat sections. Once I was satisfied with my photos, I carefully marked each piece of vinyl so I would have accurate templates for the new seat. With a lot of notations and marks, the cutting process was a breeze. I kept referring to my original vinyl for accuracy (and those photos which came in handy) until all the sections were cut. I actually re-stitched the old material back together to insure everything would fit with the new vinyl since it was a finite space to attach it to and had to fit precisely. Though an extra step, this made the final new vinyl installation accurate. 

The seat had badly damaged foam, which was breaking up and out of shape, so it needed to be replaced. The foam construction consisted of one larger piece of 2” foam which covered the entire chair, and a 10 x 10 cut-out section of foam that fit into the center and ended at the back, which nestled inside the larger section of foam. The sections of vinyl that were attached to this area of foam had to get an “extension” of durable fabric so they could be stapled down in between the “valley” created by the cut-out area of foam. By doing this, it created the “clinch” center portion which pulled that area down into the valley and flowed with the double-stitched top seams that tied it all together. 

Once all new vinyl was in place, I recreated the tabs that held the two sections together and reattached the seat to the back. It wasn’t one of the easiest jobs I’ver ever done, but it wasn’t the most difficult either. It was nice to have an opportunity to work on a chair such as this because it gives my new industrial sewing machine and myself a good workout and great experience for future jobs like it.

Boat Interior Cushions Reupholstered

Boat Cushions After

 

Boat Cushions Before

This was my first opportunity to do interior boat cushions. This project involved fifteen (15) cushions for a 32’ sailboat. The original Spartan fabric was quite dated, like popular in the 1970’s or 1980’s but had seen better days and was ready for something different. 

My customer had wanted sailboat fabric to replace the plaid and chose a very cool fabric with various sizes of sailboats on it on a white background, featuring red, white and blue overall. The fabric was a dream to work with and the cushions turned out great.

Unlike standard cushions, these sailboat cushions were quite challenging because they were not only different shapes, meaning some were wide on one end and narrow on the other end, they also took the shape of the sailboat’s interior with angled sides. This required a very detailed, concise cutting, following the pattern pieces which I created by using the original fabric, very closely. I had developed a system in which I completely removed each old cushion fabric, separated all the pieces then used those for templates to create the new cushion covers. This is one way to insure the new cushions would fit. The other way is the create your own templates by carefully measuring each cushion and making a pattern from material specifically used for pattern making which can be purchased. 

I did this for each cushion, completing it before I tackled the next one. This project took me about 3 weeks to finish. It was a challenging job to be sure but I was very happy with the outcome and more importantly, so was my customer.

Seat Cushion Before

Seat Cushion After

The two cushions below were the one on the end of the corner area (shown above). The curve on this cushion went about a pole on the side of the boat, so this cushion had to be cut to accommodate this curve.  This cushion required the foam to be replaced as it was moldy and quite worn. I use a combination of foam cutting tools to make these cuts, an essential part of working with foam.

Long Galley Cushion After

Long Galley Cushion Before

The long cushion was one of the more difficult cushions I made because it was 77” long and 15” on the narrow side and 24” on the wider side. This cushion was also angled on one end so that its shape is consistent with the natural curve of the boat. The smallest cushions were 17 x 12 and the larger ones varied from 77” x 15 x 24 to 56” x 24”. 

The various sizes of these cushions required a lot of attention to detail as well as measuring many times. I also devised a foolproof way to make sure the pattern faced the right direction when cutting. I marked the original cushion with lots of black markers showing arrows to the top, bottom and zippered edge, which helped a great deal when the time came to put those pieces together. I then transferred these marks to the new fabric with indelible ink, that comes off with an iron or over a period of time on its own. These pens, called “Frixion," are one of my favorite tools for sewing! 

By the time I got to the 15th and last cushion, it was a breeze, but I was ready for a break as it was quite the job. I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to add this to my skill set and afterward had gotten a few more cushion jobs (which aren’t posted here) because they were loose cushions with no “before” photos. It’s great when you learn the tricks as you continue to process of upholstery and sewing. It helps to serve you long into the future.

Caned Rocker Repair

 

Rocker After

Rocker Before

This unique rocking chair came from Nicaragua. My customer had been in the air force and brought it back with him on a plane that he flew over to the U.S. after the war. That story was as intriguing as the chair. What made this chair unique was the carvings. The caning on the back and the seat was broken and needed replacing. Other than that, the chair needed nothing.

I always begin my caning process by removing the old caning first, decide on the size for the new caning before I weave it. This one was the first time I came across plastic caning instead of the natural reed cane that use mostly used when caning chairs. This proved to be much more difficult to remove because the snippers I use to remove caning didn’t snip the plastic easily. Usually the snippers work very well, quickly cutting the old caning off so I can remove it completely. I prefer using the snips to a utility knife because you have more control over the cane removal than using a knife. If the knife slips, you can damage the wood as well as cut yourself.

Once the old seat caning was removed, I had another challenge which I had only done one other time. The back of this chair had “hidden” tie-offs, covered with a 1/4” wood channel that hid the woven cane by covering it with four wooden pieces that curved around the back of the finished cane. This means that in order to remove the caning, it was necessary to remove the 1/4” wood channel first, which required steaming through the front openings and gently pushing them through with a punch tool. 

The spline removal process involved shooting steam into several holes then tapping them with the punch tool to loosen the glue, thus pushing the wood out enough to remove it. This process took longer than it did to remove the seat caning. It’s an added step to the caning process and very labor intensive. The last time I did this was with a set of four chairs which took two months to complete. Those were curved chairs so they were definitely harder to do work on than normal caned chairs.

After the back caning was completely removed along with the wood splines, I decided to cane the seat first, which turned out great. The much harder process of doing the back involved repositioning the chair many times during the weaving process because it was so large and hard to access because the back was so long. This was a very large chair, thus making it harder to work on the the average sized chair. And, rocking chairs in general are harder to work on than a straight chair because they move. 

After the chair was complete, I was relieved and very glad to have gotten it put back together again, which is also quite a process because I had to reduce the thickness of the original back spline so that it fits into the pre-cut groove which covers the tied-in caning on the back of the chair. 

1970’s Ottoman Overhaul

Ottoman Before New Fabric

Ottoman with new fabric

In the 1970’s, this plaid fabric was quite popular on furniture. Although still functional and in good condition, it was dated. In December, 2021, I made couch cushions for this same customer using the original fabric to create new cushions for a couch. 

They also had a chair and ottoman which needed new fabric to match the rest of the furniture. They chose a nice gray tweed, which looked great with the oversized, hand carved wood. 

The cushion itself was in good shape and didn’t need replacement as the couch cushions did. This cushion basically sat inside the sides of the ottoman, but was still screwed into the angled brackets in the corners for a safe and secure fit. The new top needed little sewing, just enough to fit the corners, which involved a 90 degree cut and sewn sides to create a box. Then the rest was overlapped and attached to the board on the underside of the cushion and stapled to it. No zipper required! Zippered cushions are a lot more work as you need to include boxing on the sides as well as at the zipper placket, which is always larger than the rest of the boxing. 

I love the simplicity of this nice ottoman as well as its sturdy frame. Fabric upgrading is a relatively inexpensive way to make an old piece of furniture look new again.

 

Vintage 1961 Lane Guitar Pick Table

 

Guitar Pick Table Before Stripping

Guitar Pick Table After Stripping

This is a vintage, 1961 Lane Guitar Pick table, well known for its unique shape which resembles a guitar pick (or Ouija board planchette) depending on how you look at it. My customer had found it on the side of the road. 

Someone had decided it was a good idea to spray paint it black. Perhaps it had belonged to someone’s grandmother and when they acquired it, they wanted a “modern” look, not realizing that it was already a mid-century classic without the need for paint. Luckily someone rescued it from the garbage truck and saw the beauty of this table. 

Whomever had dumped this beauty, clearly did not know what they had thrown own or its value. After we had researched this table, we found they were selling on eBay for between $1600-$1700. 

Like Lane cedar chests, you can tell the age of the piece by looking at the serial number (usually found on the bottom) and backward, it tells you the date the furniture was made. This table’s serial number was 610250, which translates to May 20, 1961. This little tidbit of information is fun to know when browsing estate sales or resale shops while looking for or at Lane furniture.

The unique two-tone, notched top characteristic was still visible, despite the paint. Luckily its tell-tale markings could still be seen beneath the thin layer of black spray paint. This table needed plenty of stripping and sanding to reveal the beautiful wood covered by the paint. Once that was removed, it revealed the beauty hidden for so many years. The two-tone wood was a perfect complement to the original cut and style of this table, making it a masterpiece for many years to come.

Grandmother’s Antique Chair Gets New Upholstery

 

Antique Chair Before

Antique Chair After

This was an antique chair had a lovely harp design on the back also had a heart-warming history. This chair was my customer’s husband’s grandmother’s chair and was given to the couple as a wedding present. Although grandma passed away twenty-seven years ago, the chair had been kept by family members and had been well cared for. The chair had come to us refinished, but needed new fabric, as well as spring tightening. 

The previous upholsterer used inadequate material on the springs as you could see them right through the seat fabric. When I sat on the the chair, I felt as though I would fall right through, that’s how bad it was. Everything was so thin, the springs popped right through, so I got to work and stripped it all off. Once I removed the old fabric, was what revealed was; the springs had been covered with a thin layer of shabby white fabric a rusty ring outlining each spring beneath. Next was a thin layer of raw cotton and a super thin layer of foam. That was it! The common denominator was “thin.” 

After I removed all the fabric, thin foam and the rest, I removed the springs. There were only four strips of webbing beneath the springs, which was inadequate. I replaced them with six strips of webbing, which I criss-crossed, making the webbing tight which lends proper support for the springs and a much better feel for the chair’s seat. 

The springs were pretty rusty and greasy, so I used my grinder’s brass wheel and cleaned and polished each spring, removing the grime and rust, revealing the nice metal beneath. It made them easier to work with and of course, much nicer looking. Evening though nobody will see these newly cleaned springs, I knew they were clean and that made me happy. Having the right tools for this type of work is essential! This spring cleaning step was not necessary, but a good idea to clean the interior parts of the chair. Plus, it gives me a feeling of doing it right.

Once the springs were cleaned, I hand sewed each one into place with strong waxed upholstery thread. Each spring was marked with a black sharpie, 2 inches away from the chair’s inner frame. This is a very important step, keeping the springs in line with each other for equal support. Once this is complete, the springs receive an eight-way tie. You start with the horizontal rows and tie each spring together, secured to the chair’s frame with staples (or nails) depending on the condition of the wood. If the wood is damaged from too many nails from previous reupholstering, staples are preferable. They are my personal favorite as I feel they are much faster and easier to use. Repeat the process with vertical ties, again securing each row, looping the string around each spring to keep them tight and the same height. Once the horizontal and verticals are secured, you repeat the process, now from corner to corner, in the shape of an “X” until you have eight strings overlapping one another. I added a couple more rows on the edges of the outer springs for extra strength. 

The next step is securing all the freshly tied springs with a layer of burlap, secured with staples to the edge of the chair’s frame. After the burlap, I added a 1” layer of high density foam, a thick layer of raw cotton batting, a thick layer of dacron and a layer of batting. I finished this with a layer of muslin to keep it all in place before I finished it with the fabric. After sitting on the newly finished seat, I no longer felt the springs, a good indication of a properly layered seat.

This chair was finished with decorative trim, or gimp, which was used to cover the staples that secured the fabric to the top of the chair. The back of the chair also needed to be reupholstered. The previous upholsterer used no webbing for the back, so I added a couple of strips for extra support and strength. Then I added a thin layer of closed cell foam and batting, which was appropriate for the back of the chair (unlike the seat, the needs a lot more layers of multiple materials so you don’t feel the springs.) Again, I used gimp trim to cover the staples which finished it off nicely. The gimp complemented the fabric, adding a decorative, finished look to the chair.

Check out the photos below to see the before and after springs and you can see the way an 8-way tie is properly done with chairs that have springs.

Chair Before Proper
Spring Tying and Less Webbing

Chair After Proper Spring
Tying and Six Strips of Webbing

1940’s Chair New Upholstery

 

1940s Chair Before

1940s Chair After

This was a super challenging reupholstery project. This chair was purchased by my customer’s grandmother in the 1940s. The story was that her grandmother had saved her money so she could purchase this heart-shaped back chair. I’m sure at the time she bought it, it was in much better condition than when I received it. Made of green satin, the chair was made with tufting, buttons and formed to accentuate the heart shape, which is part of the chair’s wood structure. 

Because the original fabric was much thinner than the upgraded fabric, it had a skirting along the bottom edge which surrounded the chair. Popular for the time, this skirting was a definitive feminine design for a small chair such as this which was commonly found in a woman’s dressing room. The chair’s petite size is an attractive feature because it was small enough to put into a corner of a bedroom or dressing room. The heart-shaped top was surrounded by shirred fabric to match the arms. Piping in an off-white was the accent color for the green. However, the chair had seen better days and had spent many years neglected,  suffering the elements and its share of rodent damage as well as other crawly things that made the interior their home. To say the least, it needed a major overhaul.

Back of chair after

Back of chair before

My customer had her heart set on a nautical theme and chose a lovely fabric with light blue, gray, white and navy with various nautical elements including sea shells, lighthouse, seagulls and a compass. The colors were muted but worked well with the overall design and theme of the fabric. 

I spent four evenings removing the old fabric, including the old thread and taking the sections apart, measuring and marking them, so that I could replicate them in the new design. However ambitious this was, it didn’t turn out that way. As I reconstructed the new underlayment of the chair, i.e. webbing, burlap, foam, rolled raw cotton batting, etc. the dictation that I take it into a different direction. I had always planned on adding the skirting, but the more I worked on the fabric, the less I wanted the skirting. It just didn’t look right with the new design of the chair.

Because the chair had zig-zag springs, it required a strong foundation so that you wouldn't feel the springs when you sat on the chair. And because the upholstery fabric was considerably thicker than the original satin, creating the “loose cushion” style was not possible. I was able to maintain integrity of the chair’s original “heart” design in the back by following the form of of the wood and being conscientious about keeping that shape while adding the various layers of cotton batting and foam. 

The most difficult part of the top heart shaped area was adding the fabric covered buttons. Because I made the back as a single, attached unit, the buttons has to be pulled through all those layers and stitched individually into place before the back fabric could be applied. This proved to be quite a task which involved using various tools of the trade. (I have learned to keep bandaids on hand while doing this type of work!)

Because of the shaping of the new fabric, I could only add piping to the very back of the chair, but I used two rows for character and keeping the back area straight, so I could easily apply the back fabric by using tack strip. Tack strip (or curve ease) attaches the back fabric in a way that you can’t see any fasteners. It’s got sharp “teeth” that grab the fabric’s edge, then gets hammered down to close the fabric on itself. 

Because the chair’s arms were built with fairly thin wood strips, it was a bit tricky attaching the batting layers and eventually the fabric because it was difficult to find where the wood was. This was quite time-consuming, but turned out great. Plus with all the padding, the chair is much more comfortable than it was before since the seating is much thicker than it was originally made. I finished the chair by making arm covers (to protect from your skin’s natural oil) and made a matching pillow with ruffled edges. I refinished the chair’s legs, because I opted to omit the original skirting, which simply didn’t look good with the updated fabric and style of the chair. The legs weren’t in bad shape, but they needed a touch-up so this completed the chair. Now it’s ready to face another 70 years as a cute little chair that graces a woman’s dressing room.

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. 

Rocking Chair Gets New Cushion

Chair w/new cushion

 

Chair w/old cushion

My only “fix” for this rocking chair was to overhaul the seat. The seat was original with springs that were attached to a very old frame which was coming apart. The springs were rusty, but still in good condition. After I removed the nasty fabric (you could see the springs popping through), there were two more layers of fabrics beneath it. 

The original fabric was a well-worn floral fabric and another layer of flowers was between the green outer fabric and the last one. All that fabric didn’t make the chair any more comfortable because the springs were literally visible through all layers. There was a scrap of burlap in there somewhere and the stuffing/batting was stuck inside the springs and weren’t really performing anymore. 

This seat needed a LOT of old fabric removal before anything could be done. At first I wasn’t sure how I’d secure those springs because the framework was made out of metal, with wood only on the bottom. 

After doing the eight-way tie on the springs, I realized that by securing the springs’ sides and centers to the wood frame would not only keep them from moving, it would also make the framework somewhat level. I didn’t do that in the photo shown, so you can see how the framework dips in the center. Once I had secured the entire perimeter, the springs were level. It worked great!

After the springs were taken care of, they were completely covered with burlap and secured to the bottom all around with staples. (I love my pneumatic stapler!) The next step was adding foam to the sides so that the foam pushed against the springs, thus protecting the sides from puncture and adding more "bounce.” 

Next, I added two layers of batting, one front to back and the second one left to right. I had left the sides open on the top layer so I can push the stuffing into it, bringing the cushion to a nice crown. Then I added two layers of muslin, with a very high thread count so that it’s super durable and makes a great base for the final layer, the outer fabric, which was a nice thin-striped ticking in a white with light tan, a great choice for this chair. The last step is painting it white, but my customer will take care of that. Some people like the “distressed” look, but for this chair we agreed that painting it white would look great with that crisp new fabric. I love the way this chair cushion turned out.