Old Toy Chest Makeover

Toy Chest Before

Toy Chest After

Every so often I get a piece of furniture that is unique, completely different from other pieces I normally get such as tables and chairs. This piece was one of those interesting furniture items that I love because I can really feel my creative juices flowing at the prospect of making it look great.

An older gentleman and his wife who reside here in Marine City brought this to me to be restored. He told me it was used as a toy chest in Hamtramck and had bought it for his grandson. This man was a retired antiques dealer who has traveled across the country (in an RV), buying and selling antiques. He saw this unique piece and felt compelled to buy it for $75.00, but knew it needed more work so he brought it to me. I was thrilled!

My first impression; this was going to be challenging. Because it wasn't obvious just how much wear this piece of furniture had received, upon closer inspection, (once I had started the stripping and sanding process) had revealed a very damaged, very worn and very well used toy chest, if that was indeed its original use. There was simply no way a piece like this would have gotten so badly damaged by kids since the overall condition hinted otherwise.

It may have once been used as a toy chest, but had originally started out as something else, likely being made from used lumber in someone's barn or garage a long, long time ago. How could I tell?

Furniture tells its own story. You just have to know what to look for. If you examine an item closely, you can learn a lot. This piece had been made from old, well worn wood that was undoubtedly used as a sawing surface. It sported a lot of large, long and deep scratches. Over time, those scratches, combined with aging and the natural oxidation process, had become black. The overall surface of this toy chest was pretty bad, so I had doubts about my ability to make it look pretty again, but I was ready and able to take on the challenge to make it shine.

Toy Chest Inside

I love my orbital sander! I sanded down to the barest wood, removing 90% of the damaged, dark and scratched surface, with the exception of the inner shelving (which was difficult to get to). I sanded and sanded and sanded some more, making my way from 60  grit up to 220 grit sanding discs until I had achieved what I felt was an adequate surface, smooth and ready to be stained. I then applied golden pecan stain and followed up with four coats of semi-gloss polyurethane over the course of four days. I was indeed amazed at how well it had turned out considering how bad it came to me.

My customer told me he wasn't concerned with the lower portion (behind the doors), and I could leave it alone, but that isn't the way I do things. For a fresh, updated look I painted the interior a light gray and replace the mismatched knobs with white porcelain knobs which looked great with the painted interior.

Original Brass Hinges before and after polishing

Polishing the original brass hinges finished the piece much like the cherry on top of an ice cream sundae. This was one of my favorite projects because the end product was so much improved from the original, worn out wood. I hope his grandson enjoys this lovely crafted piece for years to come.

Cabinet Before No Doors

Bottom Before Refinishing