Antique Eastlake Cabinet Upgrade

Cabinet Before

Cabinet After

Once used as a tall dresser, this antique cabinet was in pretty rough condition prior to restoration. Actually, upon receiving it and getting started on the refinishing process, it sort of, well, fell apart. The piece had seen plenty of use over its sixty-plus years and many of the joints had come unglued, so it made sense to simple separate those loose joints and disassemble it to properly strip, sand and stain it the right way. 

The interior of this cabinet had three adjustable shelves, which had a unique adjustability system. The wood in the rear and front of the cabinet had slots which held small sections of wood that each shelf rested on and were easily removed so that they were easily adjustable to whatever height you needed. 

The bottom drawer was an unremarkable feature of the cabinet, the lovely brass drawer pulls blended into the background. It was also in need of a new bottom since the original one had been damaged and was no longer usable. Once the new bottom was built and installed, it was once again strong and usable. 

The hardware was polished, which included the drawer pulls and hinges. The bottom drawer, once almost invisible, was a focal point, the brass pulls looked like new. The keyhole slots were original, but two out the three were broken and had to be replaced with newly constructed, custom made key slots which looked almost identical to the original. When a piece of an old item of furniture is missing, it’s almost impossible to find that exact piece so a bit of ingenuity and design comes in handy to create a replica. 

The right side of the cabinet did not have glass, but plexiglass that was held closed with a piece of cardboard. Of course this wouldn’t do, so we replaced the plexiglass with glass and added a magnet at the top of the right (opening) door so that it would stay closed. A new stain and three coats of polyurethane to protect the surfaces and this old beauty got a major upgrade. Amazing how beautiful wood that hides beneath years of usage becomes when it is revealed with refinishing. This was indeed a lovely piece of furniture that we enjoyed working on.

Antique Rocking Chair New Caned Seat

Here's another old beauty of a rocking chair that need the broken caned seat replaced. Like many older chairs with caned seats, they tend to get broken after years of use because the cane gets brittle and if a child happens to put their knee onto it, well, there goes the caning with a hole in the middle. If the caning is slightly bent in the middle, it can be made taut again by placing a damp towel on the seat overnight. This technique softens the cane, thus tightening gradually when it dries and giving it more use, at least for a little while. But when it completely breaks through, the only alternative is removing the old,

Antique Rocking
Chair After

broken cane and replacing it with new cane. This is a “strand” cane chair, which means that it has holes surrounding the chairs seat where the cane strands get woven through. This is a seven-step process that is quite tedious, but if you listen to music or a podcast (like I do), it’s not so bad. It’s actually pretty relaxing once you get into the groove of it and allow your fingers to work their magic. 

For this chair, I used 2.25mm fine caning. This is based on the size caning that was in the chair originally. There are methods to measure the distance between the center to center holes to determine the proper size caning to use, but I prefer just to measure the existing old cane to make sure it will fit since the hole technique isn’t always accurate. The reason is that when many of these very old chair were made, whoever drilled the holes didn’t always measure the exact distance between holes as well as the size of the holes, therefore to use just the holes is not the more accurate way to get the proper new caning installed. 

In my experience, it’s better to use a slightly narrower size than one that is too large as this will be a real problem during the final binding step. If the cane is too big and overfills the holes, it’s nearly impossible to get the final strands through the holes without pushing the cane back out of the holes you’ve worked so hard to get securely in place.

This was to date my very best caning job because everything flowed smoothly and the caning was even and straight. The trickiest part was the the curved arm was attached very closely to the holes on that part of the seat, so the arms had to be lifted up enough so that I could thread the caning through the 6 or 7 holes that were very close to the bottom of the armrest. Some of those holes were drilled at an angle, so that made caning in those areas even more challenging as I tried to find the angle of the hole. However, once that was completed, the rest was easy by comparison. Caning is always done with the first step going front to back, underneath, then pulled through the hole and brought forward again. You repeat this process from the center all the way to the right (or left) side then finish off the other remaining side in the same manner. The next step is horizontal, left to right, starting in the back upper corner of the chair, following the same weaving. 

Third step is going over the first step, keeping the strands to the right of the first vertical strands. This is so that when you weave the fourth step, you go over step 3 and under step 1. This is the actual “weaving” part of caning which will set up the diagonal weaves that go from the upper right to the lower left corners. Finally, you weave from the upper left to the lower right corners, going under vertical and over horizontal one way then the opposite for the other side. 

Binding is what finishes off the top. A slightly wider section of caning is measured around the circumference of the chair. This covers up the holes with sections of caning coming up and going down the same hole, pulling tightly to keep the top edge secure. After this is done, you tap in a 1/2” finishing piece to plug the hole(s) where the caning started. It sounds a lot more complicated then it is, but if you follow the steps, you too can become a caning master. It’s definitely a great skill to have, some call a “dying” art as not many people are doing this anymore. It’s also a unique and creative way to add texture to your home with caned pieces such as speaker covers, cabinets and footstools in addition to chair seats and backs.

Here’s the video of the final step of me caning this rocking chair:

https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/5936537173467203420/6863734281706129925

Antique Cedar Chest Revival

Cedar Chest After Refinishing

One of my favorite projects to refinish and restore is a beautiful cedar chest such as this lovely antique. The best part of this restoration was that it had retained all the original details such as the four vertical rows of rope braiding that embellished the front as well as the decorative trim surrounding the lid and another row of trim along the bottom. The chest was in pretty good shape overall, with surface scratches marring its top. Otherwise, it was in excellent condition.

Unlike other cedar chests I've done, this one had separate ball type feet which lifted it off the ground, allowing for easy relocating while working on it. Unfortunately, all that detail requires a great deal of time to remove the old finishes which requires a lot of time, patience and the right tools.

Cedar Chest Before Refinishing 

Never underestimate the power of an old toothbrush! Yes indeed a toothbrush is a key element to removing all that yucky, sticky residue that clings to the wood after you brush on the nasty stripper.

A good stripper will burn your skin on contact, so wearing gloves is essential while stripping. (I also keep a clean bucket of water on hand just in case I need to stick my hand into it. Ah, the burn!) A toothbrush, wood carving tools and a good brass brush are a great combination of tools to remove gooey varnish from all those nooks and crannies that would otherwise be impossible to reach. The ultimate goal is to reveal bare wood, that once sanded, is ready for staining. For this lovely cedar chest I used red mahogany stain and semi-gloss polyurethane, which brought out the natural beauty of the wood, showing its grain.

Cedar Chest After

Cedar Chest Before

It never ceases to amaze me just how awesome the wood looks once all the old finishes are removed and the lovely wood beneath is revealed. This was definitely one of my favorite cedar chests to work on because it had all those lovely details, which shows off its unique qualities and of course, the lovely craftsmanship that went into making it.

For other cedar chests I've refinished, you can click on these links:
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2016/08/1948-lane-cedar-chest_22.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/decorative-walnut-antique-cedar-chest.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/05/solid-cedar-chest-with-copper-accents.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2015/04/elegant-cedar-chest-revival.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2013/12/1945-lane-waterfall-cedar-chest.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-waterfall-cedar-chest.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2014/10/solid-cedar-chest.html

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.

Decorative Walnut Antique Cedar Chest

Walnut Cedar Chest Before

Having refinished several cedar chests, this was definitely the most decorative and detailed ones I'd ever seen. I had no clue as to its age, as it had no markings on it, but judging by the way it was made and the materials used, I estimated it to be well over one hundred years old. It had no shelf on the inside, as many cedar chests do, but it was roomy enough to store many blankets, quilts and sets of sheets.

In order to properly restore this cedar chest in the best way possible, I removed the back decorative scroll, which had veneer damage, as well as the side scroll features, which were solid walnut, no veneer. The bottom of the chest was missing a back leg post and the veneer was damaged or missing. I knew this would be a major

Walnut Cedar Chest After

project, but to do it justice, it needed to be done right.

After removing the scrollwork, I began the tedious task of stripping the old finish with my choice gel stripper. Stripping is extremely messy work and requires several applications of stripper and many passes with a putty knife. The method I use is slow and steady, but gives excellent results. After liberally applying the stripper, I leave it on a bit, then slowly pull the putty knife toward myself (as to avoid gouging the wood) bringing a thick, gooey layer of the old finish and the now brown stripping compound with it, then swipe the entire mess into a plastic margarine container. (Never underestimate the use of these handy containers!) 

For the hard to reach areas of the cedar chest I used a wide selection of wood carving tools which are quite handy to get into the nooks and crannies, such as the front panel and beaded detail. I scraped as much old finish off as I could with the tool of choice, then used a small brass brush to remove residue I was unable to scrape off. I then used a steel wool pad to remove the rest of the residue prior to sanding. For this cedar chest I chose not to use my orbital sander, instead opting for hand sanding because of the beading and panel detail on the front.

Artistic End Table

End Table Before

Leather on an end table such as this was commonly used for furniture as a decorative effect for the top. It worked nicely when new, but over the years these tables' leather got pretty beat up. Scratches, gouges, tears and discoloration became more common than shiny new leather and it no longer looked pretty, just old and worn out.

End Table After

While I wasn't quite sure what I would do to replace the leather which was peeling up on one side, it needed to be completely removed, which had proven to be quite a task, as the non-lifted portion adhered quite well. I had to use a small heat gun to soften the adhesive enough to carefully slip my putty knife under the leather and slowly peel it off the wood. It took about 30 minutes, but I was successfully able to lift the last corner of the leather and tear it off. Goodbye old leather, hello new design.

I used a chisel to scrape remaining paper left by the leather section, then sanded the surface smooth. While I was unsure exactly what I would do to replace the leather, I knew that when the time came, I'd have exactly the right treatment, so I got to work on the rest of it. I stripped, sanded and stained the end table using cherry stain, which brought out the gorgeous tones in the cherry wood the table was made from. Making a decision on stain can be tricky, since you don't really know how it will look until you apply it. A darker stain would have hidden much of the wood grain, so cherry was the perfect choice for this end table.


Once stained, I put this table aside while working on other furniture items for this project, (while my I left my subconscious work on the creative side of how to make the top stand out). Eventually I had formulated an idea which involved my trusty carpenter, my husband Jim. I had asked him to make custom veneer sections out of oak and mahogany, so he sliced up sixteen 1-1/2" sections of veneer, more than enough to experiment with a workable design for the tabletop.

End Table After

Using the freshly cut veneer sections, I laid out the pieces and worked up a design, much like one would put together a puzzle, only you create the design as you go. It took a while as I played around with the length of each piece, layout and design, but eventually I had created a random pattern I was satisfied with, then applied adhesive to the table and each veneer section, then let everything dry for fifteen minutes before I carefully positioned each section into place. There's no forgiveness when you work with adhesive cement on both sides of the wood. Once they're down, they're down, so it's a good idea to "dry fit" them before you apply the adhesive.

After sanding the tabletop to get all the veneer sections level, I applied golden pecan stain. Because of the two distinct woods, each wood had taken on a different tone, which created an interesting, artistic and contemporary tabletop. Once the stain was dry, I applied two coats of polyurethane to the lower areas and legs of the table and three coats to the top for added protection. It looked fabulous! This was definitely one of my favorite projects as I was able to blend the craft of refinishing, with the art of creating a custom made veneer design that gave this old beauty a modern, updated look.

This table was one of four pieces of furniture we did at the same time. Click on the links below to see the others:

http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/antique-secretary.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/antique-writing-desk.html
http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2017/04/antique-piano-bench.html