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.

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.

1948 Lane Cedar Chest

Cedar Chest Before

Cedar Chest After

I found this lovely Lane cedar chest at an estate sale on my way to the grocery store. It was the last day of the sale and everything was half off! I was thrilled that this cedar chest was still there after a few people had expressed interest in it, but never came back to buy it. It was as though it was saved just for me. It was exactly what I had been searching for since spring. I was determined to find one that I could afford since I still had to put work into it to make it pretty again. My patience had paid off!

Mid Century End Table and Nightstands

Mid-Century Modern End Table Before

The desire for restoring mid-century modern furniture is quickly

Mid-Century Modern End Table After

on the rise with for people who enjoy quality furniture with the craftsmanship style popular 1940's and 1950's. This table had great form, was very sturdy and well structured,

Mid-Century Hutch Modernized

Hutch Original

Hutch Modernized

This lovely hutch came to us from a young couple who had wanted to modernize it. It had belonged to her grandmother and had seen a lot of use, so naturally she had wanted to put it to use in her home. She had asked if it could be painted, but wasn't sure what color paint. 

I suggested black, but she thought that was too dark. I then suggested navy blue, since we had previously painted a China cabinet and buffet in navy blue (See the "Furniture Gets Naval Theme" article on this blog: http://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2014/02/furniture-gets-naval-theme.html). She loved the blue color idea, so I pulled out the Sherwin-Williams color swatches and she chose SW-6510, Loyal Blue.

The first step in any painted job is to rough up the old polyurethane gloss surface so that it accepts the primer. If you fail to do this, the primer won't stick and neither will the paint, eventually peeling off. Once you have prepared the surface, you're ready to paint. The color turned out beautiful! The customer chose new hardware, nickel handles and hinges and porcelain (kitty cat) door pulls. Modernized and a fresh new look, this old hutch is ready to create many more memories for years to come. Don't be afraid of color!

Cute Corner Table

Corner Table Before

Corner Table After

I got lucky when I found this adorable corner table while visiting an antique store in Birch Run, while staying there for a night earlier this year in February. We love checking out local antique stores and estate sales while traveling. You just never know when you're going to find that "special" item you've been searching for. This was the case with this little gem of a corner table, which was exactly the right size.

The top shelve, edging and drawer is cherry and the other two shelves are pine, not uncommon for an old piece such as this. I decided to remove the edging, making it easier to remove the old finish, therefore sanding each piece and making repairs on one broken one, gluing together, then clamping it so it stayed secure. The table has a name and what could be a serial number on the bottom of the drawer; Butler, Style #517 - 1105. I researched it, but couldn't find anything other than there is a furniture company by the name of Butler.

Corner Table Top After

Corner Table Top Before

A little refinishing was all it needed, so I got busy sanding and stripping the entire table, paying special attention to the ridged detail in the front of each shelf. I used many sheets of folded sandpaper and sanding blocks which work great for the minuscule ribbing on the front of the shelves. If I wouldn't have removed all the finish, the new stain wouldn't have been absorbed, thus that area would have looked odd. It paid off, because the cherry stain I used looked great.

I finished off the piece with two coats of polyurethane and chose an antique porcelain knob to replace the almost invisible knob that had previously occupied the drawer's front. I was quite satisfied with the results, as this little table now graces the landing leading to the upper level of our house.

Corner Table on Landing

1960's Bedroom Set

Night Stand Before

Night Stand After

This was a large furniture job for a client in Grosse Pointe. This bedroom set included a nightstand (pictured left and right), a tall dresser, a low dresser, a mirror (not pictured) and a headboard. This was a popular 1960's, Early American style set. I actually had a nightstand very similar to this one as a child. It was popular back then.

My client wanted to keep the same finish and use the same handles. I started with the low dresser, then the tall dresser, nightstand and headboard and finished with the mirror. I spent two or three days removing the tarnish from the handles, then polishing them until they looked new once again. I love the shiny new brass finish revealed after all that detail work.

There are always surprises when you remove the factory finish from furniture and this set was no exception. The wood was pine, but because various sections of board were used, there was a great deal of color variation. Personally, I love this look as you can really see the wood grain, which tends to be hidden with a factory treatment. This is the beauty of hand-finished products; seeing the gorgeous wood beneath.

Low Dresser Before

Low Dresser After

Headboard Before

Headboard After

Tall Dresser Before

Tall Dresser After