High Chair Before

High Chair After

This is our first high chair restoration. We estimate this height chair was at least 110 years old, based on the owner’s great-grandmother who had used it as a baby. It really look old (and rather creepy) with its dark greenish glaze that sort of, but not completely, covered up the wood. It was indeed a labor of love with all the spindles that neither Jim or I like working on as they are extremely difficult and time-consumimg.

The high chair had a center leather strap that acted as a safety measure to keep the baby from slipping out from under the chair. We were able to keep the original strap and incorporate it into the renovation of this oldie. Not 100% sure of the wood though. It didn’t have a lot of knots or movement so it may have been maple, but it was a hard wood to be sure.

The stripping process took an enormous amount of time to get between all those spindles! Jim took the tray off completely and had to replace a missing rung in the back of the chair. Luckily he could pull the back legs apart far enough to install the new rung into the hole and drill out the broken rung remains on the other side to make the new one fit properly. Once stripped and stained, he chose gunstock stain (our new favorite!) for the entire chair. The edging of the tray needed to be repaired since it had been broken right in the middle with a noticeable split. He added a piece and made it work. Once it was all put together with its new and repaired components, it looked beautiful. Who knew this old creepy chair would turn out so good?? (We did!) Lol.

Check out the oak high chair we also refinished by clicking on this link:

https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2020/10/antique-oak-high-chair.html

Painted Cedar Chest Revival

Cedar Chest Before

Cedar Chest After

This is one of many cedar chests we have done, but it is the first one we have refinished that was painted. Personally, I can’t imagine why someone would paint a cedar chest, as the wood itself is too beautiful to cover up. My customer had purchased this painted cedar chest at an estate sale and wanted to see what was hidden beneath ugly green paint. I innerly groaned envisioning someone slapping paint on such a lovely piece of furniture. We had our work cut out for us!

The refinishing process is tedious, but when we get a painted item of furniture that the customer wants stained, it is necessary that every spec of paint is removed, because once it is stained, if not removed, that paint will be visible. Therefore, the stripping and sanding process must be done with intense precision and close attention to detail. It is easy to overlook the small crevices, but they too must be stripped of any and all remnants of paint or any other old finish. That’s where the wood carving tools come in quite handy as they allow us to get into the tiny spots that paint can get trapped.

You never really know what the wood will reveal once the paint has been removed, but as with most cedar chests, this one was was quite beautiful. It had accent strips on the front with wood “buttons” for a bit if decorative flair. It has great lines and a lift-up shelf not the inside. It was also a Lane, so a commonly known brand name that many people have experience with. Upon research, I discovered that Lane cedar chests have the date they were made stamped on the underside of the chest in reverse.  (Therefore if your cedar chest’s serial number is 649010, it was built on January 9, 1946). 

Cedar Chest Before

Cedar Chest After

The inside bottom of the Lane brand cedar chest has a large inset dowel, with a screw that you can turn to release the cedar fragrance. Cedar chests are natural moth repellants, so they are much sought after for precious linens or vintage and antique quilts, to keep them free of these destructive pests and hole-free.

Not all cedar chests have a serial or date stamp on the bottom as there were many manufacturers of cedar chests across the country. Lane is a popular brand that offers a variety of styles and sizes.

Upon completion, this lovely Lane was once again in its original condition, showing off its many tones of wood with that easily recognizable cedar fragrance that we love and moths hate!

Finished Cedar Chest

Check out other cedar chests we have refinished by clicking on these links:
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2019/11/solid-cedar-chest.html
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2016/08/1948-lane-cedar-chest_22.html
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2015/04/elegant-cedar-chest-revival.html
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2013/12/1945-lane-waterfall-cedar-chest.html
https://finalefurniture.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-waterfall-cedar-chest.html