Antique Piano Bench

Bench Before

Made of gorgeous walnut, this antique piano bench had seen many years of use and had the scratches to show for it. The wood was in pretty good shape, considering how old this bench was. The seat itself had been covered with fabric at least 2 times, each time adding a layer to the old instead of tearing off the fabric beneath.

The top fabric layer had a 1980's look, when mauves and pale

Bench After

blue and peach were frequently used together. The fabric beneath that had been a stained off white with bluish flowers, probably dating back to 1966. Yet beneath that layer of fabric was the "original," yellow, which was so deteriorated it crumbled as it was stuck to the rotted foam cushion it was stuck to.

Once I had removed the fabric, I realized that even though this bench seat cushion had been recovered three times, the very original seat had actually been caning, the splines still in place but the caning completely removed. The tell tale signs of caning were the holes that permanently left shadows on top of the wood. This was exciting because I instantly knew how I wanted this bench to look...back to the original caning, but first I had to tedious task of stripping the old finish from this lovely old piece to bring back the glorious wood hidden beneath a century of old stain, scratches and grime.

A Piano Bench Gets a New Look

Piano bench after

Piano Bench Before

I acquired this piano bench at an estate sale last summer for $7.00. It had a broken leg that had been haphazardly repaired with a large screw and nut, which looked horrible. There was no way I could repair that leg and stain it, so I opted for paint instead. I had used a dowel to repair the broken leg, then after the careful, artistic technique of using wood filler, I sanded the previously broken leg smooth and prepared the chair for painting. It took a couple of coats, but the results were great. Even I couldn't find the once broken leg! I found a very