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!

Mid-Century Modern Nightstands

Pair of Mid-Century Nightstands Before

Nightstand After Refinishing

Twin nightstands designed in the mid-century modern style have clean lines and classic styling, but needed freshening up and refinishing. It was common in the 1950's to apply a coat of glaze over stain for an extra layer in addition to modifying the overall appearance of the wood. The downside of this procedure was that it is extremely difficult to remove the additional top layer of glaze as well as the polyurethane and finally, the stain that lies beneath it all.

These nightstands had layer upon layer of glaze which took a while to remove. Unfortunately, it was difficult to tell exactly when we had stripped the last of the glaze until we began staining. A good indication that you haven't quite removed all the previous finishes is when the wood repels the stain. When that happens, you can tell, trust me. The areas surrounding the spots where the finish hasn't been completely stripped will accept the stain, leaving the rest blotchy. It's frustrating because once you spend hours and hours stripping and sanding and sanding more, you expect that your hard work paid off and you can now enjoy the "fun" part of the process, staining.

The extra layer of glaze is hard to detect as it is practically invisible. Only when stain is applied does it become painfully obvious that the piece still requires a lot more stripping, sanding, and ultimately, labor. There's  no way to avoid it, so you may as well accept it. Stripping is hard, tedious work, but it must be done. The end result was a pair of lovely, usable nightstands that will indeed withstand the test of time for another fifty plus years...or more.

Queen Anne Table

Queen Anne Table Before

Queen Anne Table After

I came across this scratched Queen Anne style coffee table and knew it would be a great table once I refinished it. The original finished was a sandy, lighter stain, so I decided to go much darker, giving it a richer appearance. This table was made of pine and wasn't an antique, but it had good bones and needed some TLC and time. After I completed removed the old finish, I gave it a good sanding with a 220 grit before applying red mahogany stain. I was correct in choose the darker stain. The table took on a whole new personality, as the photos speak for themselves.

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

Umbrella Stand Shines Again

Umbrella Stand Before

This is an unusual piece of furniture to be sure. We did work for a man who had bought two items of furniture from us and had already had us refinish a table for him. He had picked this up and wanted to see if we could do something to improve its looks. What is it? Well,

Umbrella Stand After

it's a very unusual Umbrella Stand, made out of about three different types of wood; maple, pine and mahogany. The front is a curved brass sheet which was badly marred and tarnished. The photo on the left shows the one spot Jim rubbed out the brass, revealing what promised to be a shiny metal buried underneath years of oxidation.

1960's Desk Refinished

Desk with New Handles

I came across this desk last summer at a garage sale. It was solid maple, but in need of refinishing. After carefully stripping the old varnish and stain, the desk had started to take on a brand new appearance. In the interim, a friend had told me, "I'm looking for a desk." I told her, "Well, you're in luck, because I just bought one and am working on it now!" She couldn't believe it. I sent her the photos of the desk, and she said, "I love it. I want it." So, she selected the new handles for it and brought over the stain, which she chose as Early American. I completed this desk and had to modify the original holes to accommodate the new handles. I've discovered that furniture made in the 50's and 60's have a different standard for handle hardware and the ones sold in the stores don't match. Luckily it was less than an 1/8" inch off, so I was able to make her new handles work. She's using this desk for her son's computer and like many other pieces I've restored, it has a new chance at life. Unfortunately, I can't find the "before" photos of this desk, but you get the idea. It looks great!