Antique China Cabinet Refinished

China Cabinet Before

China Cabinet After

Grandmother's antique China cabinet needed an overhaul. While in pretty decent condition (we’ve seen much worse!) Made of mahogany, this cabinet had plenty of space with shelving on the top and doors and drawers on the bottom. 

The middle top had a decorative piece of wood that had broken and become disconnected, so Jim glued it back together and put it back on top where it belonged.

In the process of restoring this cabinet, it was necessary to remove the decorative wood that covered the upper door to properly stain that area. The glass was removed to preserve and protect it during the restoration process. Each step is carefully taken to get the best results.

Our customer had wanted to replace the original wooden knobs with new ones and she chose black knobs, which looked great with the refinished cabinet. Jim used a red mahogany stain with satin polyurethane which was the perfect finish for this piece. Upon completion, this old cabinet certainly looked much better than when we got it.

Small Chair Gets Newly Caned Seat

Caned Chair After

 

Caned Chair Before

This was a nicely sized, small antique chair with a broken cane seat. This is a common problem with cane, it breaks easily when someone either puts a knee through it or tries to stand on it (not recommend). 

This chair was a standard strand weave cane, using a medium size cane. To determine what size cane a chair requires, you measure the distance between each hole as well as the size of the holes on the perimeter of the chair’s seat. If you’re unsure what size to get, it’s better to go a size smaller because ultimately it’s easier to work with.

I prefer this type of caning to the spline, or “press in” caning because although it is more time consuming, it is actually easier to do and much more accurate. I also prefer the look of strand caning to spline caning. The process for spline caning is completely different from strand caning, as the caning comes in a sheet anywhere between 16"-24” wide and sold by the foot, so if you are doing a chair that is 13” x 14” you need to get two lengths of caning in the closest size, but allowing an additional two inches on each side to allow enough cane to “press” into the groove on the top edge of the chair.

With the traditional weave as seen in this chair, you start by removing the old cane completely and make sure all the holes are cleaned out. Then you begin the weave by starting from the front center and coming up the back center, passing beneath through each hole, then back up again to the top, repeating this procedure until one side of the chair is completely filled in, then you repeat on the other side. The next step is the horizontal weaving, continuing until the entire chair is covered both vertically and horizontally. The third step is another row of vertical, this one going slightly to the left of the first row. This allows the additional weaving steps to be easier. 

The total process has six steps of weaving then the final step is the final edge which is secured with binding cane which is a bit wider than the cane used on the chair. You come up through each hole then down the same hole, over the binding then securing the it by pulling the working cane through snugly on the underside, then repeating this on each hole until you complete the entire chair.  You secure the corners with a 1” piece of round peg cane that keeps the corners from coming apart. On the underside of the chair will be the loose strands of cane which will be tied beneath the woven strands created through the caning process. This is the last and final step before the chair is complete and ready to use.

My first caning chair was quite the challenge, but after watching many videos and reading material, have since done many caned chairs. Each time it gets a little bit easier, because I understand the weaving process. I’m currently self-learning yet a new type of weave, a rush chair, which is a completely different process from caning, since the entire chair is woven from the corners to the center, ending with a very narrow space to fill in the last strand. Rush is either natural or manufactured, but the process is the same. I’m in the early stages of this, but this evening I finally figured out the direction and how to get it positioned correctly. When I’m done I will hopefully will have four nicely finished rush chairs and a new skill under my belt. I’ll be posing those too, so keep checking back!

Podiatrist Office Chair Seat Fix

Whole Chair Before
New Vinyl

This was a first for me! Last month I received a call from a receptionist at a podiatrist’s office. She inquired if I can reupholster a torn patient chair. Since I had never done this type of upholstery, I told her the truth that “No, I haven’t done this but I’m willing to try.” I asked her a few questions and for her to send me photos. 

Back and Seat After
New Vinyl

Once I saw that it was only the seat that was torn and
the only part of the chair that needed replacing, I realized that it was indeed something I felt that I could tackle and told her so. She asked me to quote two prices; one for just the seat and one for the entire chair. I sent her both quotes and the next day I received a response that the doctor wanted just the seat replaced. I explained to her that although I would likely be unable to match the vinyl exactly, I could come close. Since I had no idea how old the original vinyl was or where it was purchased, I could only go by the photos and order something similar.

Once she brought the torn seat to me, I got to work. The seat, it turned out, was actually connected to the back at the bottom edge with a wide piece of vinyl that was stitched and stapled in place. Replacing the torn vinyl required removing all the attaching pieces of vinyl on the upper and lower portions, as well as peeling up the lower portion of the chair’s back to reveal the sides and access the seat itself. I had to see how it was put together before I could completely take it apart. 

Removing all the components of this chair proved to be quite the challenge, but once I did that, I could clearly see how it was constructed. From experience, I’ve learned to never assume I will remember how something was put together after it’s been taken apart, so I took photos of each removal step which would be repeated in reverse to re-assemble the seat sections. Once I was satisfied with my photos, I carefully marked each piece of vinyl so I would have accurate templates for the new seat. With a lot of notations and marks, the cutting process was a breeze. I kept referring to my original vinyl for accuracy (and those photos which came in handy) until all the sections were cut. I actually re-stitched the old material back together to insure everything would fit with the new vinyl since it was a finite space to attach it to and had to fit precisely. Though an extra step, this made the final new vinyl installation accurate. 

The seat had badly damaged foam, which was breaking up and out of shape, so it needed to be replaced. The foam construction consisted of one larger piece of 2” foam which covered the entire chair, and a 10 x 10 cut-out section of foam that fit into the center and ended at the back, which nestled inside the larger section of foam. The sections of vinyl that were attached to this area of foam had to get an “extension” of durable fabric so they could be stapled down in between the “valley” created by the cut-out area of foam. By doing this, it created the “clinch” center portion which pulled that area down into the valley and flowed with the double-stitched top seams that tied it all together. 

Once all new vinyl was in place, I recreated the tabs that held the two sections together and reattached the seat to the back. It wasn’t one of the easiest jobs I’ver ever done, but it wasn’t the most difficult either. It was nice to have an opportunity to work on a chair such as this because it gives my new industrial sewing machine and myself a good workout and great experience for future jobs like it.

Six Chairs Get New Seat

Chair After

Chair Before

This was one of a set of six oak chairs. The chairs were a bit wobbly, but overall in good condition. At one time these chairs had caned seats, but the caning was long gone and replaced with a thin board and covered with vinyl. That was also a long time ago and the vinyl then needed to be replaced. In addition to replacing the seat, we tightened up the loose joints and gave each chair a good cleaning. The customer chose a dark brown vinyl, which was much like the old covering. She’d wanted to keep the same look.

Sometimes jobs are tough and other times they’re fairly simple. This was was a combination of both. The tightening of loose joints can be time consuming because in addition to gluing up the joints, the correct way to repair them is to glue and clamp them, usually overnight. It’s essential to use the right glue (you’d be surprised how many chairs we get with the wrong glue!) Wood glue is preferred, but you can use other glue, as long as it can be used for wood in addition to other surfaces.

This is called a “ladder back” chair. It has curvy horizontal back support with simple spindles on the bottom four sides. These chairs are one of many styles we have worked on over the years. We try to keep each chair as original as possible, when it’s what the customer wants. 

Tiny Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair Before

Chairs are the most commonly restored and refinished items that we receive. Chairs come in many styles, sizes, shapes and are made of too many types of wood to list, but they have one thing in common; they are not easy to refinish due to the many surfaces they tend to have. This tiny rocking chair once belonged to a little girl who has since grown up and wanted to preserve the many memories she likely had while enjoying the time she spent in this rocking chair.

Rocking Chair After

She may have sat by a window and enjoyed a Nancy Drew mystery novel as she rocked in time to the suspenseful mystery unfolding before her. Perhaps she stacked her stuffed animals on this chair to "keep it company" while she was at school. No matter how she used this little gem, likely she enjoyed it as a child and now as an adult, would like to see her own children make their own memories. This was a generational rocking chair meant to be passed down. As it where, the rocking chair had a couple of broken spindles in the center of the back. In fact, the entire chair came apart upon closer inspection, so repairing and gluing the broken spindles in place was the first thing that had to be done.