These days a lot of the focus of saving old pieces of furniture involves paint. There are companies popping up daily with new “Chalk-style” paint products. Clearly, the trend is to paint old furniture to “bring it back to life”. It really is the perfect way to modernize dated or damaged pieces. Most of my work involves painting some of all of a piece.
I don’t want to overlook the benefit of just refinishing an old piece, however. As you all know, I get disproportionately excited about wood grain. If a piece of furniture is quality and in relatively good condition, stripping and refinishing is an excellent option.
I just refinished a drop leaf cherry table for a wonderful gentleman who is moving to a retirement home and needed the option of a smaller table. He had it stored in his basement, and it was faded, scratched and split, but overall it was repairable. It was also one of the most shockingly heavy tables I have ever encountered!! Quality often equals weight!
Anyway, I brought this gorgeous table home and began work. First things first, I needed to repair the pieces of the table top that were splitting. While I could make them shift slightly, it wasn’t enough to get the wood glue to adhere. It was going to need to be braced. I did so from the underside, and now the top is stable and strong.
Next is one of my favorite parts. Sanding that old finish off to reveal exactly what I had to work with. The wood was GORGEOUS!! Over time the finish had developed that muddy, yellow-gray appearance that kept the wood from shining through. Once stripped, I applied a coat of Minwax Provincial stain and all of that gorgeous wood grain popped. I was giddy!! I used a stripper for the legs, as heavy sanding may have altered the rounded shape.
I followed the stain with a few coats of lacquer in a satin finish. The table is now back to its former glory.
When looking to salvage an old piece of furniture, don’t overlook the option of simply refinishing it. The rewards can be outstanding!
Hold my wine, I’ve got this…
Amy
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