Back to its Original Glory

I was asked to refinish this beautiful buffet. It has been in the client’s family for generations and had seen a lot of use. This piece was in great structural condition, but the finish was in bad shape. The top had a lot of stains and rings, and the old finish had become textured and rough. Some of the original finish had flaked off (see pic. of feet). As with most pieces of this time period, the hardware was GORGEOUS but badly tarnished.

Now stripping, sanding, restaining and resealing is labor intensive. This is not your afternoon project. But with a little patience, the results can be phenomenal.

The photos below show the buffet after removing the stripper (I use Citristrip) and after sanding.

Once the surface was clean and sanded, I applied General Finishes Java Gel to achieve the rich, dark finish of the original piece. The entire buffet was sealed with two coats of Minwax Polycrylic in Satin. Finally, I wanted to make the hardware coordinate, but still “pop” a bit. I painted it first with Rustoleum Metalic Oil Rubbed Bronze, and to add some subtle glimmer, very lightly sprayed over the hardware with Rustoleum Metalic Dark Copper.

This buffet is now back to its original glory. I feel honored that I could refinish such a treasured piece for this family.