When my client reached out to me to refinish the break front her grandfather had built for the family, I immediately swooned. I LOVE bringing sentimental, family pieces back to life.
This piece was refinished in the 1960’s or 1970’s with a faux-wood painted finish that was badly chipping. The vision the client had was to strip the paint off and return it to its original rich, dark finish.
The first order of business was to remove the old paint to see what treasure was beneath. Most of the finish came off relatively easily, with the exception of the glass door grids. The glass is not removable, so each grid had to be carefully hand-scraped to remove the old finish. Let me say, there were dental picks involved to remove paint from all the little crevices!!
Once the finish was removed, I was delighted to find that the wood was mahogany. It was beautiful! Below you can see how the wood grain “pops” with refinishing.
I removed the back panel from inside the upper cabinets with the intention of repainting it the neutral tone my client had selected. The panel did not come off without a fight, however, and had to be replaced as it was damaged in the battle.
The completed piece is stunning now that it is back to its original finish. I hope her grandfather would be proud.
Hold My Wine, I’ve Got This…
Amy
