Friday, January 30, 2015

A Week of Prep Turned into This!


China cabinet gets a new coat with a "little" bit of prep



I'm an equal opportunity furniture rescuer. Sometimes I'll find an antique or vintage piece that others overlook because of its condition. But I'm drawn to bringing these misfits home just to see what a little bit of TLC can do to them! I've rescued many pieces that usually have one (or several) of the following issues: loose dovetail joints, drawers not opening properly, shimmying, deep gouges, cloudy mirrors, peeling or chipped veneer, missing hardware, scratched glass, water marks, or a really bad paint job.

This beautiful vintage china cabinet had great bones but was the perfect storm of repair issues. It had a few drawers that had loose dovetail joints, no hardware, deep scratches, chipped veneer on the base, water marks on the shelves, scratched glass, and a misguided (but well-intentioned) paint job.






I knew once I started inspecting it that I would need to strip it. The paint scratched off easily, which I presumed was because the piece had not been primed. Additionally, all of the lovely details were globbed with paint and lost in the layers.

So after many days of stripping, sanding and patching, this cabinet went from this...



To this....



To this on day seven...




In the meantime, I was approached about selling this as a custom order, and I was thrilled with my client's vision for the piece! And so this misfit, with a whole lot of prep and love, General Finishes Lamp Black, new hardware, new glass, and a fabric backing, went to this!





My client loved this fabric by Waverly that I used on a previous piece...




New hardware from Hobby Lobby....





So, yes it was a lot of work. But sometimes just putting in the extra effort of prep can make all the difference in the world in bringing a piece back to life so that it can be enjoyed and treasured for the next generation!



Thanks so much for stopping by and have a wonderful day!



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29 comments:

  1. Amazing transformation--love everything about it! Cynthia

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    1. Thanks so much, Cynthia! It was a lot of work - but I love how it turned out!

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  2. Thank you for sharing. Your efforts were well worth it. It's a gorgeous piece. I'm Working on a large buffet that I've almost quit on several times. I haven't yet. Your post is encouraging. Thank you!

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    1. Hang in there! Maybe a little bit at a time - so you don't get discouraged! I'd love to see pictures when you're done!

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  3. I love the way that turned out! And I love the backing you chose.

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    1. Thanks! I think it kind of looks like a piece you could buy from Pottery Barn or Restoration Hardware....but for a whole lot less!

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  4. It's beautiful, well done for all your hard work!

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  5. Gorgeous! Love the color and hardware you chose.

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    1. Thanks so very much! I played around with hardware options, and in the end, had a winner!

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  6. Wow, you have a lot of patience, great job! I'm in the middle of doing a secretary, all that's left is waxing, can't wait to be through! Your piece is gorgeous!
    Jenna

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    1. I can appreciate how much work refinishing secretary desks are! I'm on the second week of painting a white secretary desk. Worst "bleed" I've ever encountered! You know I'll be writing about this one! :)

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  7. What a beautiful job you did. I wish I had your patience.

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    1. Ha! There was a lot of patience, chocolate and a little bit of wine (or whine!) involved in this makeover!

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  8. So sophisticated and gorgeous now!

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  9. I love your paint and hardware choices. Beautiful! Was hoping in your detail you would include what you did to repair the laminate.

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  10. I know how much work that was. I have spent days on piece too. It turned out just gorgeous! Love the black and that curvy front! Thanks for sharing this at What We Accomplished Wednesdays! Have a super week!
    Blessings, Deborah

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  11. Very pretty! You did a great job :)

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  12. This is beautiful! I especially love the fabric in the back of the piece.

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  13. You did a wonderful job. It is stunning. I saw your link at Elizabeth & Co. Link Party. Ann Marie at Iris Abbey www.irisabbey.com

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  14. Love how your china cabinet turned out! Would love for you to share at Simple & Sweet Fridays this week.
    Great job!!
    Hugs,
    Jody

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  15. What is the paint color on this?

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    1. Hi, Amy. I used General Finishes Lamp Black to restore this piece. Thanks for stopping by!

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  16. How do you do the fabric back step? I'm having a hard time finding a tutorial. This looks absolutely beautiful! I'm wanting to do white with yellow pattern fabric.

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  17. How do you do the fabric back step? I'm having a hard time finding a tutorial. This looks absolutely beautiful! I'm wanting to do white with yellow pattern fabric.

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