Some people work in hosptials where they save people; some at animal shelters where they save dogs and cats. I work in a rather messy garage where I save furniture. While I don’t restore antiques (that’s a true specialty), I have saved many, many vintage pieces abandoned on the side of the road, deposited at thrift stores, or stored in basements and spare rooms for decades.
A very dear friend who I’ve known for twenty years (and who I still consider to be like family) asked me to refinish two pieces of furniture for her. The first was a three-drawer dresser that had been in her boyfriend’s family for many, many years (more on that dresser later). The second was a sideboard that had also been in her family for many years. Both pieces had sentimental value and were solid wood, so she wanted to save them.
The sideboad was covered in green paint when my friend delivered it earlier this week. It had dings and dents from years of love. Still it was a beautiful, solid wood sideboard that deserved a second life.
While I didn’t think I could successfully strip of every bit of the green paint, I was determined to remove it from at least the top. A stained top will be able to handle so much more wear and tear than a painted finish – no matter how much polyurethane is applied – so it’s always a good idea to stain a top instead of paint it.
With this goal in mind, I gave the base a light sanding to remove any loose paint and then went to town on the top. My DeWalt Rotary sander handled the job perfectly and I was left with a natural wood top.
The bottom was painted with low lustre, black enamel paint. It covered the old remaining green paint perfectly. The top was stained with Varathane Expresso. The color matched the original color inside the cabinet door and drawers; so I also washed the insides with the stain to refresh the color. While the black enamel doesn’t require a topcoat the stained wood does; so using a clean, cotton rag I applied a few coats of Minwax Wipe-On Polyurethane in a satin finish.
Oil rubbed bronze hardware will work perfectly with the black and brown tones of this sideboard which is off to it’s old home with an updated, Old World look.
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