But back to the original reason for this post! Remember that chest of drawers I scored for free to practice my staining techniques. Well I completed the work over the last few weeks and wanted to give you a peak at the new look. But before I get to the after pictures, let me tell you the whole story!
The sanding itself took close to four and half hours spread out over a few days. I set out to complete the whole project within a manageable time frame so for everyday while my son napped, I turned on the baby moniter on high volume and I sanded and sanded.
On one evening, while my hubby and son visited with Nana (Grandpa) and Nani (Grandma), I stayed home and stained the whole thing. One quick coat later. We were left with the finished look.
Interesting side note: It actually turns out the whole furniture piece was covered with veneer that you could stain. I was sanding the veneer. I found this out when one piece broke off.
My reaction: NOOOOO! Imagine that said in a deep voice and slow motion and you get the picture. After consultation with my husband, I replaced the chipped piece with a small piece of veneer strip that you just iron on. that spot was not perfect but looked much better than the chipped look.
So here is the before:
Lots of potential but a bit ragged and old looking.
Finally, here are the afters:
The new stain is just the perfect mix between the new and the old. I also kept the keyholes, what a great feature and the original hardware. The top and last drawer fronts were falling off when we originally got this piece and so with a little wood glue and nails, we affixed them to the rails.
I lightly sanded the top and stained it in the same Minwax Gunstock stain from the mantel. It had a nice dark appearance which is carried over from the dark shield detailing from the middle drawer. Sorry I dont have a picture of that. I completely forgot to snap photos after we glued the top with wood glue. It was a nice contrast.
Interesting side note: After placing the glued veneer top onto the raw surface, I along with eight- ten very heavy university textbooks sat on top for twenty minutes to ensure that the top veneer held its ground. Good to see that the university textbooks are out again in my home as I inch closer and closer to going back to school.
I had a lot of interest and finally sold it. It was nice to see that others are also as appreciative of my work as I am. All in all, it was a painful but successful experience. I consider this art. I took what was worn out and and turned it into might I call it a masterpiece for somebody else to enjoy. I hope that one day, you decide to take on your own piece of furniture and give it a brand new look.
Have a fantastic day!
Ameera
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