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DIY, Painted Furniture, Crafts, Tutorials, Painting Tips, Before and After

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Antique Furniture Restored Instead Of Painted

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Antique Furniture Restored To It’s Original Glory

Antique furniture restored, repaired, cleaned up, touched up, until it shines. No Paint. I have to say as much as I love paint I enjoyed every minute of bringing this vintage oak chest of drawers back to life.  It is stunning now.

restored antique oak furniture

Antique Furniture Restored

The only thing not original to the oak chest of drawers are the knobs. I think after you get a look at the original drawer pulls you will agree that they needed to be replaced.

Antique Furniture waiting to be refurbished

The oak chest belongs to a friend of mine. It belonged to my friends Mom who passed it on to her for her daughter’s bedroom. Now that daughter is grown and has daughters. The chest has been sitting in a garage for years. It’s kind of a mess.

peeling veneer needs repair on antique furniture

The veneer was peeling up in places and the original drawer pulls were loose and had rubbed big circles in the veneer around the screw holes.

contact paper used as drawer liner needs to be removed

The chest was also pretty dirty. The sticky contact paper covered all the drawer bottoms.

Antique Furniture Restored Instead Of Painted

I was pleasantly surprised and very pleased at how well the chest of drawers cleaned up. I’ll tell you everything I did to make it shine.

making drawer repairs to antique furnitureI decided the best option was to make all of the repairs before cleaning it up. First order of business was to remove the contact paper/drawer liner.

Once that was removed I noticed one of the drawer bottoms had slipped out of the grooves in the front of the drawer. I gently hammered the drawer bottom into the grooves again by lifting the bottom with one hand (level with the grooves) and hammering the back of it into place with the other hand.

After the drawer bottom was fitted back into the grooves I used a nail gun to attach it to the drawer back. The bottom of the drawer will not be slipping out of the grooves and out the back of the drawer anymore.

repairing peeling veneer on antique furniture

There was loose veneer on several of the drawers. At one time a few repairs were made to the veneer and there was just a couple of tiny spots on the drawers where the veneer was missing. Hardly noticeable.

I used a small wood pick/thingie to slip the wood glue between the veneer and the drawer front. I was really gentle because I didn’t want the veneer to crack or break. I used clamps to hold the veneer tight to the drawer until the glue dried.

cleaning antique furniture

I removed a few nails where prior drawer repairs had been made. Then I had to remove a couple of nails where I missed the side of the drawer when shooting the nails to hold the drawer bottom in place. At least I fessed up to it.

Once I made all the repairs I used a shop vac to get the worst of the dirt. Next I wiped the inside of the chest and the drawers with a rag and Simple Green. I dusted the drawer fronts and the outside of the chest with a dry rag. I did not use water or cleaning solution on the veneer and finished wood areas.

restore the natural beauty of antique furniture with Howard's Feed n Wax

Now comes the fun part, where I get to make the chest of drawers pretty again. See the dramatic difference in the two drawers? The bottom drawer has been wiped down with Howard’s Feed-N-Wax. I used a couple of stain pens to cover the scratches and the worn area around the knob screw hole. That’s all it took to make the finish shine.

refurbishing antique furniture with Howads

The stain pens were two different brands and two different colors. One was dark walnut and the other was dark cherry. I kind of used them together. When using stain pens I always dot the stain on then wait just a bit and rub it off. The raw area or dull area of the finish should pick up the stain.

I used a small stencil brush to get the Feed-N-Wax into the corners, any tight spaces, and the wood applique on the mirror and mirror holder. I discovered this trick a few projects ago. The bristles of stencil brushes are firm and they work well for mushing stain, cleaning solutions, etc. into tight places.

A rag and flat tip screwdriver are great for getting into little grooves like those on the feet. I cleaned the casters/wheels with Simple Green and sprayed them with WD40 when dry.

febreeze for smelly drawers

To freshen the drawers I sprayed the inside with Febreze and let them air out for a few days.

using-staples-to-adhere-the-back-to-the-mirror-frame.jpg

Last piece of the puzzle is the mirror. I cleaned the mirror and used a heavy duty stapler to adhere loose areas of the mirror backing.

mirror for antique furniture

I attached the mirror holder to the chest then the JTS and I fitted the mirror to the holder. Sorry, no free hands to take photos of that. The metal attachments on the mirror and holder needed a couple of minor adjustments to make the mirror hang straight. Easy enough to do but works better with 4 hands.

Antique furniture refurbished not painted

Isn’t that wood gorgeous. I really didn’t think it would turn out this pretty. Glad I was wrong.

Antique Furniture Refurbished Instead Of Painted

Antique Furniture Restored With Love

You guys might recognize those knobs. The ones on the top drawers are new and the others I had on the wardrobe in our den. I decided it was time for those to go and I couldn’t find any others that worked well with the chest so I put these on. The owner of the chest was out of town and not available to pick out knobs.

antique oak furniture restored

She came by the workshop yesterday with these. Aren’t they lovely. They really fit the style and the time period of the chest. This piece was made by the Showers Brothers Company in Bloomington, Indiana. I think the chest was made in the 1930’s but not sure.

how to restore antique furniture to it's original gloryI’m so pleased with this restoration…..and it’s not paint. What do you guys think? Leave me a note and take the Furniture Fixer Upper Tour by clicking the pink text links below the “before” photo collage.

You can find the Howard’s Feed-N-Wax and the stain pens on the Petticoat Junktion Amazon page by clicking here. (Amazon affiliate link, click here to read disclosure.)

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Antique Furniture Restoration – Petticoat Junktion (you are here)

Thanks so much for being here. I know you have other things to do. Have a great day, Kathy

Comments

  1. Ben says

    June 12, 2018 at 4:36 am

    Wow…I love redoing pieces, but this is a piece that you do not want to paint…you did an amazing job, it looks beautiful…great job!!!

  2. Carolyn Kiser says

    May 29, 2018 at 10:15 pm

    This is absolutely beautiful! I love to paint furniture as well but every now and then run across a piece that I just can’t bear to paint but decide to restore the wood finish on. I have not tried the Howards but will certainly be heading out to get some in the next couple of days. Thanks Kathy!

  3. Dixie Lee says

    May 28, 2018 at 6:35 pm

    I learned about Howard’s from you and I now use it on all my old family pieces. And the wood trim in my new house had been terribly treated by the former owners and their dogs. I tried Murphy’s Oil Soap – no help, But the Howard’s fixed it right up! And no one paid me to say this….

    • Kathy Owen says

      May 28, 2018 at 6:49 pm

      Hahahaha. Unfortunately Howard’s doesn’t pay me either or even give me free stuff. I only recommend products I like. That Feed-N-Wax is good stuff.

  4. Laura Lane says

    May 28, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    This is a stunning piece!!! Love that you went natural. I can’t believe it was made by the Showers Brothers in Bloomington, IN that is where I work…of course not as a furniture company anymore but my office is housed in the building. Very neat history, thank you!!!
    Laura
    Bloomington

  5. PC says

    May 28, 2018 at 3:29 pm

    Looks great – I sent you an email asking some questions about cleaning antique furniture which is very dirty.

  6. Nancy says

    May 25, 2018 at 2:26 pm

    Wonderful restoration. I’ve painted quite a few pieces of furniture, but lately have really been drawn to antiques with the original wood. I think it’s nice to mix things up — painted along with unpainted pieces like this. It’s a beauty.

  7. Jane Doe says

    May 25, 2018 at 7:51 am

    I LOVE it! You did a beautiful job with the wood… it’s so gorgeous! Great call too as there are so many who’d slap a coat of paint on it and cover up the grain of this beautiful wood. I don’t much care for painting the pieces unless it’s too far gone to do anything else. Thanks for sharing with us!

  9. Naomi S says

    May 24, 2018 at 10:01 pm

    Kathy, that dresser is absolutely beautiful. You did a fabulous job. The wood grain is so lovely. To be honest, though, when I saw the knobs you put on it I had a very negative reaction. I tho’t they were completely out of character with the dresser. I’m glad the owner found the ones she brought; I think they are perfect. What a total success story!

  11. Colleen Vinson says

    May 24, 2018 at 2:48 pm

    This is absolutely beautiful! Thank you, Amanda, for some backstory on the piece.

  12. Amanda says

    May 24, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    As the daughter (current owner) of this piece, I could not be happier with how it turned out! Kathy did a wonderful job with this and I am so grateful! This was my dresser as a child, which once belonged to my grandmother, and now I can continue to pass it down. Thank you for this beauty!!!

  15. Nancy Walden says

    May 24, 2018 at 11:43 am

    I used Howard Feed-n- Wax to restore an old phonograph I found on the curb. I couldn’t believe how it revitalized the dried out wood! The phonograph player was long gone but there was still a manufacturers tag inside so I know it was made by Brunswick on Feb 13 1923. Someone had pulled all the veneer off the top so I had to paint it but multiple applications of Howard Feed-n-Wax saved the rest.

  16. Marcia Horn says

    May 24, 2018 at 10:15 am

    Love that you restored this beautiful wood piece … so very nice … love painted pieces but not everything needs painted to be beautiful … wonderful work 🙂

  17. Kaycee says

    May 24, 2018 at 10:11 am

    Kathy, you did such a beautiful job restoring this gorgeous piece! I love seeing old, dry wood come back to life with a proper cleaning and wood feeding! Love this!

  18. Marie says

    May 24, 2018 at 10:04 am

    Oh wow, what a gorgeous restoration, Kathy! I can’t believe how good the wood looks now. The knobs you added are pretty but the glass ones your friend brought over are even more perfect. She must’ve been so pleased when she saw her chest of drawers 🙂

  19. Jackie says

    May 24, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Beautiful! Glad you didn’t paint it. The glass knobs are perfect!! Love it!Jackie C

  20. Marcie Lovett says

    May 24, 2018 at 9:54 am

    I’m getting so accustomed to seeing painted furniture, that I didn’t realize the photo was an “After!” The wood is just beautfiul and the care you took with it is so obvious. Those glass knobs add the perfect touch for the next generation to enjoy this lovely piece.

  22. gwen says

    May 24, 2018 at 8:22 am

    Fantastic! After seeing the ‘after’ I’m so pleased you did NOT paint it! I love Feed-N-Wax! I recently used it on the legs of an ornate table, but I used a soft used toothbrush and it really got into all the crevices.

    You did a great job of restoring this beauty to its original loveliness!

  23. bonniev says

    May 24, 2018 at 8:13 am

    It looks beautiful Kathy! Did you have an easy way of getting the old contact paper off or is it the old hard way? Also, hope to get to the Nashville Flea market this year, not sure when.

    • Kathy Owen says

      May 24, 2018 at 8:43 am

      This contact paper came right up! It doesn’t always happen that way. If the paper is really stuck I usually sponge it down with water.

  24. Wendy J Taylor says

    May 24, 2018 at 7:41 am

    Wow ! This is why I refinish furniture . The wood and veneer are just beautiful. You can never get this look from IKEA . As my Dad used to say…..The old stuff is the best. You did a great job..I hope your clients daughter appreciates this treasure.

  26. Bobby says

    May 24, 2018 at 5:52 am

    There’s a lot of work there, but the wood is so beautiful it was clearly the right decision. And the right result, too, it looks wonderful.

  27. Christina in SW FL says

    May 24, 2018 at 5:30 am

    Love this restoration! You really paid tribute to the craftsmanship that made this piece such a beauty. Thank you for bringing her back to her glory.

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