Crown Jewel.
The Queen is celebrating her Diamond Jubilee this weekend! We've been watching the CBC coverage of the flotilla on the Thames all morning and reminiscing about our week-long visit to London. Getting a peek at the crown jewels (and seeing the rest of the Tower of London) was one of the highlights, and while it was fun to imagine being the guardian of all those carats, I have since realized that not all treasures are necessarily gold or diamond. One of my most beloved pieces, something I searched for and coveted for years, is in fact, a piece of furniture. I love mid-century design for its clean lines and its ability to be both slightly retro and thoroughly modern at the same time, and for several years I've been looking for a credenza that fit this description. Last fall, I finally found the exact one of my dreams (thank you, Kijiji!); its finish was in poor condition, but I wasn't sold on the orange-y hue anyway, and since the piece was very well-built, it was an excellent candidate for a refinishing project.
The refinishing process was pretty straight-forward, and started with a thorough sanding, inside and out (read a little more about my refinishing methods here ). My personal preference is for darkly-stained pieces, and after careful consideration of all the options out there, I eventually decided on Minwax's Red Mahogany stain (which has since become my favourite). As the stain began to dry, a beautiful grain pattern started to emerge, and helped transform the credenza into a more interesting and attractive piece than I could have hoped for.
It was always my intention that this piece would live underneath our wall-mounted TV, and it easily houses all the electrical components. To keep things light and bright, I painted the inside white, and then protected the entire sideboard - inside and out - with several thin coats of water based, semi-gloss varathane. I've used Rust-oleum's Varathane Premium Interior Diamond Wood Finish on almost every upcycling project and love it. It's odourless, dries to a streak-free and clear finish quickly, and is really durable. The manufacturer recommends at least three coats, but in my experience, 4-5 is best for something that will see a lot of wear. Regardless of how many coats you choose to apply, you can recoat in 2 hours, so the entire finish could realistically be applied in a full day.
( Upcycling fit for a cavernous and well-guarded vault! )
This is a beautiful piece of furniture. Your instructions make me think I could do this, but it took you several years to find this piece. I'd better start looking. Do you have any pieces like this in your inventory?
ReplyDeleteIt's true that it did take me a couple years to find this one, but that was partly because I wanted one that needed refinishing and because I refused to pay more than $200 for it (which, after gentle negotiating, is what I paid for this one). If you're in the market for something similar, definitely keep checking places like Kijiji... the right thing will surface eventually!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we don't have something exactly like this in our inventory at the moment, but we'd be happy to do the leg work for you (and any refinishing needed or wanted). Feel free to send us an email if we can help with your search!