Adding Ornamental Detail to Old Piece of Furniture

Transformation of furniture with ornamental detail

One beautiful Saturday in May 2015, my husband and I were browsing garage sales to find the rare gem with ornamental detail, and that’s when his eyes were drawn to an object hidden behind a table littered with items for sale. So he slipped behind it to find a beautiful little chest of drawers. Happy with his discovery and knowing my great passion for the restoration of furniture and various objects, he, therefore, hastened to show me his find.

Despite its great lack of love, when I saw it I fell in love with it, I was won over by its unique curves and details. Very disappointed to learn that it was not for sale, my husband finally managed to negotiate it for the modest sum of $20, you can guess my enthusiasm.

Being the owners of a century-old house, we have a particular attachment to old furniture, and some of them need upgrading to come back to life again, such was the case with our little chest of drawers.

The products used

Circa furniture stripper for the header and handles
Wood filler
Gold spray paint
Oil Primer (because the furniture was painted with oil paint)
White cotton linen cloth (T-Shirt style)
Blue shop roll of paper towels
Stencil of your choice
Orbital sander
Sandpaper (grit 80, 120 and 220)
Drill
Cleaner and Varnish Remover
Colorantic colour Summer Storm
Natural Beeswax and White Snow Wax
Synthetic purple oval brush (for painting)
XL round brush (for paint and wax)

Phase 1 – Preparation of the furniture

Remove drawers and handles
Lay the piece of furniture flat on a large canvas to be able to strip it as well as the header
Sand the furniture starting with 80 grit paper and finish with 120 grit paper
Spray the furniture with Cleaner and Varnish Remover, spread it with a cloth and leave it to work for a few minutes
Be sure to rinse well with water to remove all residue;
Apply the Oil Primer and respect the drying time.

Phase 2 – Painting

You are now ready to apply the first coat of paint. If necessary, sand very lightly between coats with 220 grit sandpaper.

Phase 3 – Surface protection

Allow the paint to dry very well before waxing;
With the large round XL brush doing a small section at a time, apply a layer of Natural Beeswax all over the furniture including the header;
Wipe well with the paper towel.

Phase 4 – Finishing Touch

With the white cloth and your fingertip, apply the White Wax to the desired places on the wooden ornaments
Strip the handles and paint them with gold paint
Fill the old handle holes with the wood filler and sand lightly
Drill new holes to reposition the handles

After five years of waiting and some great ideas in mind, I decided to paint it with ease and bring out the richness of its magnificent curves. In all its glory, it beautifully adorns a corner of our guest room.