Once upon a time, there were two sad little vintage chairs…
Fortunately, one of my clients adopted them, and they’re going to a good home. But they’re going to need a lot of TLC before heading out the door. Twice the work this week means twice the blog posts, so this is the first installment of a two-part makeover story.
Step One: Repair
One of these gems needed a little glue to relaminate a split decorative piece. The center slats are a sandwich of a flat piece in back and a carved piece in front which had begun to separate. I used my E6000® glue and a handful of small clamps to secure them together again.
Step Two: Sanding
My client requested wood stain as opposed to my usual paint treatment. That meant sanding. Ugh. Not my favorite part of my job. It’s messy and takes forever to clean up. I’m convinced I’ll have permanent dents in my face from my respirator!
This photo is a comparison of one chair before sanding the old finish off and one afterward.
I prefer to strip finish by sanding instead of harsh chemicals. By the time I’m done, my hands are usually numb from the vibration of the sander. A flat table top isn’t bad, but fiddly detailed pieces like these chairs are a nightmare and require a lot of manual sanding, too. That’s one reason why I typically don’t re-stain entire pieces of furniture. These may be my last!
And here they are, both sanded and ready for their new stain… but I’m going to have to keep you in suspense about how they turn out. The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, and I promised to reupholster my brother’s dining room chairs this week so we have somewhere to sit for the big meal! (More on that later.)
So, in the meantime, let us gather with those whom we hold dear and reflect on those things for which we are grateful this year — including chairs that actually have seats!
Check back soon for the reveal of the final look of these chairs! In the meantime, if you have any questions about the items on my blog, please use my contact page. And check out my Instagram (@serendipitysequelsmn).