"Things that matter most must never be at the mercy of things that matter least." ~Goethe~

01 October 2012

Refinishing...

Just thought I would share with you on what I have been up to since last week.  Oh you think I was working on the little patchwork project for the new desk in the craft room.  I wish. 

Well, that came to a screeching halt the middle of last week when I could no longer stand seeing the million pieces of the behemoth desk sitting all over my family room.  It drove me insane!  So I recruited some help in dragging all those pieces out to the garage and proceeded in refinishing this monster.  The guys at the local hardware store just smiled and laughed when I told them the project I was going to tackle.  Maybe that was a sign that I should have said the heck with it and turned around and went back home.  But they know me be now and that I don't come in looking at starting easy little projects.  They always chuckle when I come in.  Awesome, huh.  

Let's just say that sanding the old crud off of a nearly 100yr. old desk is no way any fun at all.  We didn't want to use chemicals due to the fact that we had a little visitor most of the weekend and didn't want him around that stuff.  I now feel like I have depleted the country's supply of sandpaper after all of this.  And I can barely move after all the sanding that had to be done.

  We had never seen this much grain detail on the desk top before.  Only bits and pieces due to all the dark stain and shellac on it.  Who knew really old shellac will gum up a piece of sandpaper in mere seconds.  Awesome.  Gotta love that shellac.

And who knew the desk top looked this great without all the crud on it.


So now after days of sanding, staining was completed yesterday and the first coat of new varnish was applied today.  I actually thought I heard angels singing.


Glenn actually thought he was a comedian at one point yesterday and asked "what happens if I want to change the color of the stain in the future?".  He got the biggest stink eye I could muster up and quickly stopped asking ridiculous questions.  Plus the fact that I was holding the electric sander while he was asking the ridiculous question may have scared him a bit while I was giving him the stink eye.

Refinishing this monster is not an option, ever again.  At least not by me.  Ever!
God bless furniture restorers.  I'm just saying.

Completion pics in a few days.  I hope.

~*~

7 comments:

  1. I can't begin to imagine all the hard work you've been putting in to fix up that beast. Looking forward to the completion pics. Bet you are too!
    Anne xx

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  2. Sounds like quite a task, but it looks beautiful. Looks like oak? Hope you are able to get back to your patchwork soon. Have a great day! Heather

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  3. Wow! It is gorgeous!
    It is such a chore, but when you step away from it when its done, its hard to believe that all that beauty was hiding all along!
    I think that is the addictive part for furniture restorers...or at least it would be for me:)

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  4. Beautiful! I can't wait to see the finished product. I've only restored something once and that was enough...I know what you mean about appreciating people who do this for a living.

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  5. Oh, this piece of furniture is a true beauty! You did such an amazing job. Just be thankful that electric sanders do exist and that you had one. :-)

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  6. What an enormous job! It looks gorgeous!

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