60s Cocktail Cabinet

This lovely was being sold in the area for a song - it was water damaged and had been stored in a damp, cold environment for a log. time. The original plate glass was still present though and she had good bones - totally worth the drive and the effort!

Lots of the veneer was damaged beyond repair and, since this was on all parts of the piece, I decided it would be better to just remove it so that the underlying ply could be sanded for a smooth finish as painting was the only option.

After several rounds of filling, sanding, veneer-peeling and re-sanding, I removed all the hardware and scrubbed it using Brasso and Barkeeper Friend. They didn't come up overly well so, I spray painted them the original gold they should have been a left to dry.

Next, I applied several coats of Annie Sloane chalk furniture paint in shade 'Olive'. Chalk paint can be deceiving - just when you think it's covered completely, you notice streaks of underlying surface still visible. Though the final finish is designed to be mottled, I waited until the next morning to be sure the covering was even before buffing the whole piece down with clear furniture wax.

After this, I returned to the upper surface - I wanted try and preserve some of the teak veneer if possible and, though there was some water damage, I felt a gentle sand down with my orbital sander and then a couple of coats of gel stain in a walnut shade would help disguise any area of damage without drowning out the beauty of the wood underneath. - a couple of coats of clear varnish after drying to ensure a durable surface and it was time to put the whole thing back together.

Several areas internally had had to be repaired - some of the drawer runners needed gluing and clamping and old damage from woodworm needed filling. This was all done before painting and so all that was left once the top had been reattached was to wax the internal areas to bring out the wood colours and line the drawers with some complementary paper.

Lastly, I buffed the whole piece with another layer of wax - this time in dark brown to bring out the detail and complement the age and wear.

By far the most popular piece I have sold so far - this baby sold for full asking in no time at all and the client who gave her a new home has her as a prop in her nail studio!