August 16, 2011

A Cedar Chest!

I have *drooled* over wooden chests for years, and have never found a nice, solid, chest that I could actually afford.  Everyone on Craigslist sells ugly beat-up chests for over $100!


A few months ago, one of the secretaries in the school I work at contacted me.  She let me know that she was getting rid of an old family chest because it was in really bad condition.  She said it had been sitting in her basement for years, but she just pulled it to the curb the night before so they could be picked up by the garbage. 


What?!  No!  I had to get over there right away!  


My mom came to the rescue, and brought her SUV down so we could come pick it up that night.  *Whew*


I was so excited for this chest…after all, I had been dreaming about a chest like this for so long!  So, I dreamed… for 8 months.  


Yes, 8 months.  I am ashamed :(  


I would like to think it’s because I really wanted it to turn out “perfectly”…and I didn’t have a clear vision for it yet.  


As school comes closer, I realized I didn’t have the chest done yet!  Yikes!  I could not let the summer break go by without finishing this project…or it would never get done!  


Well, I have finally finished this chest, and I am in love with it now!





So, you want to see where this chest started?  Here’s how it looked when I got it 8 months ago:

It’s a solid Lane cedar chest, look at this inside:



but it had badly chipping veneer on the outside…especially the legs.  The top was in pretty bad shape too:

I followed the usual furniture-refinishing routine

…sanding down:


…patching holes:

And then I wasn’t sure what to do about the veneer.  I put my scraper under the badly damaged parts, and was surprised with how easily they just peeled off!  The legs were the pieces that the veneer was so badly damaged…so I peeled it off, and sanded the wood underneath.  Thank goodness the detailing on the front wasn’t damaged, because I don’t think I would have been able to take the veneer off of that!  


Once I sanded…
I gave the rest of a piece a hand-sanding, and spray-primed it:



Looking better already!

Next, I used the same paint that I used for the bottom of my medallion table (originally bought for $1 at ReStore).  I used a paint roller for the top and the sides of the chest.  Then I used a regular brush for the front, and whatever wasn’t able to be reached by that brush, I used a small kids paintbrush to get in those little detailed parts of the front.  

I put 2 coats on, and was really liking how it looked at this point:

But those details just weren’t “popping” without some help.  Brooke, who write the amazing blog “All Things Thrifty” does the most amazing job with glazing and antiquing furniture.  (By the way…her blog was my first home blog I ever read…and was the one who inspired me to start a blog of my own!!)

I bought a red mahogany stain to rub into the detailing, but then realized that when I lightly rubbed it into the white parts, it turned PINK!  A pink chest is NOT what I wanted!  I had a few moments of panic.  I then pulled out my old can of stain…dark walnut  (used for the medallion table & our old kitchen table)

Even after hand-sanding and putting the walnut stain on top of the mahogany, I couldn’t undo the damage.  I was starting to panic at this point.  I mean, I waited 8 months for this…and now I screwed it up!!  See the pink undertones on the section on the left:

So, I had to do something else.  I figured I may just re-paint it white, and then put the walnut stain in the detailing, but that meant I had to wait a few more days!  Ahhh I’m way too impatient for that!

I decided to try mixing my paint with clear glaze, like I did with this end table:

I loved it!!  Look at the difference between the piece with just the stain in the details, and the piece with the glaze on top:
I loved that it was not just pure white, and that the details still popped, but it was a creamier, less harsh finish.

I finished the rest of the chest with the glaze, and finally finished this project.  

I love it!!
This is a great solid piece of furniture, and I’m excited to keep it for years to come, now that it got it’s much-needed make-over!

Because I love before & afters:



I’m so excited I don’t have this project hanging over my head anymore…and that I love how it turned out in the end!  The best part…this make-over was free, because I used all materials I had on hand!  My kind of project :)

What do you think?!  

Linking to:

Shabby Nest, Remodelaholic, Under the Table and Dreaming, Today’s Creative Blog, Finding Fabulous, The DIY Show-Off, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello, Polly Want a Crafter?, Shabby Chic Cottage, Stories of A-Z, House of Hepworths, Beneath My Heart, The CSI Project, CRAFT,  House of Grace, Domestically Speaking, Creations by Kara, Lolly Jane,  Somewhat Simple, Making the world Cuter, Young and Crafty, Dittle Dattle, A Glimpse Inside, At Home with K, Brambleberry Cottage, Beyond the Picket Fence, Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Someday Crafts, Serenity Now, The DIY Club My Girlish Whims
Share on TumblrSubmit to StumbleUpon

Related posts:

44 Comments
Filed Under: chest, distress, glaze, procrastination, veneer, white •

44 comments on “A Cedar Chest!”

  1. Megan on said:

    That is gorgeous! I can't believe someone would throw that away, you totally made it a keeper!!

    Reply ↓
  2. Jessica @ O. Alouette on said:

    Oh I love this!! It came out so beautiful – I love the details on the chest. You did a great job.

    Reply ↓
  3. Katie on said:

    It looks great!!!

    Reply ↓
  4. Desiree on said:

    Wow, I love it! You did a great job. The details are are great on the chest.

    Reply ↓
  5. Lulu Lane Designs on said:

    I love it!! It was definitely worth the wait! :)

    Reply ↓
  6. Stesha on said:

    OMGOSH!!!! This is amazing!!! I absolutely love it, and your blog!! xxoo Classic & Bubbly

    Reply ↓
  7. Allison@FabRehab on said:

    Goodness, that is beeeautiful!! You done good!

    Reply ↓
  8. Allison {A Glimpse Inside} on said:

    It looks fabulous Christina! Great job!

    Reply ↓
  9. Rhiannon on said:

    gorgeous christina!! i want it for myself!!!

    Reply ↓
  10. Rebecca @ My Girlish Whims on said:

    looks great! can't wait to see where you put it!

    Reply ↓
  11. ~Miss Raquel on said:

    What a beautiful chest!! You did such a great job on it! Wow!Hey, I ♥-ed your Etsy shop…you have some lovely stuff!! We should talk about maybe doing a giveaway together! :) ::hugs::~Miss Raquelwww.God-sDaughter.blogspot.com

    Reply ↓
  12. ~Miss Raquel on said:

    PS: I 'liked' your FB page too ;)

    Reply ↓
  13. Rosemary@villabarnes on said:

    So glad you came to the rescue. It's beautiful.

    Reply ↓
  14. Cassie on said:

    Very beautiful! I'm stopping by from House of Grace. =D

    Reply ↓
  15. Devonay on said:

    Amazing! You did a wonderful job! Thanks for including all of the pics… now I don't feel so intimidated to try this myself!

    Reply ↓
  16. Young and Crafty on said:

    Oh my gorgeous! Great job :)

    Reply ↓
  17. Jess@Balancing The Dream on said:

    AMAZING!!! I love the detail in the center of each panel! The color turned out perfect! i love that it looks aged!! great job!!

    Reply ↓
  18. Lindsay on said:

    Aw, so much love went into this chest, and the outcome was SO worth it! Amazing job! You will enjoy this for years to come!By the way, I am hosting my very FIRST link party and I would love to have you link this to it–http://southernlovely.blogspot.com/2011/08/show-share-1.html

    Reply ↓
  19. Kathryn Ferguson Griffin on said:

    Love, love, love this!!! Fantastic chest! Wonderful details!! Found you via Creations by Kara and am your newest follower. Pop on over for a visit if you get a moment. Tootles, Kathrynhttp://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2011/07/kitchen-cabinet-transformation.html

    Reply ↓
  20. Elisa @ The Self Life on said:

    Holy smokes, this looks awesome! And for FREE! Where does the chest live now?

    Reply ↓
  21. Donna Gelineau on said:

    This really turned out well.

    Reply ↓
  22. Judi on said:

    Beautiful. Great job.

    Reply ↓
  23. -Kasey on said:

    That chest is amazing and you did such an awesome job transforming it!

    Reply ↓
  24. idesign on said:

    very pretty :D

    Reply ↓
  25. A Pretty Life in the Suburbs on said:

    Gorgeous! I am always so amazed how paint just changes everything! Love it!Jo-Anna

    Reply ↓
  26. Jo (@ boogaloo) on said:

    WOw! I'm so impressed! It looks amazing!

    Reply ↓
  27. Modern Wivelyhood on said:

    You did an amazing job! It's beautiful, thanks for sharing!www.modernwivelyhood.blogspot.com

    Reply ↓
  28. Nicole on said:

    Wow the details on that are awesome!

    Reply ↓
  29. Vivienne @ the V Spot on said:

    This is beautiful! Good thing your mom could rush over in the SUV! Could you imagine this gorgeous piece in the trash!? Glad you saved it!Here from Serenity Now.

    Reply ↓
  30. Sommer on said:

    Oh I love the detail on this! I just got a lane cedar chest from our neighbor across the street a couple weeks ago. The top was upholstered in some nasty torn leather so I've reupholstered that and I'm going to get some chalk pain this weekend to finish the rest! I can't wait! Mine doesn't have this much detail on it but like you I have been dreaming of having one for forever! I would love to have you share this at my VIP party today… http://designergarden.blogspot.com/2011/08/vip-party-24.html

    Reply ↓
  31. Steph & Mom on said:

    What I want to know is what the original owner thought of your makeover? Just a FYI, there is a recall on Lane cedar chests concerning the locking mechanism. It seems that the older ones close and lock automatically causing a safety issue. You can email Lane for a replacement lock for free which includes a new key. I updated my 1974 cedar chest with the new lock–it's an easy fix.

    Reply ↓
  32. Alison@Oopsey Daisy on said:

    Christina, this turned out absolutely gorgeous!! I just saw you on TT&J!!

    Reply ↓
  33. Linda in AZ * on said:

    *** It's FABULOUS, my friend, and you managed to get it EXACTLY as you'd DREAMED, just cuz you "put on your thinkin' cap" (!), as my precious Grama would say!!!……..It was WORTH it all, wasn't it? I sure think so!!!Most sincere "congrats"! So glad you shared this, and I do enjoy/enjoyed your writing style!!!Best,Linda in AZ *bellesmom1234@comcast.net

    Reply ↓
  34. Kahli on said:

    Who in their right mind would throw that away!! It's beautiful great job. And I love how the details pop really makes a statement.http://designpardeux.com

    Reply ↓
  35. Reannah @ {Shaped by Grace} on said:

    I just saw you on C.R.A.F.T. What an amazing makeover! Wonderful job!! The glaze was a great idea & makes such a difference! :) xo, Reannah

    Reply ↓
  36. KateB on said:

    coming over from C.R.A.F.T. too and wow! this is fantastic…amazing what treasures people have unused in their basement huh?

    Reply ↓
  37. Brittany on said:

    you did a GREAT job even if it did take awhile! ;)

    Reply ↓
  38. Amyshka on said:

    You did a really great job! Amazing what you can do to an old piece of furniture. Thanks for sharing!I'm following your blog now :)

    Reply ↓
  39. Trica (Tree' - ka) on said:

    Wow!! I have an old cedar chest that needs to be refinished. Now I know what I want to do! Gorgeous!!

    Reply ↓
  40. Sunla Designs on said:

    I found you on C.R.A.F.T., and I just LOVE what you did. My hubby has a rule that I am not allowed to paint anything wood. I hope he will change his mind when I show him this!By the way, I am hosting a giveaway right now & would love to have you check it out!http://sunla-designs.blogspot.com/search/label/GiveawaysLisa!Your newest follower!

    Reply ↓
  41. Holly Lefevre on said:

    so, so pretty. love the detail and how you made this piece current again!

    Reply ↓
  42. The DIY Show Off on said:

    Beautiful rescue, Christina! I love the new antique look! :)

    Reply ↓

  43. Pingback: Christmas Mantel 2011 – Natural & White » Christinas Adventures

  44. Pingback: Top Posts of 2011 » Christinas Adventures

Speak Your Mind

*

77,191 Spam Comments Blocked so far by Spam Free Wordpress

HTML tags are not allowed.

CommentLuv badge