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Antique Bedroom Set Makeover

This is a long overdue makeover post.  I finished this piece and delivered it at the end of November last year.  My biggest problem was getting the pictures right. You see this makeover is of a four piece bedroom set and well, I live in a tiny house.  That already has furniture in it.  On delivery day it was threatening to rain but we were able to line everything up outside and gets some quick pictures before packing it up for the ride.

TB will always remember this makeover by the number of stairs at the clients house.  We had only been married a few weeks so he still liked me a lot and was nice enough to carry 3 of the pieces down 3 flights of stairs.  He’s a good sport.

This bedroom set had belonged to the client’s grandparents and had a lot of sentimental value even though it was in bad shape.  She had wanted it just to look nice again.  Her husband really thought it should go into the fireplace.  So I figured I had to make it look awesome again and prove it was worth saving.  I am great at putting a lot of pressure on myself.

So here is one of the pieces, the desk which had plenty of scratches and dings.

KSD Sem Desk Before 2108 Here is a shot of the top of one of the pieces showing how the finish was in pretty bad shape.

KSD Sem top before

 

All four pieces were stripped with SoyGel.  Frankly it made for quite a CSI scene since the old stain came off bright red and looked like I was covered in blood.  I had red hands for days.  After sanding, new Safecoat Durostain in mahogany then a few coats of Polywhey, it was finished.  And frankly so were my arms.

Here is a close up of the beautiful old veneer with it’s makeover.

KSD Sem Close up

Here are all the pieces finished.  I wish I could have captured the transformation a bit better.  It was quite a change.

KSD Sem all after 0003

The hardware is original.  I know a lot of times hardware looks shot and gets tossed but give this method a try first.  Take some baking soda and lemon juice and make a paste, then use it to clean the hardware using a soft toothbrush.  After you rinse and dry,  add a little wax and buff.  I really like Kerf’s Wood Cream and it smells awesome.  Here is a before and after picture so you can see the difference.  (The client actually thought I put on new hardware!)

KSD Sem Handles 2264

This was the largest amount of furniture I have ever had to do at once. There were four large pieces and fifteen drawers!  It was a little tough finding floor space but totally worth it.  It is worth saving old pieces.  They are usually made better than anything you can buy now for new and have so much more style.  If you need help, let me know.  I am happy to answer questions anytime!

Linking up at:

My Repurposed Life

Redoux Interiors

The Shabby Creek Cottage

French Country Cottage

 

7 Comments

  1. Joy phillips

    This is a great makeover. You did a wonderful job. Am not familiar with the products you used, but they really worked in bringing this set back.

    Reply
    1. The Ridiculous Redhead (Post author)

      Thanks Joy!

      Reply
  2. Marilyn

    The handles are amazing and look so nice! You did a wonderful job on the whole thing!♥♫

    Reply
  3. Korrie@RedHenHome

    Beautiful restoration work!

    Reply
  4. gail

    wow! what a job! but totally worth it. The pieces look fabulous!
    gail

    Reply
    1. The Ridiculous Redhead (Post author)

      Thanks Gail! And thanks for always stopping by and saying hello.

      Reply
  5. Janice

    Cool!

    I like that set….in fact I actually have a dresser in my bedroom that looks a lot like the one in that set! Mine also came from an elderly relative, and is also nice and heavy…very, very heavy. In fact, I believe your very own TB may have participated in the joy of moving mine up and down several sets of stairs at one point as well. (We made him do it in an epic heat wave, for extra memorable-ness!) Mine’s going to have to be refinished at some point, but it’s way down my list of things to fix since it’s not THAT bad…

    Just thought I’d share. Hope you’re well. 🙂

    Reply

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