Antique Furniture Shopping (+ diy repairs)
You’re coming home with me!
I had the car at my disposal so I decided to hit my favourite second hand furniture shop. It had been quite a while and I took a peek at their selection online and it looked like there was a lot of good stuff available.
It’s a big store and since I am in need of storage furniture, I mainly just looked at the section where all the dresser, wardropes and bookcases are. The selection was amazing this time, I could have easily spend a couple thousand if I had it. I already had my eye on these two dressers and seeing them in person I knew they would come home with me.
I am not good at or like haggling but I did politely ask the clerk to make me a good deal if I take both dressers and have them delivered to my home. I don’t think you’ll believe me but the total with delivery was 340€! A fucking bargain for old solid wood furniture.
Honestly, I almost didn’t buy this one because I thought it looked too new. To me it looked like a reproduction but the inside and the back of the dresser show it’s not new, someone had just repaired it too damn well! To me it’s a bit too shiny and smooth, but I’m just gonna let it age on it’s own. The keys are missing and there are no pull handles so I do need to buy matching handles and then it’s good to go.
I have big plans for the white one, and I’m gonna have some fun with it. It’s a beautiful dresser with mostly cosmetic problems, a thick coat of cracking paint, two of the legs came off and some of the trims are loose. Nothing major but taking off all the paint and varnish from the decorative elements is quite a task. Luckily it’s exactly what I like to do!
I’m using a combination of techniques to take off all the paint; heat gun, scraping and paint remover. For the decorative element I have to use the paint remover but it’s such a bitch to get off. It gets all glooby and softens the wood underneath so it’s a little too easy to damage some of the edges.
Seeing that not only the drawers but also the carcass of the dresser is constructed using hand cut dovetails makes me irrationally happy! This is the reason why the dresser is still solid after maybe even 100 years, you just can’t beat that.
After two days I’ve gotten most of the paint and varnish off and soon I’ll get to the sanding part. Stay tuned to see what I end up doing to the dresser.
Making great progress in only two days! Can't wait to see the end result
I often end up working on something really late into the night when I get started so it looks fast but in terms of hours it’s a lot 😁
Once your heart and mind get into doing a project, time tends to go by fast and it's hard to stop. And if you're listening to good music, it makes it seem less like work!
Audiobooks and podcasts for the win!
It's come a long way since I saw it the other day, you've been busy. Knowing what you're actually doing to the dresser, the colour...well, I'm really keen to see the end result. Hurry up! Lol.
Haha no need to hurry me, you know I’m obsessed and want it done NOW! I’m actually trying to savour the process for once.
Oh yeah, enjoy it while it lasts, all too soon the DIY is finished and...then it's time for another one!
That looks like it's going to be beautiful!!!!
Great find.
It already is and I think it’ll be quite stunning when I’m done with it.
I'm a big fan of old pieces like this. Great to see them being restored.
Me too, which is why most of my furniture is similar to this. Restoring might actually be a wrong word because I’m going to paint this 🤫
I can't wait to see what the end result will look like. Great job.
bet the finished product will look great
The fact that you manage to do all that and still maintain badass nails is beyond me. I cleaned windows yesterday and look like an f-ing tramp xD Also, that store looks pretty cool -- furniture shopping here is either IKEA or bizarre deposits that you might not leave alive. Can't wait to see how this turns out!
Gel overlay is the answer, I do my nails every 2-3 weeks and they stay pretty nice looking if I do it well.
If the store looks like a scene from a crime novel, you KNOW you’ll find something amazing there! It’s nice to browse through a pretty curated antique shop but you’ll be sure to pay triple the price for the sams thing there.
Gel overlay, you say? I feel I have much to learn from you. :O
I think I didn't look hard enough. Too busy worrying about the shifty looking dude coming after us - "There's another store down the alley to the right, you know". We may have made it out. Then again, this might be the shifty dude in question typing, trying to cover his tracks.
It's insanity. Some stores are now charging exorbitant prices just for the experience of shopping there - what in the actual fuck, you know?
Gel polish (aka UV/LED cured) and lots of it, so basically these are my natural nails but reinforced with plastic 😁
I’d come to a place like that and make sure I’m the scary one so we could browse in peace 😝
And you do it at home, right? I remember you getting one of them light machines a while back (so sick of having to redo them all the time).
Also, going to some furniture outlet a little later - you've inspired me! :) Thank you.
Making me rethink my strategy. Huh. xD