BEFORE:
I actually thought the cabinet was cute but it wouldn't serve much of a purpose outside of housing a sewing machine.. except maybe a make-up vanity. I wanted something smaller that I would actually use.
AFTER:
The cabinet is mostly original with only a few boards added and new knobs. It's the perfect size for a side table by a couch or tall night stand.
I started the 2 hour dis-assembly process...
...and set apart pieces I knew I would use.
Every face piece of the cabinet has a veneer glued on. Well... glue back in the day wasn't very good so the veneer starts peeling off.
I fix it by dripping glue over the opening...
...use my air compressor to blow the glue inside..
...and clamp...
...and clamp...
...and done! It was a long process since I only have enough clamps to do one piece at a time but it brings the wood back to normal.
Sanded every surface.
I glued both of the drawer cabinets together side by side and cut and re-glued the back to just the right size to fit the drawers. For the top I would have liked to use the original top to the cabinet, but you can see in the picture it didn't have enough overhang to look good...
...so I cut the original top down and glued new wood around to frame it to be the right size. I routed the edge as close to the original as I could.
I added 2x2 boards around the bottom edge of the sides and back because you could see the bottom of the drawers, plus it just looks better!
HOW I FINISHED THE WOOD:
These are the products I used to finish the cabinet.
I brushed pre-stain wood conditioner on and HOPED that I could just stain the whole thing dark brown and the new wood would blend in. Well, that didn't happen no matter how many coats I put on or different colors I used. I wasn't happy with how it looked and didn't know what to do!
I really don't like covering up beautiful-old wood but I taped up the drawers and cabinets and went for it anyways. Three coats of white paint and I should have stopped here because looking back I like the bright white...
...but I sanded to give it a distressed look and I must have got carried away.
To give it a more natural-aged look I wiped a dark glaze over the top, wiped off, and then used a wet rag to wipe even more. I coated with 2 coats of Matte Polyurethane.
I wasn't completely happy with it when I was done which is the worst feeling after spending so much time so I switched out the old wooden knobs with something a little more interesting.
The back side looks pretty good with only a small seam line where I re-glued the ends back together.
Labels: DIY, restoration, sewing, Singer, tutorial, woodworking
