To paint or not to paint? Rescuing inherited furniture.
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Julie Stenske on Jul 16, 2015If the finish is in good shape, I think I would leave them. You can brighten up the room in other ways. Once something is painted, it gets chipped and even more difficult to fix.Helpful Reply
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Penny Stinson on Jul 16, 2015I'm not averse to painting furniture to give it new life/use, but this looks to be in very good shape and I'd hate to paint it. What about putting a floor-length cloth on mismatched bedside tables? We inherited an old birds-eye maple set that had no tables, so that's what we did, and no one's the wiser.Helpful Reply
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Lagree Wyndham on Jul 16, 2015They look great, I only paint if there is no other way to salvage.Helpful Reply
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Tracy Hudson on Jul 16, 2015as beautiful as those are I wouldn't hide them under paint. check thrift stores and yard sales/flea markets. you can always stain the smaller pieces to closely match if necessaryHelpful Reply
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Mollee Kauzlarich on Jul 16, 2015The wood is beautiful, I would not do a thing to them. The bedside tables don't have to match, they just have to go with. Find something with similar detail and use the black hi- lights like the dresser's to tie them together.Helpful Reply
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Fab and Pretty on Jul 16, 2015Not...they're in such awesome condition. Are they wax finish? I can't tell from the photo's they are so beautiful however many of us (me included until last week) don't realized that wax finish furniture should be re-hand buffed 1x a year! Might be something you enjoy the result of given the history. Enjoy!Helpful Reply
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PainterNoni on Jul 16, 2015Find thrift store tables to use bed side............paint them. It isn't necessary for furniture to match........in fact it is often more delightful to have furniture that does NOT matchHelpful Reply
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Katrina Warren on Jul 16, 2015@Beth Gorgeous pieces! I personally would not paint them, they are beautiful the way they are! :)Helpful Reply
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Candace Warren on Jul 17, 2015They are very nice pieces,, but I think if you painted them, it might ruin their antique-ness. I would just clean them well. You might find that they lighten up a bit after you clean them, and would look entirely different. So sorry about the fire.Helpful Reply
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Susan M on Jul 18, 2015Please do not paint these pieces. They are lovely as they are. I deal in the restoration of antiques. Even when they are in dire condition, and must have repair I do my best to bring them back to their original glory. Every thing matching in a room is boring. On the cushion use a material that enhances the colors of the room. Painting them will definitely devalue them monetarily .Helpful Reply
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Donna on Jul 18, 2015I have struggled with the same question. I am old fashioned. I have a table that has gold leafing and hand painted decorations which is from the 50's?. I've come to the conclusion that it was once beautiful and over time it lost its luster factor. It is an inherited piece as well. So I figured that the sentimental value will still be there even if I paint it and bring life back into it. I can appreciate the pice even more. Just take a before picture so u can tell the story of its origins and how u brought back to life and enjoying it even more.Helpful Reply
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Suzanne Graves on Jul 18, 2015Beautiful pieces! I would definitely find something not matching! You can do it, be brave!!Helpful Reply
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Land StClair on Jul 18, 2015These are absolutely beautiful as they are,,,,,,,,,you can't buy pieces like this anymore....I am afraid painting would ruin their valueHelpful Reply
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Sherrie on Jul 18, 2015I paint for a living and I wouldn't paint them. I paint pieces that aren't prefect. If I found anything like this it would set proudly in my house. If something is beautiful I leave it alone. You could find or paint some tables and that would make these pieces pop. I always ad color with smaller pieces anyway.Helpful Reply
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Connie Hoge on Jul 29, 2015That "back staining up the side rails" is a faux ebony paint technique. Clean the wood by wiping it down twice w/ Scott's Liquid Gold and old terry cloth. Be careful not to remove the black paint, in case it is vulnerable to the Liquid Gold. The wood will still be dark, but it will glow. Look at the current Ethan Allen website for using dark pieces as accents.Helpful Reply
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Pamela Langone on Sep 15, 2015just clean it upHelpful Reply
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