Restored Mid Century Burlwood Cabinet With a Modern Touch

John Widdicomb Burlwood Campaign Cabinet is fully restored with a modern touch
For all the readers that stress over painted wood, breathe a sigh of relief, this project is for you! :)
Here is a photo of the cabinet when I obtained it.
And the top. When I got these photos from the seller, I just about died thinking how beautiful the piece would be when fully restored. I drove about a hour away to pick it up.
After I fully stripped, sanded, and painted a crisp white line on the front frame (to hide multiple chips in veneer that had to be filled), I experimented with adding new feet to make the piece a little less chunky. (BTW: If you want to know more about my processes, please read the 'paint method' page on the top of my blog).
The feet experiment failed miserably.
So I reattached the original base and painted it white too (it was not burl wood and it was not original to the furniture).
The refinished surface took about 6 coats of @generalfinshes gloss polyurethane, applied with an HVLP sprayer.
Oh - I also found new (vintage) locks so that the locks would function.
Hardware was polished using my tips and tricks you can find on my blog.
I'm thrilled with the results! Full details are on my blog.
Phoenix Restoration
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Linda Simmons Linda Simmons on Mar 25, 2016
    I've heard a lot about American Finish products when reading blogs. Where can you buy it?
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  • Diana Diana on Oct 13, 2015
    Beautiful.
  • Lovella Robinson Lovella Robinson on Oct 13, 2015
    my heart stopped beating when I thought, noooo, don't paint it. sigh of relief (whew) this piece is absolutely stunning. thank you for doing it justice and sharing. We have a similar piece that is an old phonograph. I just love it....
    • Phoenix Restoration Phoenix Restoration on Oct 13, 2015
      Thank you! I agree it would have been a shame to cover such beautiful, natural wood!
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