WOULD YOU PAINT/REFINISH OR COMBO OF BOTH?
+63
I really love this antique cabinet I bought. It has bellflower wood inlay on the legs and beautiful burled veneer on the serpentine drawer. The finish is really tired though and needs either refinishing or painting. I've done some combinations of wood with paint and they've turned out great. For all those that say refinish, I can certainly understand why but much depends on whether I can sell it at a profit. I will not be using white or ivory but can you think of some other stain/paint combos that would suit it?
45 answers
-
That is a lovely piece. I am no antiques expert but do you know if it is worth anything the way it is? I just got an ear full of the way antiques are valued from a friend who deals with them all over the world. Anyway...made me second guess a paint job on old furniture. I love the light grey tones that are trending now. A glaze would enhance the details.
Down to Earth Holly
on Jan 07, 2014
-
That is such a beautiful piece. I'd be tempted to refinish it, but it would also look lovely painted in a cream chalk paint and distressed. What ever you do, be consistent in the finish on this one: either all wood tone or all painted.
Janet Smith
on Jan 07, 2014
-
I agree with dawn, find out it's worth and also when you refinish a piece if it isn't done right that can decrease the value. If you are not interested in it's value as an antique, then by all means do what you think would look good in your house. If I had it I would probably paint it, but that is because for years I had a lot of antiques and after so many years with them I started feeling like my house was dark, so I sold a lot of them and now have some painted pieces and I love them.
Patty
on Jan 07, 2014
-
I would say refinish it.
Sandi Tillotson-Clum
on Jan 07, 2014
-
Refinish it!
Mikell Paulson
on Jan 07, 2014
-
Refinish it for sure. I only paint an item if refinishing it would not improve it's appearance or value or if it was already painted in the first place. Sometimes items are just too beat up, decayed or broken in a way that would not improve it by refinishing. Then you can look at it to see if it could be repurposed in some way. This piece looks to be in good shape. It is a beautiful piece! Painting it, I'm afraid would devalue and cheapen it.
Carla Harrod Hampton
on Jan 07, 2014
-
The wood looks parched..have you tried lemon oil? I have cleaned wood with hemp oil, then fed it with the lemon oil..it really makes a difference. It would be beautiful a nice soft creamy white though.
Terra Gazelle
on Jan 07, 2014
-
This piece is gorgeous and unique, I'd say keeping the natural wood tone is the way to go. If a good cleaning and polishing isn't enough to revamp it, then I say refinish it! Good luck!
Home on Hidden Oaks
on Jan 07, 2014
-
Refinish, for sure. I do refinishing as a business and anything with burled wood should be revived. You may not have to do a full refinish (strip, sand, stain). You could probably lightly sand with 220 sandpaper or 000 steel wool, then clean the wood and use Howard's Restore-a-Finish to bring out the beauty of the wood and create an even finish.
Alorin
on Jan 07, 2014
-
I'm afraid that painting it would make it look odd. It is different to begin with and it seems the special woods are it's best feature. Will the cabinet come off the base cleanly? There's an awesome desk there, and an unusual cabinet someone might put on top of a sideboard or something....
Diane H
on Jan 07, 2014
-
There is a formula that I have used since the 60's on oak, walnut and burl. An elderly antiques dealer taught me how to make and use it and it would be perfect for this piece. It is inexpensive, easy and does not remove the patina. It is a restoration, not a refinishing process. If you are interested I will list ingredients and directions for you. It is a beautiful piece!
Julie
on Jan 07, 2014
- See 8 previous
-
This would be a beautiful piece restored - not refinished. If you do decide to paint though, I would suggest Farrow and Ball's Churlish Green for the interior and a buttery yellow for the exterior.
Katie
on Jan 07, 2014
-
I think it will be beautiful what ever you do with it. I'm leaning towards a 2 tone stain and or paint scheme. It has an art-deco feel to me.
Vickie Lanham
on Jan 07, 2014
-
It belongs to you so you can do what you wish with it. Remember though, painted furniture may wind up just being a fad for now. Were this mine, I would get a good bees wax polish and clean it really good. It does not appear to have bad problems in its finish. This is such an outstanding piece.
Jeanette S
on Jan 08, 2014
-
this is beautiful, and I would never paint it. Remove varnish with remover and clean all grooves carefully and I would just apply a tung oil to the wood. May not need a stain and would never use shellac!!!! It's gorgeous!!!!!!
Joy Pinsent
on Jan 08, 2014
-
Please refinish it and post a picture of it when it is done. Beautiful wood deserves to be seen not hidden under paint
RayRay
on Jan 08, 2014
-
In order to avoid it becoming a "fad" piece I'd go with black chalk paint, gold accent and refinish only the drawer front (burlwood?) to a nice, healthy natural shine.
Suzanne Brunner
on Jan 08, 2014
-
do you know the maker and age of the piece? If it is really an antique (over 100 years old?) I wouldn't mess with it. If fairly new and in poor condition then by all means restore it. I personally would never paint fine wood.
John Clemens
on Jan 09, 2014
-
in reply to "there is a formula I've been using since the 60's" @ Julie Hi! I think you have us ALL on the edge of our seats!! I too would love to know your secret, I have a project I'm working on for a wedding gift for my daughter, and being able to restore it rather than a complete refinish would be great !!
Deb Dziabuda-Konzer
on Jan 09, 2014
-
If it is truly an antique - DON'T do anything to it except some very gentle cleaning. Otherwise you kill any monetary value.
Debra Peters
on Jan 09, 2014
-
Lovely piece, but I'd paint it. You may not want to do that, but my second choice would be to stain it black after sanding it. I think black on large pieces is great, because it grounds the piece in the room.
Diana
on Jan 09, 2014
-
Its too pretty and stylish to "paint" I love the wood and the details I would rather it look rough and just clean it up good than to paint it but I am partial to the wood look. A piece looks more expensive if its finished wood rather than painted.. Id wait for the formula that was mentioned try that before paint .. paint would be my last resort...
Buster Evans
on Jan 09, 2014
-
I think it would be beautiful in rubbed black..........and slightly burnished............
M Jeannette DiNardo
on Jan 09, 2014
-
DO NOT PAINT!!! Use New Life Furniture Masque and it will be gorgeous!!! Available at antique stores.
Debi McCoy
on Jan 09, 2014
-
Yes. Please send me your email address. I have received several other requests for it as well. I am hoping that they don't mind a group mailing. Is that allowed?
Julie
on Jan 09, 2014
-
refinish
Pam Park
on Jan 09, 2014
-
I vote for a deep red then glase with a dark brown.
Nancy Merrell
on Jan 09, 2014
-
have you considered a tinted stain?
Bonnie D
on Jan 09, 2014
-
Lots of responses! But once the veneer is dehydrated that badly, it never comes back. I'd go with black lacquer and silver leaf on the cabinet and doors, refinish the drawer fronts. Stunning and timeless.
Juliet O
on Jan 09, 2014
- See 1 previous
-
If the surfaces are decent, I would keep it as natural as I could. But your projects are always great. Have to say, I'm envious of all these wonderfully unique pieces you find! This one is particularly special.
Cheryl @ Artzzle
on Jan 09, 2014
-
If the veneer is intact, I would leave it. The veneer is part of the piece's stylistic integrity. If not, then paint it but perhaps you could use an accent color to highlight where the details of the inlay were... For example, if there was a grecian key border in mahogany, you could do a fine line of accent color that would follow the mahogany. It is such a pretty piece of furniture.
Julie Bruno
on Jan 10, 2014
-
I'm with Diane and M Jeanette go with sand it and paint it black/rubbed black. Paint the inside a nice soft color to off set the black. Classy.
Marianne
on Jan 10, 2014
-
Chalk paint in a shade of blue. Stencil the back inside. Whatever you do, please post pics!
Lisa Schembri
on Jan 10, 2014
-
actually, if the veneer is bad, doesn't it detract from the whole piece. It seems the way to go if you want to sell it is to go with what is popular these days - chalk paint, a grey color goes with more decors than a color. I would rub off edges, make it more Shabby Chic. Also stencil the back inside is popular too.
Barbara Sawyer
on Jan 11, 2014
-
I'm for some of the above, the black and gold or deep red with dark rubbed on stain, No white or Ivory, that's tiresome.
Linda Stroney
on Jan 11, 2014
-
Great piece. Refinishing or painting would depend on what else is going on in the room. If it were me I'd paint it with a coordinating color that works with the rest of the room. The new look is high gloss finish paint. Please post when you are done.
Maggie
on Jan 11, 2014
-
I think you should at least give it a short at refinishing, you'll know quickly without investing too much time weather it will have a nice effect. Once you paint you cannot go back, and even just trying a representative area will have no effect if you do decide to paint. As for the stain if you decide to refinish, I would use a dark Red Mahogany, 2 coats before you finish with a satin poly. It will look classy and original.
Promark Painting
on Jan 13, 2014
-
PAINT!!
M Jeannette DiNardo
on Jan 14, 2014
-
If you have a shop and are going to resell it, I'd leave it alone. It's a wonderful piece, you can always let people know that you could finish it if they wanted that.
Carole Alden
on Jan 16, 2014
-
That is a beautiful piece of furniture - I've never seen anything like it in all my years of antiquing!! I would definitely not refinish or paint it because you'll strip the value out of it! There is a product on the market called Restor -A- Finish by Howard Products Inc. It would be an easy fix & maintain the value of the furniture! You just wipe the product on to the furniture & then buff it to a nice finish! You choose the color of your piece & it will restore color to the faded wood, blend out scratches & blemishes & even removes white heat rings! As much as I like to paint furniture, I use this product often! It works!! Good luck!!
Sandra Hellewell
on Jan 16, 2014
-
@Porta Verde Studio Did you try applying it with 0000 fine steel wool? If that doesn't work then I would definitely paint & distress it! Light grey colors seem to be the hot neutral color everyone is gravitating to, although I think your piece would be stunning in black with the wood showing through on the edges which would be stained darker. It's a hot look from PB. If you're interested I have the name of the site that gives step by step instructions. I 'd have to look it up as I can't think of it at the moment! Regards!
Sandra Hellewell
on Jan 17, 2014
-
Porta Verda Studio sounds like an excellent idea! If you want to look up those instructions before you start, just for the fun of it, the site is The Yellow Cape Cod.com I hope you post the finished piece as I would love to see it! Good Luck!
Sandra Hellewell
on Jan 20, 2014
-
I would definitely refinish it. It's a beautiful old piece and I wouldn't dare paint it. If you wanted to update it, you could always change the hardware.
Tammy
on Jan 21, 2014
-
Painting this piece would be a crime
Charlie M
on Jan 21, 2014
-
I painted mine and I love it. There are so many combos out there that look great. I do like the Black and stain look tool.
Joan @ Nicer Than New
on Jan 21, 2014
- See 3 previous
Sign Up to Answer
