Asked on Jan 14, 2016
Ideas for saving this furniture freebie that I found
by
Tammy Trish
+14
I found this freebie, but I'm not sure if it can be saved or not. I would not be using it to store wine, but probably place shelves in it. It's really dirty and weathered. Some of the trim work is swollen from water damage. If nothing else, I'll save the doors as a decorative wall accent. Ideas and suggestions needed please.
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15 answers
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I think the first thing I would do is to give it a good wash down using a mild solution of something like Murphy's Oil Soap, then put in the sun to fully dry. Once dry you will then have a better view of what can be done to "fix" it. The scuffed/damaged areas might benefit from a going over with fine sandpaper to even the surface. The existing color is nice and rich and I'd use walnut stain all over the whole thing, which would probably visually even it out. If you like it that way, you could then give it several coats of a polyurethane finish product. I'd opt for a satin finish rather than a glossy one. As for inserting shelves, that's a good idea if you're not going to use it for its intended purpose. I can tell from the photos how thick the sides are, which could indicate how shelves could be added. If the sides are thick enough, you could use right angle brackets screwed into the sides and then rest the shelves on the brackets. If the sides are not very thick, you'll have to approach adding shelves a little differently. In that case, strips of wood cut to the "'front-to-back" dimension and applied with an adhesive such as Liquid Nails should be adequate. For shelf material, I'd have 1/4-inch glass cut to size and have the long edges polished. It's a beautiful piece and I think it's worth trying to salvage.
Swan Road Designs
on Jan 14, 2016
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I to agree with giving a good cleaning,however I would use white vinegar and water to first then maybe some kind of wood cleaner.Let throughly dry out so you can see what could be repaired. Its definately worth trying.
Janet Pizaro
on Jan 14, 2016
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Wow.... clean it up and lets see. It is beautiful what a find. You might want to give it a rub down of some coconut oil as another viewer has used after cleaning, you might love all the imperfections. Let us know how it turns out.
Kathy Bitzan
on Jan 14, 2016
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Sell it to me! I love it. Really is beautiful. After cleaning as others suggested you could dry brush it.
Bond Thomas
on Jan 14, 2016
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What a great find! If it turns out that you are going to repair it remember to use stainable wood filler if you plan to stain it. If you are going to paint it then it doesn't matter what kind of filler you use. I made the mistake of using regular wood filler when I was staining my stairs , OH what a big mess I had to carve out the filler and replace it with stainable. Looks like you might need to replace the back ,which is easy enough to do.. Good Luck and Pls. share when you finish.
Jean Myles
on Jan 14, 2016
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It is very interesting. Bet it saw many Mafia Moments! It likely was from a restaurant or a very large Italian family who drank a lot! Any bullet holes? When looking at it I think Mafia Mummy case. Maybe with the doors off and a couple shelves it would be a great case with age and unique shape. I am not a fan of 'wine vine' motif inside the house, but on a patio or outdoors it works. (but do not paint it colors to enhance the vegetation, clean, clear coat in a satin finish to enhance it's antiquity.)
Johnchip
on Jan 15, 2016
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Wow what a find! :-) If you're planning to paint it, and an aged, antique appearance would suit your decor, there are many tutorials out there that will help you even if you have some damage to the piece. Unless it's truly awful to your eye, maybe just a good gentle cleaning is all it needs. Sometimes the 'value' is in it's own "look at me and all I've been through" appearance :-)
CK
on Jan 15, 2016
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Wow, what a beautiful piece! I LOVE it! I agree with those who have said let some of the damage be. It's what gives the piece some character. You definitely can clean it up and maybe repair some of the worst damage but I would see how you feel after you are finished cleaning it. I like to let the character of a piece speak. You could try cleaning it up with Murphy's Wood Soap and water and dry it thoroughly and then wipe it down with, as the others have stated, coconut oil. See how you feel about it at this point to decide what if any of the damage you want to try and repair. There are some really good tutorials online for repairing and restoring old wood pieces. Enjoy that piece, it's amazing!
The Redesign Habit
on Jan 15, 2016
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some of those closeups look like mdf, and not real wood. Anyway you can verify? once mdf gets water damage, it swells. Nothing you can do. (mdf is sawdust and glue, pressed, heated and molded) you can try to sand the "hair" away, but it will be hard to make that part smooth. Put some chalk paint on it and go with the rustic-ness! The doors are great!
Beth H. Makemeprettyagain.blogspot
on Jan 15, 2016
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Beauty! Agree with Swan Road Designs. Use Murphy's or an oil-based cleaning solution to give it a good scrub. Then I'd stain touch up and apply poly if not great wood, or oil if good. Wouldn't worry about minor damage.
Marion Nesbitt
on Jan 15, 2016
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I'd give it a good scrub, replace the mouldy back and maybe replace the shelves, depending on what I'd want to use it for. But I'd leave the exterior exactly as it is - shabby chic is ok, but nothing beats a truly aged piece.
Meli
on Jan 17, 2016
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Get inspired by old Chinese wedding cabinets respects the choice of shades ........ if you run out of ideas! A red background crimson, garnet or golden raisins etc ........ Because to fix it, sorry beyond me !!
Lio2914546
on Jan 17, 2016
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OMG!!!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! After careful cleaning and sanding effected ares use Dyna patch..(i did wanders with it and I love it) layer by layer and sanding in between or wood feller and again sanding and shaping ...apply layers of desired colors...chalk paint would go great on a piece like that....leave the front as is (cleaned) or apply dark grey or black (satin spray paint) for dramatic look ...leave as a wine storage....best of luck!
Lillian Herceg
on Jan 17, 2016
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Unique piece . Clean it up first . It looks like it needs some repair. Vintage application is what I would do.
Joann Strong
on Jan 17, 2016
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After removing the doors, I discovered that the hinges visible from the outside weren't even real. They were carved into the wood. The actual hinges were on the inside. Almost the entire piece is made of the MDF material. This gorgeous piece is cheaply made and simply not worth my time or money to try and save. The filigree design of the doors appears to be made of a resin type material and I have removed them with hopes of using those somehow. They are broken but no pieces are missing. I will attempt to glue the broken areas. We shall see.
Tammy Trish
on Jan 18, 2016
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