We had glorious weather this past weekend, I ran to the hardware store and bought myself extra sand paper, skipping all the way. This was the first time working in my garage since last November, my whole body rejoiced. (This desk job might just be the death of me.) It was over forty degrees and after the polar vortex of this winter it literally felt like Heaven – if you live in the states you will probably never forget the record-breaking winter of 2013/2014 that we just survived. I got out my sander, found my gloves, turned on the radio, hiked up my sleeves and got to work.
(Side note: My Beloved and I also made plans to start in on Grandma’s house next weekend! Woop woop! Yeah, so, it snowed last night and we have a high of 20 today – wow – merry fricking spring. Regardless, it is time (maybe passed time) and we are starting on Grandma’s house this coming weekend – come hell or high water… or both.)
You can see from the picture that I had already removed most of the hardware on both “dressers” (I really don’t know what else to call the one with the claw feet and the doors on the front – perhaps buffet is more realistic?). I’m going to do them at the same time as I’m finishing them with the same black stain and sealer. The old claw foot with the doors on the front will be my future entertainment center. One of its small, top drawers, is velvet lined and dividers make absolutely perfect niches for remotes and the like – sometimes I am amazed at how well some things turn out. The other dresser I think I can safely refer to as “ancient” and it is extremely heavy and solid. I have been told, and I know from my own experience, that the solid wood rounded drawers on the front are pretty special. Right now I have all of the drawers and doors sanded on both dressers. I attacked the body of the “buffet” and am just over half way there with it. The wood grain on both of these is stunning, especially the old one with the rounded-front drawers – it looks like zebra stripes. I can’t wait to see them with black stain. What’s sitting on top of the buffet you ask? That is an incredibly heavy and beautiful mirror that goes along the back of it.
After this last dresser all that is left for me to work on is the old Edison radio stand I’m planning on turning into a kitchen island. Makes me a little sad but it also feels good. The full total of furniture pieces I got from my grandma that I refinished and salvaged (including this last dresser and the radio stand) comes to thirteen pieces all together. Three dressers refinished into vanities. Two kitchen tables. Two rocking chairs. A wash stand, 70s magazine rack and two dressers all refinished into my bedroom set. This dresser waiting to be refinished and the Edison radio stand waiting to be transformed into a kitchen island. It feels good to have accomplished so much. It feels even better that they all turned out more beautiful then I would have ever expected.