A cedar chest restoration project which required some furniture repair, and reconditioning of the existing wood finish.
This hope chest (a.k.a. blanket chest) is constructed of solid cedar wood. A nice piece of old furniture with Queen Anne style cabriole legs courtesy of a Red Hook NY client. Thank you for the opportunity of working on a truly beautiful piece.
One back leg was loose and missing a piece which we were able to repair and tighten. The other was broken off years ago. From that point on this hope chest was propped up with miscellaneous items to keep level. Luckily, the leg was saved inside the chest and we were able to re-attach.
The original finish was petty beat up but still in tact. Despite its faded and worn look, it was not peeling or flaking off. Instead of stripping and refinishing, we were able to recondition the existing wood finish. We began by cleaning and then applying a fresh coat of varnish. Through this technique, the color and finish was revived while keeping its aged look.
As seen in the close up photo, we preserved the original alligated finish in some areas of the top by reconditioning instead of refinishing. Furniture manufacturers go great lengths to duplicate an old crackled finish like this. By reconditioning the existing finish, we were able to enhance the transparency and sustain a uniform sheen while maintaining the unique texture.
Cabriole legs add a nice look to this wooden chest and the restored wood finish shows them off well.
Previous generations evidently used moth balls when storing items in this blanket chest. The moth ball odor was quite strong whenever we opened the lid.
To help remove that moth ball smell, we sanded the unfinished interior to revive a fresh cut cedar wood smell. Leaving the lid open for a few days helped as well.
Our final photo shows the restored cedar chest from a top view. The reconditioned finish looks great and the grain of the wood is seen clearly.
Thank you again to our Red Hook NY client for this project.
