I promised you some new pictures of our antique booths. The first one is a closeup of the new (old) sideboard we just finished re-doing. I can't say restored because it was in such bad shape it would have been too much work to try and restore it. But that said, it turned out pretty darned good and no one would believe a week ago the oak was dried out and bleached, the door was falling off, a couple of the drawers were broken, the glass was cracked and a whole colony of spiders and wasps had taken up residence. It had been sitting in an old barn for who knows how long so spiders and wasps were probably not the only visitors.
I will readily admit it was a lot of hard work. That old thing soaked up wood restorer faster than I could apply it. Once it had absorbed all it would I began polishing, blending color, more polish, more wax and buff till my arm was sore then buff some more. If fact, I was so pleased with it I couldn't help running a polish cloth over it every time I passed by. Once I had done as much as I could my husband stepped in and made new supports for the door and put it back on, did whatever the drawers needed to open and close smoothly, repaired a piece that had broken off a leg and straightened the other leg that had gotten bent. Despite being oak, it isn't as heavy as it looks and a plus is that it has casters. They don't roll too great but do make it easier than lifting and pushing.
The top drawer was originally for silverware but I removed the old felt and put in new black felt...cheated a little by using the peel and stick variety. I was afraid black velvet would attract too much dust. I plan to store jewelry in this drawer and leave it open a bit. The inside has one shelf and I've not decided if I want to put quilts or tablecloths in there - nor have I quite decided what to put in the deep bottom drawer.
We put in a different lamp and I have an old Victorian shade that will go perfectly, however, it's made for a different style so either the lamp or the shade needs a little work to fit properly. So, do you agree with me this was a great find? I haven't priced and tagged it yet, I want to enjoy it a few days before I put it up for sale :)
