Cedar Chest Re-Hab

On this beautiful fall morning I feel the need to share some kind of autumn type project but I really do not have one ready to go yet so I think today I will show you the before and after photos of a beautiful old solid wood cedar chest I did a re-hab on.  The cedar chest came to me via some dear friends of ours who were cleaning out their storage unit and were planning to give it to a donation site.  I told them I would take it, give it some love and find a new home for it.  What made the piece so special was that our friend built it in wood shop class many years ago and it was a really stunning solid cedar through and through; I was thrilled to get it. Here are the before photos so you get an idea of what I was working with.

As you can see it is a really good size and a beautiful wood but it had a fair bit of damage from usage over the years.  The big question was what was I going to use for a finish?  I could paint it a bright cheery color, I could white wash it and go shabby chic, stain it or sand it down and re-varnish it with a clear coat.  I went back and forth for months, I even bought some white stain for a shabby chic wash so I could make it softer and give it to my niece but I just could not make myself do it.  Ultimately I chose to sand the heck out of it eliminating all the water rings and scratches (8 hours of intensive labor) and give it three coats of clear varnish to keep the original wood grain intact.

Here are some in progress photos so you can see the process.

Last but not least are the finished photos of the piece sanded, sealed and with new hardware for a more updated masculine feel.  Because the chest was so large and heavy looking I decided it would not work in my niece’s room but would be better suited as a toy chest for my grandson’s room, he really loved it and put it too good use right away. It will now become an heirloom piece he can grow up with and take with him into his adult life; a perfect way to re-use and re-purpose an old piece of furniture giving it a new life with the next generation.

Thanks for letting me share one of my furniture re-hab projects with you, I enjoyed showing it off and hope you are inspired to save an old piece of furniture and give it a new life.  There are lots of new projects on the books, I even have some new products I can not wait to use and share with you so keep checking in to see what I am up to next.

See you soon.

Laurette