Refinished Living Room Media Console
August 06, 2012
You may remember back in May I introduced you to the new-to-me console for my living room that I bought on Craigslist. After it's introduction I worked on it pretty steadily, and it began its new life as my media console in July.
Here’s how it started:
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| The damaged veneer - it's about the size of a deck of cards |
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| My refinished Craigslist console |
Yup, those are wood chopsticks. I had been planning on using wood dowels, but they were just a wee bit too thin. I always have wood chopsticks around because I use them to stir small cans of paint and varnish. The chopsticks were the perfect size – I just cut them down and attached them with wood glue. After staining they’re not a perfect match as they’re a different type of wood, but from a distance it’s not really noticeable.
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| Repaired veneer prior to staining |
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| The plywood shelf before staining and edge band |
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| Applying the edge banding |
36 comments
Very nice. I love how you pieced in the missing part-Very clever!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ remastered relics
I Love this transformation and I actually recall reading the blog post about when you first found it months ago! I'm so glad I happened to stumble upon your blog again and get to see what you did with it! It looks amazing!!! I too love wood and am so glad you decided to refinish it rather than paint it although I do know it look really good with a fun color as well! :)
ReplyDeleteoh i love that!!!! the style, shape, hardware- SWOON!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cassie!
ReplyDeleteLooks amazing Michelle! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteJ
I am very impressed!! It looks amazing. I love how you thought to use chopsticks!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Jordana!
ReplyDeleteOnce I saw it in context, I realized how gorgeous that piece is. Good job!
ReplyDeletechopsticks! brilliant!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great job on that nice piece of furniture. Amazing. I especially love how you fixed it with chop sticks. Very smart indeed.
ReplyDeleteSo cool! I love a good furniture fix-up.
ReplyDeleteStephanie @ thestyledsoul.wordpress.com
that looks fabulous! i have a piece i want to redo, but i don't have the nerve.
ReplyDeleteIt is quite intimidating to refinish a piece the first time, but I promise you the results are SO worth it! When I did my first refinishing project(my dresser) I went into it already knowing that if things went really badly I was just going to paint it Kelly green - that way I knew that if I screwed up somehow I already had a plan on how to make it better. You could also find a thrift store piece to practice on - something that if you mess up it's not the end of the world, but if your attempt is successful is a nice addition to your home.
ReplyDeleteI hope you give it a try!
Michelle
very creative repair! love craigslist
ReplyDeleteOkay, wow! Chopsticks! Beautiful trasformation. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from Coastal Charm. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/08/make-it-pretty-monday-week-10.html Hope to see you at the bash! Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful! Definately a lot of work, but well worth it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful "after" and the soft aqua rug is a great compliment to the wood tone; looks great with your other furniture and seems to be the perfect size for your TV. I love reading a redo that refinished the wood (I"m a major lover of painted pieces but I have two pieces of furniture that hubby says must remain natural wood, and they need redo'ing.) Could you share what product you used for the "protected" step (poly, wax, other ... and brand?) Thanks.
ReplyDeleteRobin @ happilyhomeafter.blogspot.com
Hi Robin,
ReplyDeleteI'll be doing a 'how to' post in a week or so - I just need to gather all the photos together:)
Michelle
You are so resourceful to use chopsticks like that! It is a beautiful piece and I am sure it is quite pleased you have brought it back to life. Great job!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Angie
GORGEOUS!! I love this makeover and how you brought back the original beauty of the piece.
ReplyDeleteGreat refinish! The chopstick idea was amazing! Great tutorial too! I'd love for you to share it at my new blog party, Twirl & Take a Bow at www.houseontheway.com. I think it would make a great addition to the party.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
What a neat piece! You did a great job refinishing it ... love the use of chopsticks! :)
ReplyDeleteNicely done !! Great Job
ReplyDeleteKelley @the Upholsters Wife
what an amazing find!
ReplyDeletelooks fabulous. found you via MMS's party where i'm partying too. would love to have you as a follower.
smiles and happy weekend.
michele
Wow, what a great job on this beautiful dresser. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThis is a really nice sensitive restoration. The piece has a military chest feel, and you did it justice. Well done. (And thank you for not just slapping creamy paint over it!)
ReplyDeleteMe again!
ReplyDeleteI think your blog is amazing and that’s why I nominated it for “One Lovely Blog Award” on my blog! Check it out if you have time.
http://cuckoo4design.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-was-recently-nominated-for-one-lovely.html
Looks fantastic! Great job!
ReplyDeleteIt looks like something you'd buy in a boutique for a thousand dollars. Bravo!
ReplyDeleteSaw this on AT. Beautiful piece and sooo creative to use the chopsticks.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is so cool, you really have a great eye! Amazing job, and I love the chopsticks idea!!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome ;)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! You've been featured on Handyman, Crafty Woman's Wicked Awesome Wednesday! Please feel free to stop by the website and pick up your button!
ReplyDeleteit looks amazing! you did a fabulous job!
ReplyDeleteHi! Great job on the transformation! I'm starting my first reno on a mid-century modern esque nightstand I snagged on craigslist and it has horribly wrecked veneer. How do you replace / repair veneer? Is it possible to strip it off and sand the wood underneath or am I asking for trouble by doing that? Thank you!! Great job!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan,
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay in replying. You could strip off the veneer, but it's likely that the wood underneath wouldn't be very nice (hence the veneer). I think it depends what you want to do with the piece and depends on how large the damaged portion of veneer is - the larger the piece the more difficult it will be to replace.
I bought sheets of veneer from Lee Valley, and used carpenters glue to adhere it, however where my repair was is hidden so the fact that it ended up being an imperfect repair wasn't a big deal. If the damaged piece was on the front or top of my piece I more than likely would have ended up painting it.
Depending on how adventurous you're feeling you could try the repair, but have the back up plan of paint if things go off the rails a bit. For help with damaged veneer try Youtube for tutorials - I watched a number and then sort of winged it.
Hope that helps a bit!
Michelle