The soft sound of sadly murmured blues. The whisper of black silk against white satin. An era of early 1900s prohibition and strong industrious men. Lovely women who loved the feel of fur and soft silks. The scents of fine illegal brandy and a slight scent of cuban cigar wafting into the still air.
Secrets and cleverly hidden valuables, clearly meant for a rainy day. Never discovered.
Sadly this beautiful mahogany veneered buffet had been sorely abused and then spray painted a shiny black. No care was taken with her interior, her beautiful craftsman tear drop knobs, legs or detail.
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Never be told (or believe) removing veneer is a quick and easy strategy. Well, maybe it's because I have the tendency and feel obligated to re-invent the wheel. There is great information and guidance out there for us inquiring minds. Some of it is deceiving. It's Never as easy as they make it sound or appear.
The best application in this situation was heat. Thus I brought out my very heavy iron. With moisture and quick moves I was able to slowly work my way over the entire surface. I was cautious not to use too much moisture. This would warp the surface. I used a 5 in 1 tool to lift and peel the veneer.
This pretty lady needed a little facelifting. New hinges, tightening support brackets and cross braces. She is sturdy once again. Sounds like a plan. I could use some of this work done...
The revealed surface was clear pine. I sanded and filled and repeated several times. The two little doors had to be replaced. They were both split and warped.
The problem with trying to replicate ninety year old non-dimensional lumber (they used true sizes back then. 1 inch was Actually 1 inch.) if you don't have the correct equipment or know-how, it becomes difficult to match. These doors were true 1" thick pine. The pine readily available commercially is just over 3/4"
I cut my doors from 3/4" clear pine(spendy). As I reattached them, I had to re-locate the hinges to correct for the thickness mismatch between the doors and the cabinet.
The idea was to stretch our imagination and take her into the craftsman era. This replica design was taken from Craftsman Homes by Gustav Stickley, (1915)stencil book and re-designed to be specific to this cabinet. (You can see the new unfinished backsplash in this picture.)
Using wood Modern Masters Sculpting compound and my newly custom cut stencil, I troweled a thin layer onto the surface I wanted to decorate. After this compound is dry I can sand it to soften the edges. Make sure to work quickly. This putty dries fast. I still have to remind myself to clean my stencils fast too...
The original back board didn't have as much height as I wanted . I added a 1x8" backsplash. Using a jig saw I cut a coordinating pattern for an antiqued inset mirror.
I ordered the 6" by 29" mirror custom cut to size. I used a popular method of removing and antiquing the glass. On a hard, protected surface with the mirror on its face, and using a paint remover to eat through the painted protective backing on the mirror in specific blotches and spots, I could control the antiquing process of the mirror. Depending on the age of the mirror, this coat might be black or orange. Under this painted surface abides a layer of copper and under the copper, silver.
After the paint is scraped off the copper coating, the silvering will appear. With protective gloves and eyewear in place, I used small amounts of bleach and steel wool to scrub off areas of copper and silver. This leaves an antique, old look to the mirror.
As I completed this stage, the mirror back was cleaned of all residue. using craft paint in burnt sienna with black and chocolate to cover the now bare areas of glass. I use a sponge (This helps keep that old natural antique look). I will check minute to minute to see how the color is looking by glancing at the front of the mirror. When this step is to my liking, the entire back of the mirror is painted twice with a low gloss black. The mirror is installed to the painted backsplash with clear silicone caulking.
The exterior is painted with two coats of smoky black chalk paint. I make my own chalk paint with finely ground chalk and flat paint. (recipes) When mix my color batches, I use a handheld emulsifying stick blender to keep the paint as smooth as possible. I whisk the paint intermittently to keep the chalk from settling to the bottom. This recipe calls for 1 part chalk to 2 parts paint. I add a little water as needed. I make my paint by 1 cup batch size. I don't want it hanging out in an airtight container too long. I like the feel of fresh made paint for each project. I love chalk paints and I certainly love the usual brands. But I have to order chalk paint and I am too impatient to wait for them to get to my doorstop. Typical artist...
The interiors are all decoupaged with a pretty tissue paper. As a final coat on the decoupaged paper I brushed it with two coats of mat polycoat. Smoothing out the paper as I go.
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The top is finished with four coats of cream chalk paint. I sand in between each coat. When the paint is dry, I sand back areas for an aged and worn appearance. I antique the top surface with a chocolate glaze and wipe back.
The French love notes graphics come from The Graphic Fairy. Always a great choice.
The middle drawer carries it's own little story. I created a false bottom which I covered with black padded velvet. A little cover is built to hide all her little secrets.
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Just a note to all of you whom have been so kind in your comments. For some odd reason my program will not let me respond. So here is a big thank you. sk
Original article and pictures take sksartell.blogspot.com site
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