Huge Dining Room Cabinet Thing Worth Refinishing?

[Steve H Graham]

I am clearing out a house that was inhabited by a drug addict. She left a big piece of furniture behind. I am not a furniture expert, so I don't know what it's called, but it's a long, low piece made for holding things like china. It sits in the dining room beside the table location. It's about six feet long and three feet high. At the ends it has doors that swing outward, with shelves inside. Between these cabinet areas, it has about four drawers. It's very heavy.

I don't think it's an antique, but it's quality solid-wood furniture. If I had to make a wild guess, I would say it was made between 1950 and 1970. I can't tell what kind of wood it is. It's dark brown.

The humidity in the house has split one panel on the front of a door. I think it could be glued back together by a skilled person. The finish is generally crappy. It has rat poop on the top. There are drawer pulls and things missing.

My question: is a thing like this worth having refinished? The crack will have to be fixed, and the handles will have to be replaced. It will need a thorough going-over. The current finish is really not acceptable.

I don't have a photo I can post right now.

Edit: I found something on Ebay which is similar in quality and style, but mine is darker and has drawers. item# 360767697024

[George Bokros]

I believe that is called a buffet or maybe a sideboard.

[scott vroom]

Hard to answer without seeing a photo of the piece you're considering refinishing.

[Pat Barry]

Do you like it? If so, I would start by cleaning off the rat poop. Then see what it takes to strip the finish. Then try and take the door apart to fix the panel. Then glue the door panel back together. Then strip it, sand it, stain it, seal it, and finish it. Maybe get some new hardware. There you go. Lots of sweat equity but maybe very worthwhile. I doubt the drug issue is of any concern whatsoever.

[Steve H Graham]

I guess what I'm wondering about is the general economic viability of restoring good-quality furniture that isn't in the antique class. I do not have the skill to do it myself, and frankly, the house is a big enough job already, so I would have to pay somebody. From Googling around, I get the impression that you can pick sideboards like this one up for $300, in much better shape.

It's confusing to me; the stuff they sell new is crap, but it costs more than older stuff which still looks good.

I don't have any use for this thing. I would be fixing it to sell.

[Steve H Graham]

Seems like a shame to throw it out, but it looks like I'm headed that way. I'm amazed that people prefer the crummy new stuff.

[Steve H Graham]

Not to beat a dead horse, but I am really regretting paying money for hardwood. Apparently, you can buy good furniture for much less than the equivalent amount of wood. Next time I want to make something, I may just go on Craigslist, buy a dresser, and break it up.

[John TenEyck]

Restoring an old piece of furniture is a lot of work. Many a fine old piece of furniture has been ruined by people with good intentions and no skill. If you paid a pro to do it it would cost more than the piece you referenced on E-bay. Unless you really like it and are prepared to either pay a pro or store it until you learn the skills required to do it justice it might be best to put it on Craigslist or give it away.

I spent nearly two weeks turning this:

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into this:

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with the owner's consent that whatever antique value it may have had before would be lost.

John

[Bruce Page]

I spent nearly two weeks turning this:


with the owner's consent that whatever antique value it may have had before would be lost.

John

Two weeks!:eek:
It would take me two years..
Nice job!

Steve, maybe you could salvage some wood rather that tossing it away.

[johnny means]

I just paid $300 for a early 70s late 60s bedroom suite. Its all solid wood veneered in white oak and finished to look like walnut. It's got chunky, solid brass asian inspired hardware. The construction is absolutely solid, as strong as the day it was first purchased. It's an eight piece set that I wouldn't be willing to replicate for $10,000. Some would say it's hopelessly outdated, but I see great bones that, with a little, okay, a lot of refinishing, will make for a heirloom quality suite.

My point, like any raw material, the beauty and value is determined not by the material but by the craftman's vision and workmanship.

[Steve H Graham]

Steve, maybe you could salvage some wood rather that tossing it away.

The problem is that there is so much nice old furniture on Craigslist. I will see if anyone at my church wants it, but my bet is that even poor people will prefer buying something nice for $300 to refinishing something that will end up with a value of $350.

This is really mystifying. I just looked at new Thomasville stuff out of curiosity, and very ordinary furniture comparable to this appears to run well over a thousand dollars.

[John TenEyck]

The problem is that there is so much nice old furniture on Craigslist. I will see if anyone at my church wants it, but my bet is that even poor people will prefer buying something nice for $300 to refinishing something that will end up with a value of $350.

This is really mystifying. I just looked at new Thomasville stuff out of curiosity, and very ordinary furniture comparable to this appears to run well over a thousand dollars.

No mystery at all. A new cabinet saw costs $2 - 3K, but no one will pay more than 50% and usually a lot less for a used one, even one in nearly new condition. Furniture is even worse, or better, depending upon which end of the transaction you are on. You can outfit your shop full of tools and your house full of furniture for a fraction of the cost of new if you buy used.

John

[Nathan Callender]

Steve, if you want to restore it to original condition with a stain, it's probably not economically viable. However, the antiqued milk paint look is in, and would be a whole lot easier and cheaper to do. You might be able to putty the crack instead of taking the panel apart to reglue and a quick scraping, sanding, distressing and several milk paint coats and it could look quite nice.

Still, you won't make money on it. If that's what you want, your best bet is to donate it to someone who wants a project.

[Yonak Hawkins]

To me the question boils down to : do you want it ? Do you have a place for it ? Is it worth it to you to spend the time and toil to repair it to the point where it serves your purposes ?

If the answer is no then either put it on Craig's List where someone who does want it and cares to and has the skills to refurbish it can fix it. ..Or donate it to Good Will or your church, if they want it, and you take the tax benefit, or take it to the dump. If you don't want it, get rid of it and let someone else put in the effort. Refinished, you could never sell it for what would make your time and effort worth while.

[Steve H Graham]

Thanks for the replies. I have a photo now. Today I took a closer look. I think it's mahogany. I can't find a brand name on it. The drawers are solid wood with dovetail joints. It's well worth keeping just for scrap. Even the drawer wood is nice. But I don't have room to keep it as an intact piece. It's amazing that someone would treat it like this. I'm sure it was very nice a few years back. Maybe someone will give me a hundred bucks for it.
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[Jim Matthews]

Unless it's a collectable name (Like Heywood-Wakefield) or the cyclically trendy Danish modern derivatives,
you will spend more time and money on something like this. If you're not a furniture maker yourself,
refixing lifted veneer on an iffy substrate is an exercise in frustration.

I don't know what your tax situation is like, but you can deduct "thrift shop value" from most salvaged pieces
that are donated to an approved charity. Goodwill will come and collect, according to their website.


http://www.goodwillsouthflorida.org/Home-Furniture-Pick-Up

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