Antique Oak Washstand - A Sleeping Beauty

I have a love-hate relationship with Craigslist, but I did score a great find yesterday!  I spotted this little jewel just moments after it was listed and was so very lucky to be the first one!  I jumped on it fast, and also claimed the other pieces he had listed, too. 

I'll be honest....I had serious thoughts about painting this one because using unsafe chemicals to restore furniture scares me more now than it did years ago, and this one has a lacquer finish - requiring lacquer thinner to be used.  I did end up refinishing the top because it had some scratches and water marks, but even that took me a little bit of time since I couldn't just sand it without the lacquer gumming up.  After a good washing with the thinner, I finally got it down to the wood.

Once I got the top sanded, I started cleaning the rest of the piece in preparation for the paint...and lo and behold, the gorgeous old tiger oak grain was coming out so beautifully!!  It just had years and years of dirt and grime build up - which I believe may have saved the old finish to some extent.  I stained the top to match of the rest of the piece by using a custom mix of several stains - then finished it off with several coats of sealer this morning.

LOOK AT IT NOW!

NO paint on this one....at least not from me.

I love painting furniture, but when I get a sleeper piece like this one, I get a much bigger satisfaction out of restoring it.  It feels like I'm saving a little bit of history every time I can bring a piece back close to it's original state.

Now available in our booth at R&R Antiques in downtown Fredericksburg, VA!