Singer Cabinet No. 40 project - part 3

>> Sunday, August 24, 2008

This is how the pieces looked after scrubbing off the Remover and letting it dry. So the next step was to sand a little bit and get them smooth and completely bare. I used a medium sandpaper then finished with 220 - which is very fine.

This is how they looked when I finished the sanding.
I couldn't find my tack cloth so I just barely misted some paper towels with water to wipe off the dust - since they would be drying overnight anyway. These are the boards ready to stain this morning:
I used Benjamin Moore stain in a colour recommended by the local shop. I just took in one of the small boards and he picked the colour: Royal Mahogany. He had a leaflet of sample stains but I decided to just skip agonizing over the exact colour and trust him.
This stage is fun and easy, I used an old sock and some of those white latex gloves to protect my hands. And it's very gratifying to see the pale dry wood suddenly take on a rich colour.
I was worried it was a little too dark - and of course when it dries it looks a little dull. Here are the boards with their stain and ready for varnish:
So the final step of course is the varnish. I used some polyurethane I already had handy in the shed.
And it made all the difference. It brings out the grain which seemed dulled by the stain, and the glossiness makes the colours glow a bit more and look so much better. The best part is it turned out to be a perfect match to the original finish on the rest of the cabinet!

It's drying now and tomorrow I'm going to do another sand and coat of varnish, then I can show the finished cabinet. I also recovered the bench with new fabric... that was the easiest bit.

6 comments:

karyn August 25, 2008  

wow, the refinished wood really sings! it's such hard work stripping and refinishing wood. i started to strip the wooden window frames in my bedroom at one point of the 18 layers of paint on them, but with all the detail and carved bits, I totally regretted it. I ended up stripping away most of the paint to get a less 'chunky' look and then repainted the frames, to end the project as quickly as possible.

i can't wait to see the finished cabinet and the fabric you chose for the bench!

Jo (sparkly green knickers) August 25, 2008  

The wood looks just gorgeous! Well worth the effort, I'm sure.

Kerry August 25, 2008  

Thanks for sharing that project. I think your hard work really paid off and I look forward to seeing the finished cabinet in your sewing studio space. I liked the part about not angsting over the color - it's so important to leave those details to the experts!

Claire Louise Milne August 25, 2008  

Thank you so much for the comments (and sympathy) it was a lot of work but well worth it!

Jacqui's Quilts August 25, 2008  

Hi Claire:

Wow, that top is turning out VERY nicely!! Great job. I do love that Singer cabinet...it really has class :-). I have a Queen Anne style cabinet in my kitchen at the moment and I think I have two of these No 40 cabinets in the basement awaiting a cleaning. They won't be a refinishing project, but they are very dirty and scratched. I use a product called Dr. Woodwell Elixer if the finish is just scratched and that really does a great job. Looking forward to seeing the finished cabinet and the machine residing in it :-).

Jacqui

Nanette Merrill August 25, 2008  

Wow what an incredible amount of work!!

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