Flea Market Find

Mr. Study and I enjoy going to the flea market on Saturday mornings.  It's really become something we enjoy and do consistently together.  Some days there is nothing to buy and other times you could find lots of treasures. We've bought linens, enamel ware, a flare box, a china serving platter, a vintage Oklahoma State University pennant, and a beautiful wood bowl just to name a few of our favorites  Recently I spotted this oak end table that was priced at $25.  I haggled the lady down to $18 because it was pretty wobbly and would need some work.  

The table was in decent shape.  Minus a few stains, wobbly legs, and split top.  I started this restoration project by removing the screws from the wood top.  This immediately made the top split in two pieces. 

Once the top was removed, I began loosening the "x" from the legs that was holding the top on.  I didn't want to remove it completely.  Only enough to get some glue down inside. About 3/4".

The next step was clamping the base.  The joints around the base were quite loose as well.  One trick for getting wood glue in tight spaces is a syringe. You can pick one up from your local drug store. I keep it rubber banded around the glue bottle, otherwise it would become lost or stuffed in the junk drawer.

When I repair furniture or other projects that need to be clamped, I always leave them overnight.  Sure, it takes patience but it's worth the firm foundation you are left with. While I was waiting on these joints to dry I worked on the top.

This is one of the pieces from the split.  Since it has a nice groove in the wood, I simply used my Dremel and sanded the glue so the pieces would fit together like new.  The Dremel once again saved me so much time.  I had this sanded out in less than 5 minutes. You can see the top part is sanded, while the other side of the groove still has glue on it.

After sanding, I applied a light coat of wood glue on each piece of the table top.  Then clamped them together.  Overnight, of course!

It was important that I fill the holes left from the screws.  The screws had stripped the wood when I removed the top and I knew it wasn't going to be a nice tight fit without some help. I'm not sure where I learned this, but I've used it on other projects like replacing the strike plates in our home. Stick a few toothpicks in some wood glue and stuff them in the old hole.  You want a tight fit.

 

This is now a weapon!  Really though, wait overnight.  I know, I know...patience is a virtue. After these are completely dry, chisel them off to the base.  If you let this dry the right amount of time they will come off cleanly.  Otherwise if you rush this and the glue is wet, the toothpicks will bend or just pop out of the holes.

 Now the fun part.  Putting it back together.  I glued the top on the base and then put the screws into the newly filled holes.  By doing this, it gave the screws something to grip on to.

Now the REALLY fun part.  The reveal!  

Ohh la la, bask in all it's mission oak richness.  Go ahead, click on that picture and enjoy the deliciousness in full size!

This is one heavy and solid table.  It was a great $18 purchase.  I like to think that it has some great story behind it.  I'm assuming it was handmade as there were no markings on it and it had a simple and classic make to it.

Our daffodils are in full bloom now and I couldn't resist these cheery guys. Not to mention how wonderful they smell.

THE Rocking Chair...Part 2

Before you read further, check out how this rocking chair became mine.  Then, go read part 1.

Okay, now let's get serious. The seat of the chair is a basic box and it was quite easy to cover.  Then I covered the back of the chair with a dyed canvas drop cloth. Like most upholstering, the staples were showing when I was done.  I chose not to use welting, but created something a little flatter and less obvious.

I used the matching canvas with a strip of felt inside for some body.

 

After I ironed the pieces, it was time to glue them.  I used a permanent fabric glue for this.

 

The next photo is the finished product before it was glued to the chair.

 

I simply glued this strip over the staples.  Here's a closeup.

You ready for the finished product?!  Remember what I started with.

Here she is! 

I love how it turned out.  The binding looks really nice on it.  I think a traditional welting would have been too bulky. It lays nice and flat against the canvas. 

This was my first big upholstery project.  It should have been done a long time ago.  But it's done now.  I don't think I can ever get rid of this rocking chair.  I owe my neighbor a huge THANK YOU!

THE Rocking Chair..Part 1

The easy part of any upholstery project is taking off the old fabric.  When I got this rocking chair from the neighbor, it didn't take me long to remove the fabric.  It's always exciting to see what is beneath everything.  There was NOTHING exciting about the upholstery underneath.  Here's what I started with.

 

I started peeling off the layers on the seat.   First was this lovely sunflower number.

Then there were stripes that reminded me of OU.  GROSS! I would have covered that too!

 

Then there was THIS!  What is this? And it was stained...ick!

 

Once I had it down to the bare bones I started gluing and clamping.  Someone originally glued this chair with hot glue.  Hot glue DOES NOT keep joints in tact.  Jot that down!  The chair also had no backing in it.  I didn't take a picture, but there was a PILLOW, yes a pillow in the center. 

I didn't take a picture of the jute webbing that I used for the backing.  I laid the webbing out like a lattice pie, then stapled it in as tight as I could.  I HIGHLY recommend using an electric stapler.  The jute webbing looked like this.

Source

Here is the chair after the jute webbing was put it. I covered the webbing with batting.

After this step I covered the batting with felt.  I liked using the felt because it gave it a smooth finish that wouldn't stretch out. I know it seems like a lot of steps and I'm no professional, but this was the While He Studies way.  At this point the chair was ready for the fabric. 

I didn't want a fancy printed fabric.  This chair is old, I loved the mission oak look of it and didn't want to distract from it's classic lines.  I chose to use a canvas drop cloth that had taken a bath in coffee.  Yes, COFFEE!  It's not just for drinking anymore.

You could also use strong brewed tea.  I let this soak for several hours, then laundered it.  It did darken it just a bit.  Next time I'd let it dry, then launder it.  Check back tomorrow for the finished chair!

Free Furniture From the Neighbor

My husband and I have always loved antiques. Soon after we moved into our house we noticed that our neighbor had a beautiful rocking chair tucked away in her garage. It was always admired by us and my husband even suggested that he go and ask our neighbor about it. I never would let him because I would be disgusted if someone came and asked me about something in our garage. Fast forward two years.

This summer I had just gotten home from work and our neighbor wanted to ask me a question. So, I went over. She told me that she had noticed I was working on some chairs lately and asked if I wanted another one.

She had this great little bend wood chair that she didn't need.

Upon inspection, it was stamped "Property of the United States Army." After more inspection and research, this was made by the High Point Bending and Chair Company in North Carolina. It changed names in 1956, so this chair is pre-1956.

Then I couldn't believe it. She said she had a rocking chair that was just sitting in her garage and needed work. I was SO excited...it was THE rocking chair we had been eyeing. She told me I could HAVE it...FREE! I was thrilled. It came from the original Adams Hotel in Tulsa, OK. Her friend sold it to her under the condition that if she ever sold it, that the new owner would also know the history.

Needless to say I was so excited to run inside and tell my husband. While it needs some work and an upholstery job, look at this BEAUTY!

Buffet...Now Entertainment Center

There is a large wall in our living room that was calling for a big piece of furniture to fill it up.  I was considering using the buffet but knew it would not be large enough.  I decided I'd find a hutch top to use.  I didn't know what I was looking for, but knew this was it when I stumbled upon it a few days later.

We purchased this at an antique store just down the road from us.  I can imagine that it was a beautiful piece in it's day.

After purchasing the hutch I wasn't sure if I was ready to commit.  After a few hours and exchanged photos with my sisters, I was reassured I needed to do this.

We started by removing the tracks for the drawers to create shelving. Wood was cut to provide support for the electronics on the shelves. Then it was all stained with Minwax Dark Walnut with a cherry shade that was left by the previous home owners.  It was a GREAT match! We also went as far as drilling round holes for cords and purchased plastic caps to protect the wood.  Let me tell you, that was the hardest part of the project.  I hated drilling a 1 inch hole into the back of that beautiful hutch!  There is even a fan installed int he back of the buffet to allow air flow.

The buffet received new coat of paint in a softer hue.  This color was carried on to the outside of the hutch.  It is so functional and perfect for the space.  We did save the drawers and tracks, JUST IN CASE!