Labor of Love

One of my all time favorite projects and definitely one of the most labor intensive was when I refinished this old hutch. I got this beautiful old piece at an antiques mall close to my home(which sadly is closed now boo) for $60.00. I must say I had always wanted to tackle a project like this but the daunting task that loomed ahead was very intimidating. I sadly forgot to take a picture before I had started to work on it but you get the drift it was pretty rough. I started out by sanding the heck out of it but not too hard because I didn't want to damage the wood. The top of this piece was severely damaged...so damaged that I wonder what someone did to it.

The drawers after I removed the original hardware and sanded them a bit.

Here is a picture of the severe damage to the top. There were deep scratches all over it; I wasn't able to eliminate all of the scratches because they were just too awful. I didn't mind at all in fact I think it's what gives a piece it's character; I don't need it to be perfect. It's the imperfections that make refinished pieces so great.

Just a shot to show the great detail on this piece. I loved this hutch because it had such cute accents....I could just imagine how nice it would look with a fresh coat of paint. Just to note I probably did about 4 to 5 coats of paint; let each coat dry thoroughly in between and lightly sanded between each coat as well. It was very time consuming but the outcome is a nice smooth finish well worth the labor.

And finally some after shots...I love the way it turned out. I decided on a creamy white color and took my time hunting down the perfect hardware. I decided on a darker rubbed bronze color...I thought it worked well with the paint color. All in all I think I spent maybe $75.00 on this project and that's including the price of the piece itself.

And one final shot...I love this piece and it now serves it's purpose in my living room as an entertainment center. It may soon be retiring to my basement as I recently stumbled upon another cool hutch I think I may rotate into the living room. I have a thing for old buffets and hutches...I think they are so fun. They usually have so much character and provide additional storage which is always an issue in my house. I love to hear about other people's DIY projects anyone tackle any old pieces that they'd like to share?