Mid Century Sideboard Restoration - Furniture Restoration Guide

[@KimRinehart]

Stunning finish!!! As a woman born in the late 50's these pieces were standard fare growing up. I always hated the colors and finish. Now I deeply appreciate the simplicity and the beauty of their design. Your finish made it better than they were!!! I am interested in the steps to making French polish. What a look!!!!!!

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you : ) I’ll be making a French Polish based video sometime. I haven’t made one because I am sure there are already some good ones out there on KZbin. Yes, I understand a lot of people who grew up with these items sometimes struggle to understand the value or the allure of these designs. Some are also very nostalgic and love them. But I agree, these pieces really paved the way for modern interiors, they were made beautifully and they were trail blazers in their field. Thanks for watching!

[@chris-q7c4x]

Great how dogs have a language of their own

[@natalieelisabeth5767]

And your pup is precious ♥

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Hahaha I’ll keep him in the videos then 😃😃

[@kathrynkneeland7179]

Would have liked to see how you blend the repaired veneer to match. Your French polish needs explanation. Your work is incredible. Its a stunning piece of art. Thank you

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you! We will be doing an in depth explanation on French Polishing shortly

[@chris-q7c4x]

Excellent work. I love that the beauty of these pieces is in the grains

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@jglow8337]

Breathtaking!

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you 🙏 😊

[@lfuentes4098]

Love it!

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you!

[@natalieelisabeth5767]

Ah-mazing work, wow! Subscribed!

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thanks so much! Yay!

[@kayblack98]

Fabulous- what a process -worth every $

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you 😊😊😊

[@chriskupperschmid4881]

Awesome man, beautiful

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you Chris 🙏

[@ameliareaganwright2758]

EXCELLENT!!! 👍

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thank you 🙏

[@patxizapirain7320]

🖤 nice

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Thanks 🙏😀

[@brockwilson5485]

Absolutely stunning results!! I’m curious about the process. Strip… Sand 180 then 240 Shellac - you used 2 shellacs. One for each color of the wood. Then sand again with 1200. Then french polish with ?? Next comes oiling with a 50/50 mixture of Linseed oil and ?? Gum-terps….turpentine? This piece looks incredible!!

[@brockwilson5485]

I have a walnut credenza that needs refinished. And this method would really make it look incredible!! Subscribed!!

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Hi Brock! Thanks so much for reaching out and asking about this process! Well done following the steps! You don’t have to use two different types of shellac, the brown or the dewaxed shellac will be just fine. Yes, 50/50 Turpentine and Linseed Oil. We are about to release another restoration tutorial on KZbin where we use a hard wax oil to finish a mid century sideboard. It’s a much easier process, so it may be worth waiting and you can compare the process and outcomes. I have released a small clip of it on our Instagram (DealinginDesign) if you’d like to catch a glimpse. Happy to help out further if need be, just reach out : )

[@amybucher5439]

Hi Jamie. Beautiful work on that piece. I am new to furniture restoration & am curious about your process. I thought that MCM pieces were finished with lacquer but you used shellac. May I ask why? And do you know where the piece was made? I have never seen it but I love it. Thank you for sharing your artistry.

[@amybucher5439]

What a sweet pup! I have two Saint Bernards myself.

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Hi Amy! Thanks so much for the kind words. We use both lacquers and shellac in our workshop. I don’t really have a good reason why I used shellac other than it felt right. I ran some tests and the grain was going to fill quite quickly, sometimes if the grain in hungry I will opt for lacquer as it builds faster. Also, because we had to strip the finish and sand the veneer, I thought I’d make it easier for the next restorer as Shellac strips and clears the grain easier. I often think once a piece has been restored a few times, we should consider using finishes that will be easily maintained and easier to strip. I don’t really have a preference between lacquer and Shellac in this situation, I just thought we would go with a French Polish and finish it with an oil finish. A lot of mid century pieces were finished this way - just not the majority, because lacquers were faster to finish and cure. Pieces were often lacquered because it was faster and it was the leading technology at the time. In my opinion, lacquer was used as a process, to speed things up, and rather than a superior look or performance. For those reasons, I think either finish is an option, as long as the same aesthetic is achieved. Hahaha yeah Mr Lenny is a lovely little dog, he loves spending time at the workshop! Thanks so much for reaching out 🙌

[@dealingindesignDiD]

That is meant to read ‘In my opinion, lacquer was used as a process to speed things up, rather than a superior look or performance’ 😅

[@dealingindesignDiD]

Oh yes, the piece is Australian. But we are not sure who produced it. A few people have speculated that is was made by Dario Zoureff or Rosando. But I have had many discussions with researchers and dealers and none of them has been able to place the designer or manufacturer yet. 😀