Friday, September 23, 2011

The Beast

You may remember the peek at this buffet at the end of my last furniture makeover on a coffee table.  Here it is again in case you missed it.







I think I will name this piece, "The Beast"!  It tried to beat me, but I finally overcame!  I learned many lessons through the process of overcoming this beast.  Some of those lessons involved persevering and patience.  Some were more technical.  Like, be sure you sand and sand and sand when planning on staining.  And when you think you've sanded enough........sand some more.  This is the first time I've attempted staining.  So get ready for a really horrifying sight!  Here's my first attempt at staining the top of this guy. (Yes, this one is a guy).




Not quite the look I was going for.

The next frustration came when I was trying to put all the hardware back on.  For some reason the doors wouldn't close and some of the handles kept falling out of the side pieces.  I still don't understand why this happened.  My wonderful son, Peter, gave me a helping hand and got it all back together again.  I never could have gotten this done without him!  I didn't get any pictures of this process, but you get the idea.

I've also learned that I need to draw the line at how much money to put into a piece that I'm selling.  I was originally going to put knobs where the key holes are, because there were no keys and one of the locks was broken.  I ended up spending $45 to get keys made and get the post repaired on the broken lock.  I'm just not sure it was a cost effective move on my part.  What do you think?

Ok, enough of my rambling.  Let me introduce you to "The Beast"..............




I guess he's not so much of a beast now.  



Much better.  Don't you think?



Do you think the keys were worth it?


If I spray paint the key, do you think the paint will stay on? 
 I wasn't sure with the locking and unlocking.




I'm glad I didn't give up.  I think my beast turned out to be a pretty handsome guy.  

My next challange is some modern looking furniture that a friend wants me to shabby up.  Is that a term?  Probably not, but that's what I'm calling it.  Anyway, thanks so much for stopping by!  I hope you enjoyed your visit!

17 comments:

Unknown said...

I love the Beast, it turned out a real beauty.
If you want you can spray paint the key oil rubbed bronze so it will look old and matches the hardware.
Hope you will make good profit of this beauty.
Stop by if you have time
Rasha @ mychampagneataste

Twice Nice said...

What a great piece! Turned out so lovely. I've worked on a beast or two over time. Way to go! Deb

Decor & Harmony said...

A beauty she has become! I love the restyle and choice of color :)

The Bold Abode said...

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Mandy said...

Beautiful!

Emily's Up-cycled Furniture said...

Nice job! subtle colors, very soothing

Honey at 2805 said...

Your tackled the beast and won, turning the beast into a beauty!

Unknown said...

All what you have to do is just copy the image of the button ( as if you are copying a word by clicking the right click) then paste it in your post.
If I wasnt clear plz contact me I find out how to do it the hard way :D

SkinnyMeg said...

It turned out so great! Staining is beautiful, sanding is so not fun :) I think the keys are really cute with it though!

Unknown said...

Amazing job Jeanne! It turned out wonderful. Love the mix of paint and natural wood.

Hugs...Tracy :)

Ellen said...

The beast cleaned up well. You did a fab job on restoring this lovely piece of furniture.
Hugs,
Ellen

Jenn said...

this is amazing!

Eileen said...

wow, that came out great. You conquered the top and it looks gorgeous. Love to know how you had the key made. Yes it was worth it. I love when they have a key!

Perfect Imperfections by Jeanne said...

I took the locks to a local key, lock and safe store to get the keys made. They also repaired one of the locks that was missing a post. It was cheaper than buying new locks and keys. This site (www.houseofantiquehardware.com) has a ring of keys you can buy for $17 that they say will have the key you need for any skeleton key hole. They have the locks with keys as well.

Kim @ Savvy Southern Style said...

The beast looks great now. Thanks for joining Wow.

Anonymous said...

No longer a beast! That thing is georgeous! I think I'm in love! I found you on thrifty decor chick before and after party. Love your blog and I'm your newest follower...great to meet you! Fell free to stop by sometime for a visit at simplyhomecents.blogspot.com

samaa said...

You're like a Fairy Godmother! Wrong fairy tale but I can't remember the name of the princess/witch lady in the beauty and the beast. It turned out just gorgeous, you really did an amazing job. The keys may have cost a lot but they look amazing!