Large French polished buffet salvaged and saved

[ChrissyC]

I was given this 60s/70s? large french  polished buffet. I actually didn’t know where to start and had never undertaken a project like this. I began by sanding the top and realised very quickly I had gone through the veneer! Didn’t even know about this! I tried so many methods to paint the top I nearly went mad. I ended up using Dulux enamel in Charcoal! I needed to come up with a solution for the very rough damaged cupboard doors and decided to cover them with mod podge and black material! This worked !! I sanded the drawers but they were so red with stain I tried  bleaching the drawers!   No luck here either so they were painted and the top drawer with key covered in material. I ordered the gold handles online and overall was quite happy with the results! Every time I came upon a problem I just kept trying things until something worked!  I love the results now 

 

  

  

[EricL]

Hello @ChrissyC

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community. It's sensational to have you join us, and thank you for sharing your large french buffet table makeover.

Your experimental method for upcycling has really paid off and I'm sure you've picked up some handy lessons along the way. I'm truly impressed despite the setbacks, you've persevered to produce this exquisite piece of upcycling. Can you please tell us more about the black material you used for the doors? They've truly transformed the front door finish and have covered the cut channel very well.

What were the other challenges you encountered while repairing this buffet piece?  

If you have any other information you can share about the buffet table while you were revamping it would be much appreciated.

Again, thank you for sharing your special french buffet table makeover.

Eric

[Baretta11]

@ChrissyC 

You will go a long way in DIY having solved so many tricky problems along the way. You are obviously very capable of thinking outside the box as the saying goes.

I must say I'm very impressed with your ideas of what to do to get around a problem and the end result is stunning, well done.

Cheers,

Barbara.

[ChrissyC]

Hi Eric, thank you so much for your amazing comments!! I have learnt so much since then and you tube is my best friend! Lol! When I sanded the top my goal was to expose some lovely timber and stain it, however I just kept sanding and suddenly the more I sanded the worse it looked and also a weird red stain started  appearing and the grain of the top was going in all directions. I realised this was not solid wood but chip board or something! Decided to paint it black, number 1 mistake, I didn’t use an undercoat! From then on nothing I tried looked smooth and even. Eventually I sanded everything back and did the undercoat. Was certainly worth doing this. I couldn’t get the drawers back to a nice finish either so went to spotlight, grabbed some slightly woven material,which overlapped the drawers,  applied mod podge to fabric and drawer , stuck them down. Best bet NOT  to cut the material to fit until you have glued it  down.   Next day I applied some layers of top coat waiting for each to dry. This worked really well and I was then able to use a Stanley knife  to cut the excess off. The material goes very hard and just looked great when it all dried. Thanks again and hope this hells you in any way cheers Chris 

[MitchellMc]

Many thanks for the additional details, @ChrissyC. It really helps paint the whole picture.

Well done, and I can't wait to see what project you tackle next.

Mitchell

[Akanksha]

Hello Chris ( @ChrissyC ), 

Jumping in quickly to firstly congratulate you on this stunning project. I second what @EricL said - your exquisite project is a testament to the rewards of perseverance. Loving your 'can do' spirit! 

Secondly, thank you so much for providing more details about the challenges you encountered and how you overcame them. These are valuable lessons for those starting out in their D.I.Y. journey, and also great reminders for those more experienced. For anyone looking for more painting tips, I recommend checking out these great guides by our experienced Workshop members:

How to paint like a professional
How to choose the right paint for the job

Great work once again, Chris, and excited to see your next project. 

Akanksha 

[ChrissyC]

Hi Akanksha, thank you for your kind comments and also for the link to painting tips:)) cheers Chris 

[ChrissyC]

Hi Mitchell, thanks for the kind comments. You’ve given me confidence Cheers Chris