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I found this bedside drawer unit across the the road from my house, in a small park just sitting there in the rain, it was begging for someone take it and give it a new home, so I thought we need a bedside table for the bedroom I was renovating, I adopted it and now sitting in a comfortable place under cover and out of the rain.
When I got it home, the unit was wet and muddy, so I quickly cleaned and dried all the wood using a heat gun to prevent any further water damage. it was in a very good condition, which didn't need much preparation.
Originally I was going to paint it, however, I thought it would be a shame to cover the original timber, I sanded the unit then gave it three coats of water based satin varnish, installed a new backing board (3mm mdf, the old plywood backing was warped and cracked) and added some handles.
A very tasteful restoration indeed @JoeAzza!
My money is on this raw timber look, being the next in-style when it comes to furniture upcycling/restoration. Although painting is still popular, I bet in five years the questions won't be about how to prepare timber cabinets for painting but about how to remove the paint from cabinets and restore their natural timber beauty. Don't get me wrong, I actually love all the painted upcycled cabinets, and it's giving them a new lease on life and saving them from landfills, but timber is a timeless finish that has been popular for centuries and compared to it painting is really somewhat of a fad.
Here's my red-hot tip, buy shares in a company that manufacturers paint stripper. There's going to be a huge call for it when people start realising that not all cabinetry should be painted over, especially those made from timber that was chosen because of its fine figure. I'm not one to talk though. I recently painted over some extremely nice hardwood timber that had exquisite grain to it. That was at the request of my significant other and I diligently obliged, as it suited the style that we were going for. However, I cried a little inside whilst doing it.
Many thanks for sharing your project as it's a fantastic example of restoring a piece of furniture and keeping it true to the original design.
Mitchell
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