Upcycled antique display cabinet

[Stuardo]

My Nana’s old cabinet has passed through 3 generations and now belongs to my Niece, so it is time for a make-over. Made mostly of Silky Oak it was in good condition but also very fragile, rickety and loose. The leadlight glass is original and only one small glass has cracked but is not noticeable. The top and base are veneer on ply and had warn very thin in parts so we decided to paint rather than varnish and went with a mat black and chrome look.

  

The cabinet was gently stripped, lightly sanded back and reinforced. All fittings were replaced with new. The legs are each made of 3 pieces joined and had split apart at the timber joins so they had to be re-glued and strengthened with long screws through the joins. The frosted glass had accumulated 80 years of grime so I painstakingly cleaned each one with a toothbrush and soapy water.

Primed and painted with Porter’s Aniseed ultra-black which is a strong, colour-dense paint and worth every penny. Finished with 2 applications of Gilly’s Carnauba Wax polish for protection and gives a subtle luster and depth.

The back-board was going to be covered in wallpaper but for the small amount required was not worth buying a whole role so I used a stencil with silver frosted paint. Finished with coloured LED lights and soon to come, 2 glass shelves.

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Good to go for the next 100 years and very pleased with the result.

Cheers,

Stuart

[MitchellMc]

Excellent results @Stuardo, I'm sure your niece is very pleased. 

It's always great to see antiques getting used and if it requires a coat of paint and some LED lights, I'm all for it. There's no point in having a family heirloom gathering dust in a shed whilst getting water damaged. It's just going to end up in the local tip. You need to actually be able to use these items and often they require an updating of styling to do so.

You managed to keep this units original grace whilst giving it a new lease on life. Well done.

Mitchell

[KatieC]

Amazing job @Stuardo!

I am a sucker for leadlight glass and the LED lighting really makes it shine. 

Very creative thinking for a stencil - I thought it was wallpaper!

The silver strip on the top and bottom of the curves, what did you use for it? 

How were they adhered? 

Katie

[Stuardo]

Thanks @KatieC and @MitchellMc 

The silver strip is Car Pinstipe and it is just peel and stick in a role.

I racked my brain and google to find something chrome/silver to put on those edges and silver paint was not going to cut it.

I came across the pinstriping and decided to give it a go and if it didn't work, no real loss. It stuck like a champ and fits the style

perfectly, and there is another ten meters on the role if it needs replacing. I've never done stencil before but it's not hard 

and came up a treat too! The silver frost artists paint really catches the light.

I took a lot of care with this and so happy how it turned out.

Stuart

[KatieC]

Very clever with the Car Pinstripe, I would imagine it would stay on there for a very long time indeed.

Your hard work and attention to detail really paid off @Stuardo!

Katie

[Noyade]

Love it!

[RenoRach1]

Looks absolutely sensational! Great to see that you could make it both stylish and contemporary, yet still retain elements of the piece's Deco origins. It could make a perfect drinks cabinet - I foresee that some bathtub gin, single malt Scotch and a variety of champagne bottles will be sitting in there soon! Congratulations on your work.

[Stuardo]

Thank you @RenoRach1 . I look forward to seeing it in place and being put to good use.

[Stuardo]

Update on the Display Cabinet

Now in place at my niece's with glass shelves and her crystal glasses. The light hitting the glasses is beautiful.

Stuart

[MitchellMc]

That looks sensational, @Stuardo! I trust she's thrilled with the results.

Many thanks for the update.

Mitchell