Furniure restoration project! (FINISHED!)

[snakemama]

My mom is on vacation in NYC right now, so I swiped this bench from her house. It's been in the family for MANY years, and obviously it has seen better days. My plan is to take it apart, sand the pieces down, refinish them, and reupholster the bench, then sneak it back into the house next time they go on a trip. I'm a little nervous because I've never done a project like this before, but I've done a lot of repainting old furniture so I don't think it will be too difficult.

What I AM struggling with is finding a fabric similar to the original. I think when I take it apart I'm just going to take the remaining fabric from underneath to the fabric store and beg someone to help me, because browsing fabrics on the web I'm not coming up with anything similar that I think would look nice on this bench. The original silvery-blue-green is really lovely and would fit into my mom's decor perfectly.

Poor old bench...


Eeeeeew!


Here is the remaining piece of the original fabric that I'd like to match.

[Karen]

Check online and see if there is a fabric shop near you that sells upholstery fabrics - I bet if you bring a swatch with you, a good store will be able to find you something similar. Upholstery fabrics tend to be sturdier, too. One of the JoAnn's near me has a good section of that kind of fabric, too bad I am about as far away from you as one could get in the continental US!

[Asiel]

The bench looks a cinch to reupholster -- I love the colours in that swatch, like Karen mentioned, a good fabric store should be able to get you the same thing or very very close to it. Bet you mom will be surprised when she sees it redone.

[snakemama]

I made some good progress today! I bought a finish...I'm thinking the wood is pretty enough not to need a stain, though I'll decide for sure once it's sanded down. I STARTED sanding only to discover that I only had one sheet of 100 grit sandpaper, which was not enough. SO I went to the fabric store instead. HOLY MOLY upholstery fabric can be expensive! I found a *Perfect* fabric for $69.99 a yard...no thanks! So I checked the clearance bin and got really lucky!

Empty frame after I took the top off...little dusty!


The cushion was coconut fiber and cotton. I ALMOST decided to keep it, but it was pretty flattened so I went for some foam instead.


I found this pretty fabric in the cleanance bin for $8.99/yard!


Maybe not the most perfect upholstery job ever, but not too shabby!


Next to the old fabric for comparison.


I haven't started sanding this side yet, so it looks better at the moment...


Tomorow I'll get more sandpaper and figure out if I want to stain it or not. Tonight, I'm pooped. I spent forEVER messing around with upholstery tacks, which I swear are the most inconvenient thing ever invented. My mother in law came out to see my progress, and I said "I don't suppose you have a pneumatic staple gun do you?" just jokingly...she's not really a handywoman, so I thought NO WAY would she have such a thing...but she does! Hooray! After that it was done in about 5 minutes.

My mom is going to be thrilled! If I finish it before they get back Sunday, I'm going to sneak it back in the house and leave it in front of their antique pipe organ.

[Karen]

It is hard to tell, the fabric looks blue in one photo and green in the other - which color is it? Looks perfect for the job, either way!

[snakemama]

It is hard to tell, the fabric looks blue in one photo and green in the other - which color is it? Looks perfect for the job, either way!

The green is definitely more accurate, though it's a bluish green.

[Catty1]

It looks BEAUTIFUL! Your mom will be thrilled!

[snakemama]

I finished the bench yesterday and I'll be giving it to my mom today when I take her out for lunch (Two belated Mother's Day gifts!)

After the first coat of finish:


Finally!




I can't wait to give it to her in an hour!!

[Karen]

Aww, I bet she will be thrilled, it looks great!

[phesina]

WOW!!!!! What a gorgeous job you did! Well done!

Your mom will just love it, I bet.

[Catty1]

What a great job!!! Your mom will be thrilled!

[snakemama]

Yeah, she LOVED IT! Apparently there is a matching vanity in the garage, but it needs more extensive repairs than I can manage.

[Asiel]

You did a great job with that-- go ahead and give that vanity a try, you might just surprise yourself.

[Scooter's Mom]

What a lovely and thoughtful gift!
You did a great job!

[snakemama]

You did a great job with that-- go ahead and give that vanity a try, you might just surprise yourself.

Welllll, part of the vanity broke off during a move...I have no doubt I could reattach it with wood glue, but I don't know how sturdy/functional it would be....If I can convince my dad to do the structural repair, I'll definitely do the cosmetic bits!