Amazing Restoration of a 1960s Lane Cedar Chest

the key to finding good Furniture in the thrift stores here in Wisconsin is to visit them often today I found this mid-century Lane Hope Chest $99 seemed pricey to me considering the damage that was likely caused while moving this in the store so I decided to pass on it but 5 days later this hope chest was still sitting in the thrift store seeing this chest again brought back wonderful memories of a place that I visited not that long ago this time I purchased it for $75 and brought it [Music] home [Music] the marketing campaign for these Lane Hope chests during most of the 20th century was arguably one of the most successful marketing campaigns in American Furniture history the story of these Lane Hope chests and a tour of the abandoned Factory can be found in this video on the channel for this project I'll focus on the steps for repairing and refinishing this piece you're watching this and I don't know if you're a reseller a collector or you just simply enjoy watching a transformation I have a large collection of old furniture in my shop and in my home as well as other vintage collectibles but refinishing Furniture is also part of my small business so I must repair and refinish some furniture to sell for a profit thankfully having a sponsor for this video will enable me to keep this hope chest and enjoy it in my own home I've sold several of these Lanes Hope Chest over the years and the market value in this area is around $200 to $300 once refinished or in original [Music] condition I've not seen this design for securing the legs on any Lane Furniture before although I often like to keep things as original as possible regluing these legs simply won't hold up for the next 50 to 75 [Applause] years this flaw on the van here will prove to be a problem during the refinishing phase I didn't see any signs that this piece had ever been refinished so I'm not sure if it was a natural imperfection or one that was caused during the Milling process and eventually covered up with tinted lacquer during the manufacturing [Music] this is now the third year that Birch has been sponsoring my small Furniture Channel this Birch Lux mattress that they sent me is a premium upgrade to the original well-loved natural Birch mattress I've had a chance to use this mattress during the hottest months of the summer and surprisingly with its organic materials this mattress has kept me nice and cool while I sleep so far it's been a mild winter here in Wisconsin but we have had a few snow storms and some Sub-Zero temperatures I've also consistently been able to rely on this mattress to keep me nice and warm while I sleep sleep to be certain that Birch is the right fit for you Birch offers a 100 night sleep trial and a 25e warranty I spend a lot of time traveling and a lot of time working in my shop and what I often look forward to the most is getting a good night's rest in my own bed the Birch Lux mattress is comprised of eight different layers of organic cashmere organic wool organic cotton and 100% natural latex I love my Birch Lux mattress and I can honestly say this is the best mattress that I have ever owned one of the best parts is that Birch delivers your mattress right to your door free within the US they also offer inhome setup and removal to make your body experience as convenient as possible once again I love my Birch mattress and I think you would too so if you're looking for a new bed check out Birch living their President's Day Sale is running now and it's the perfect time to upgrade your sleep with 25% off of birch mattress plus two free eest pillows so visit Birch living.com madcity to find out more about this limited time offer [Music] [Music] [Music] go [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] the bottom of the Cedar Chest is covered with thin strips of veneer the veneer is Warped and split Beyond repair in several areas this is likely caused by the changes in temperature and exposure to moisture over the years this is the perfect place for bugs to hide and May continue to be a problem potentially for moisture and eventually mold this is going in my own home and I would say it's beyond repair so I'll remove it with a scraper and a heat gun the heat will help loosen the adhesive that was used to secure these panels I'll do my best to preserve the panel with the furniture stamping since that's part of its story if done right this step is oddly satisfying [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] okay [Music] sh [Music] here in lies the problem when using a gel stain or a traditional penetrating stain when refinishing Furniture like this using stains May in fact highlight some of the imperfections in the Walnut veneer as seen here using Factory finishes like vinyl sealer and toner lacquer will mask some of the imperfections but will also hide some of the natural beauty in the wood grain I do often use these professional grade products however these were on back order and did not arrive until this project was finished I see this Hope Chest in my living room every day and not once has this imperfection bothered me but I certainly understand that it would bother some people and that's okay I'll finish up with a few small details then cover this piece with several coats of a clear matte lacquer take a close look and you'll see that this piece still has many imperfections but that doesn't take away the joy that comes from leaving a piece better than the way you found it I was recently in Washington DC and there I found the most complete 1940s Lane Hope Chest that I have ever seen and I'll share that with you at the end of this video it's good to see you again and I'll be back in just a few [Music] [Music] days [Music] [Music] [Music] you

Channel: Mad City Modern

Views: 47,051

Keywords: antiques, furniture, reselling, restoration, hope chest, vintage, woodworking

Id: XitFd5DN1ho

Length: 18min 26sec (1106 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 25 2024