It was warped; one door was off; the back was moldy and water damaged; the top serving area was veneered with patches of it already chiseled off; and the shelves were warped. The three drawers along the top were lined and glued with spring green felt (what were they thinking?) and the bottom skirt was damaged with chunks of wood missing. As I pondered this dilapidated ol' cabinet I almost asked the owner the story behind it and decided instead to ask the price. "How much are you asking for this?" "Oh, I think $50.00 is fair."
"Yes. Yes. I can see that but..." and then I started pointing out how much work needed to be put into this number to get it looking good enough to put in my house.
"Well" he pondered, "this would work for storage in your garage."
Oh how he didn't know me! I wanted this number for my dining room. I had visions of a dry bar, looking to fill it with entertainment goodies and serving dishes. Glasses and barware. "Ok. If you don't sell it and you'll take $15.00 for it, please call me at the end of the day." I gave him my business card.
By the time I got home I was half relieved he hadn't sold it to me. Whew! Dodged that bullet. That would have taken me a few weeks to refurbish. I knew this would be a complete re-do and I knew it would take a lot of hand sanding. Do you see the detail of those three front drawers!!??
The phone rang. "Hi. I'll take $5.00 for it and I'll drop it off at your house if you still want it."
"Yes, sir."
The very next day I started on it. Each drawer took me three hours to sand. Little pieces of sandpaper, tooth picks and tooth brushes in and out and over and over each of those petals. I pulled off the back and completely refitted that piece. I chiseled all the veneer off and sanded until I could barely see the light of day for the dust! I pulled off all the hardware; filled in all the dings with wood filler; and sanded smooth the inside shelves. Those drawers messed up with a bad (and I mean bad) felt-and-glue-job took several attempts at dissolving the glue with various products and sanding. Eventually they were smooth and clean as a whistle!.
About three weeks later she was ready for priming and paint. You'll see she's finished in a vibrant red but I was going for something light and cheery which would fit right into my current decor. This was the first color I applied after a good coat of primer. Ralph Lauren Aegean Blue:
The interior is Ralph Lauren Cinnamon which was a not at all brown like cinnamon but a warm golden. I liked it. As soon as it dried and cured for 3 days it was ready for the dining room. Just one problem. I didn't like it.
Nope. I didn't like it at all. Somehow my bright, island blue sideboard just looked like a cheerful piece of furniture just perfect for...
....for a kid's room. And I couldn't get my head past that notion.
Sigh...I went back to Home Depot and looked for something more stately. More...dining room-ish.
Maybe this was the month my hormones were playing games with my sense of style and color. Yeah. That's it. But every color I picked out just didn't make me hear the usual song of the angels. I settled on Ralph Lauren Anthem Red.
And it happened again! I wasn't comfortable with it. No matter how I positioned it; no matter how I accessorized it; no matter how many guests ooo'd and ahhh'd over it I just didn't like it.
Ever have a project like that? You loved the idea of it; loved the potential; loved the colors and knobs and shape and style but just didn't hear bells and whistles when you put it in your living space?
I listed it on CraigsList asking $100 for it. You already know how much a gallon of paint costs and those drawer pulls were from Anthropologie at $12. each. Anyone wanting that sideboard might think they've gotten the holy grail of sideboards. But nooooooo. After weeks on CraigsList I got one inquiry: "Will you be willing to take $35 for it?"
A few more weeks on CraigsList with no interest and I called the Viet Nam Veterans organization which was happy to accept my donation, pick it up and sell it in their shop.
I'm only speculating but I'm sure there will be other projects that ultimately don't float my boat! The good thing is I'm getting a lot of practice under my belt and honing my furniture restoration and refinishing talents. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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