Papa's project

A little while ago (OK...maybe longer than that....it was April), we stumbled upon this little number at a garage sale. Mike and I had been looking for a cabinet thing with glass doors (he says it's a "Buffet and hutch) for a long time to match our blue and white dining room. Finally, we gave up finding the perfect piece of furniture and bought this.

Mike said, "Give me a weekend and I'll have it done."

I said, "I better take the kids away."

So, I took the kids away somewhere for a weekend in April, and Mike worked on the thing. After three trips to Menards, he had the cabinet taken apart and was scraping the finish off.

Instead of going through a long drawn out story about the four months that ensued, I'll just share a few of the things he/we learned about restoring furniture:

1. Varnish doesn't scrape off of particle board.
2. Wood glue is water soluble.
3. Glass pieces slice fingers easily.
4. Cheap hardware made in China can make even the calmest, mild-mannered man go completely postal.
5. Black and Decker cordless screwdrivers are rather wussy.
6. Milwaukee cordless screwdrivers are awesome and expensive but the lady said it was worth it.
7. Spray painting looks like it's easier than regular painting...but don't be fooled...it is actually THE DEVIL.
8. The smell of Turpentine makes Sarah spontaneously vomit.
9. Hornets like the smell of vomit.
10. Having toddlers around cuts your productivity down by at least 1000%. Especially when they try to "help."


The old cabinet is above, the new, revamped cabinet below. I think Mike did a nice job, don't you? I hope it was worth it.