Reclaimed Circa 1950's Cedar Chest

 Cedar Chest

I picked this cedar chest up off of Facebook Marketplace this winter.  Based on the hardware, I estimate it was built in the 1950's.  This chest was completely covered in a thick, gray paint and really looked like it was headed for a burn pit.  I decided to take on the challenge of making this a beautiful and useful piece of furniture again.  I had no idea how much work that was going to take!

First I used my carbide scraper to remove the bulk of the paint, and followed up using 120 sanding disk.

On the hardware I used Citri-Strip and slowly picked away at the paint.  I still have more detailing to do, and just purchased some Bar Keeper's Friend for this purpose. 

 

Several of the corners on the hardware were bent upright, which I was able to carefully press back down using a putty knife.  I was a bit worried I would break of the tiny corners but I was able to press all of them flat.

All sanded down and finished with spray Shellac as I had read it prevents the cedar tannins from leaching out.

I didn't use shellac on the inside of the chest or lid.  Instead I rubbed this natural Cedar and Lavender oil into the wood.  I kept adding more as it absorbed into the dry wood.  This gives it a lovely smell and deters future pest such as moths and other bugs.  

A day or two after applying the shellac, I decide I really didn't like the look of it.  It reminded me of a 70's semi-gloss finish, and appeared more red than I wanted.  So it was back to sanding to bare wood again.

After sanding, I stenciled chickadee and vine accents in black.

I added Bun Feet which I also painted black.

Replaced the broken wooden handles with new ones from Hobby Lobby, installed a stay-open catch, 

and added self-adhesive wallpaper as a liner.

This entire process was a much larger project than I intended.  I had hoped to achieve a polished, modern look.  After sanding it down the second time, I realized there was beauty in its age and rusticity.  I picture this as extra storage at a cabin or in a sunroom, definitely not something packed away in a garage as before!