Does anybody really believe the saying ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure?’ If you don’t, then seeing this transformation might change your mind.
When one man found a free antique vanity, he decided to refurbish it and pay homage to its Art Deco roots, all while creating an item that barely looks like the original.
He made a video showing the entire process and the unbelievable results.
Ross Taylor is not new to the refurbishing game.
In fact, he’s a bit of an expert. He runs a woodworking business and a resale business, which brings him into contact with a lot of antiques. Because of all of this, he knows exactly what a piece needs to improve.
As you watch the video, you can see how talented he actually is.
The vanity was sturdy overall, but he had some challenges ahead of him.
The piece needed a paint job, which should have been easy enough. The problem was, with the drawers the way they were, it would be hard to repaint them without damaging them.
He also had to take the clock out, which had been fixed into the top of the vanity, in order to make sure that the clock was still in good shape.
The vanity was pretty ugly, so he had to make multiple minor changes to the entire piece. There was a lot of work to be done, but Ross Taylor rose to the occasion.
He used a heat gun but had to cut his losses.
The vanity had a vomit yellow paint job on the drawers, but they also had a really lovely grain pattern. Taylor didn’t want to lose that grain, so he used a heat gun to try to get the paint off without damaging the grain.
Unfortunately, that didn’t work and the grain finish bubbled up along with the paint when he heated it up.
This prompted Taylor to just peel off the entire layer of paint with a paint stripper.
Using the paint thinner ultimately revealed a really nice wood underneath, so this is a good lesson that rolling with the punches can sometimes get you good things!
After taking off the paint, he had to clean up the drawers.
He sanded the drawers using two different grits in order to clean up the drawer interiors. This is important, you don’t want to reach your hand into a drawer that might give you a splinter.
Ross Taylor then began to change the color.
He uses a dark walnut stain all over, which really helps to give the piece a nice sleek look. When he gets back to the drawers though, he knows that he wants to give the drawers a slightly different color from the body.
So before putting on the walnut stain, he dyes the drawers with a mahogany dye.
After all the staining is done, he puts some shellac and a glaze coat on the vanity. It helps make the piece even sleeker and by this point, the vanity is beginning to look brand new!
Finally, it was time for all the finishing touches.
With the painting all done, Ross decides that now is a good time to put the clock back in. He fastens it in and makes sure it’s working. Then, he moves on to the drawers.
He screws in beautiful new metal handles that update the overall look and make this vanity look versatile and stylish.
Here’s what Ross had to say about his creation.
There was some trial and error involved in this piece, and Ross had to take some risks. But it really paid off.
“I lost the grain paint on the drawers that was underneath that yellow paint, and I couldn’t save that. So I wasn’t quite sure how the drawer fronts were gonna come out. It’s not a very good wood, it’s just a gum wood veneer, so I kinda winged it, as far as what color to do. And I also had some red dye showing through…so I kinda winged it a little bit, and I think they came out fantastic.”
It’s incredible that this vanity came from something he got for free.
It really just looks like something that any person would have in their home. It could function as a nice vanity for your bedroom or a working desk. It just goes to show that with some creativity, you can refurbish just about anything.
Watch the amazing transformation for yourself in the video below!
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