shellac – Transforming Trash

Materials used: Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher, shellac, polyurethane, Krylon spray paint, foam, batting, upholstery fabric, weed barrier.

On May 28, 2020 I got a surprise call. My friend’s father, Jim, knew about my mission and was calling to see if I would make this chair one of my transformations. It had been his son-in-law’s work chair and Jim had saved it from being thrown away years before. How lucky am I to have friends and followers who bring me gifts like these?! I’m ashamed to say it then spent two years in my garage—a victim of other projects and life’s distractions, but never forgotten. It’s had to wait a long time for its moment in the spotlight, but I hope you will agree it was worth the wait.

Jim Wright knew good workmanship when he saw it, so I was not surprised to find a Liberty Chair Company tag under the seat. Several messages, emails, and phone calls later I found out it had been made in Liberty, NC in the late 60s/early 70s. At that time it was model 700 and was named “Contemporary Chair”. Members of an online woodworking community think the wood is cherry, and in 1969 its wholesale price was $10.45.

Although the bones of this chair were sound, it was dirty and had been stained and upholstered badly. It was not a difficult decision to strip it down to the bare wood and refinish.

I removed the existing finish using Minwax Antique Furniture Refinisher, then sanded the frame with 150, 220, and finally 400 grit sandpaper. The final prep step was to remove all dust with an air compressor and wipe with a slightly damp cloth.

Refinishing began with a full aerosol can of shellac to seal the wood, accentuate the grain, and give it a lovely honey color.

Now it was time to elevate this chair from the ordinary. After some minor repairs I slippered the feet in Krylon “Ballet Slipper” gloss spray paint. Hence the chair’s nickname “The Ballerina”, because now it looks like it’s on points.

To finish the framework I applied 3 coats of clear, Varathane, oil-based polyurethane in a satin finish. As always I lightly sanded everything before the final coats.

Finally I re-upholstered the seat with a boucle-style fabric. It was a little stretchy in one direction so, to prevent over-stretch, I first attached it to some cotton lining fabric. Fully re-assembled this chair deserves to be in the spotlight.

Transformation expenses: $120.16

This pair of rocking chairs was no doubt discarded because the herringbone cane was falling apart, and the cost to replace it is prohibitive (around $500 per chair). However it seemed a shame to throw the baby out with the bathwater so I picked them up and contemplated a more economical solution.

The caning in both chairs was damaged beyond repair. There was no choice but to remove it all. Being able to take out the seat pads made the job a lot easier.

Pressure washing the frames to remove the ingrained dirt was possibly the most fun I’ve had on a project to date. The difference was amazing!

Pressure washing was hard on the wood and patches of the original finish were still there so a good bit of sanding was needed. I used 80 then 150 then 220 grit sandpapers to bare and smooth the wood.

The first of two more economical solutions was to replace the backrest caning on each chair with new spindles. We started with a 9ft long piece of 2″ x 1″ oak. My husband rounded the edges with a palm router then cut four spindles of the right length.

I attached the new spindles using doweling joints at the top rail and 3″ screws through the bottom rail. The frames were now ready for staining.

Before staining I treated the chairs with Minwax pre-stain conditioner. I then applied Minwax gel stain in mahogany to match my client’s front door.

Two coats of Minwax indoor/outdoor Helmsman Spar Urethane in clear satin finished the woodwork.

The second solution was to replace the cane seats with woven rush seats. Armed with a 10 lb reel of fiber rush, the necessary tools, and a really good instructional video I took on the challenge. You can find the video here and I am happy to share my learning curve with anyone who wants to attempt this themselves.

The seats turned out great. To finish them off ,and provide as much protection as possible, I applied 3 coats of shellac (50:50 solution in denatured alcohol) top and bottom.