My Facebook Marketplace Find: French Wooden Chest Restoration

I love a good thrift store find as much as the next gal, but when I found this antique chest, I wasn't sure what I'd just purchased.

One Saturday I was scrolling aimlessly through Facebook marketplace and in a shadowy photo that was clearly taken in a beat-up shed, I saw a marble top and wooden base for $80. Without hesitating, I messaged the woman for more photos and told her I would take it.

It smelled. It was covered in dirt and webs. Needless to say, I was starting to think I made a huge mistake. My husband, Garrett, didn't even want it in our house because of how filthy and full of spiders it was. I didn't blame him. I didn't even want to touch it let alone fix it up once I saw how terrible of a condition it was in. I was beginning to think we wasted our money on a piece that I was clearly unfit to reconstruct on my own.

Chunks of wood were coming off the bottom and it was missing two wheels. The top of the chest was coming apart and nails were poking out. It was a nightmare and I knew I needed a professional.

I had recently met a new friend through Facebook marketplace (yes - we both laugh about this) who was a bit of a furniture collector himself. He has lots of contacts that work in upholstery, wood working and the like. I sent him a photo of the chest, feeling defeated, and asked if he knew anyone in woodworking that could help me.

Enter, Nathan.

At the time, Nathan had just started doing some furniture projects here and there for his home and some family. He mainly made his own furniture rather than restoring pieces. His personal furniture style is midcentury modern. I took a look through his work on his instagram account, and could tell that he was very talented and had the potential to fix up my newly-acquired hunk of junk.

I called him to see if he was up for the challenge, and he happily accepted.

About two weeks after I dropped the chest off with him, I got a progress photo. I honestly could not believe it was the same piece of furniture. It was starting to look pristine, chic...expensive.

We tried a few stain colors to see what color tones the wood would pick up. I wanted to make sure that the stain didn't come out too red. I was looking for a nice, neutral brown. Something light enough to see the burl effect of the wood, but dark enough to anchor the room.

After trying about 5 different colors, we decided on the stain "early American". Provincial was a close second and a color that I would highly suggest.

I was a little concerned about how red the stain was looking, but Nathan assured me that it would deepen in hue and become more brown as it dried.

It turned out perfect. And while I still haven't landed on the right hardware just yet, it looks finished and regal. For now it acts as the star of our dining room, ready to hold my silverware collections and extra plates. I'm so happy I took a leap of faith to purchase it and trusted Nathan to uncover the gem it truly is.

To see how Nathan refinished this piece, read our interview below:

Emily: What was the condition of the chest when you received it?
Nathan: The chest was in alright condition. The backboard of the chest was falling out but most of the wood was relatively good condition. No rot just some chips.

Emily: What was the first thing you did to the chest?
Nathan: I slide the backboard out and put it back together. Then I straightened up the pieces around it because the chest was lopsided and secured it into the backboard.

Emily: What tools did you use?
Nathan: I used a nail gun to secure it back together and wood glue. I also used an orbital sander and a hand sanding block to remove the old stain.

Emily: Did you have to replace any of the old wood with new wood?
Nathan: No, it was in really good condition once you got past the initial appearance.

Emily: How do you remove sawdust from the piece before moving onto the next steps?
Nathan: I used microfiber rags to wipe it down and a squirt bottle with water with a few drops of lavender essential oil to deter bugs and give it a nice scent. I then used a paper towel or you could use a regular towel to pat down and dry off the water. Once I feel the grit of the wood again, then I know the saw dust is gone and I can begin working on the stain.

Emily: What's the best way to apply stain? What products do you need?
Nathan: I used the “rag method” to stain. The products I used to stain were a rag, early American stain and satin polyurethane to seal it.

Emily: How long do you let the stain dry? How many coats do you add?
N: 24hours. One coat. After the bleaching it took the stain very well.

Emily: Are there any YouTube videos for this you recommend?
Nathan: No YouTube videos, but if you search on Pinterest "how to bleach furniture" to get back to its original color, that will help.

I hope you enjoyed this furniture flip story! Nathan and I will be working together on projects throughout the year, so be sure to follow me on instagram for our latest projects. www.instagram.com/littlehouseofchic