Expert: Eileen Cronk - 10/23/2008

Question
Hello, I was wondering how difficult it would be to restore or repair this china cabinet: (please paste this link into your browser) http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEUSX:IT&item=3302...  The pictures show most of the major defects.  Is this a project that I can take on myself or am I better off sending it off to be restored?
Thank you


Answer
Hi William
Nice to hear from you.
William it will depend on your level of skill if you can do this job yourself.
And it would be a fairly hefty bill to restore by a pro.
So lets take a look at the damage picture by picture.
(picture 1 being the top left of course. Then picture 2 being the one opposite and so on).
I am going to suggest that the hideous looking glass is not original (or the piece is from the 60's).
So this must go in my humble opinion.
Picture 2 shows the lovely interior of this piece that the ugly glass totally hides.
Picture 3 (on the left again)shows a lot of scuffing of the finish.
I note the wood underneath is quite light and indicates to me that the stain used could have been dye stain or colored sprayed lacquer.
Picture 4, 5, 6 and seven no damage.
Picture 8..this is on the side I think. Easy fix with some filler and toner spray.
Picture 9..definitely not good LOL.
William I see what appears to be some type of false graining technique on the top surface and also on the door frame so stripping could be out even if you were up for the job.
I am surprised to see this when I note there is real wood veneer on the drawers. Never seen the two mixed on old furniture but as the seller says he has no indication of age (nor do I).
I also conclude from picture 9 that this piece has definitely had toners used (or colored lacquer). So you would need to do that again for a repair. The bugger of that is the darn finish has cracked and crazed so you would need to attempt to smooth it out.
Picture 10..nothing major here that could not be repaired.
Picture 11..easy enough repair if you have the right tools.
So...my opinion (for what its worth)..I would only purchase this piece if it went cheap and you had the capability and tools for the job.
If I purchased this piece cheap, I would paint the whole thing a matte black and change the glass. It would be stunning.
Good Luck with this.
Regards
Eileen