LumberJocks Woodworking Forum banner

Project Information

Bookcases Restoration

I was given two bookcases to restore.
They are handmade bookcases not factory made and they are made from veneered particle board.

They both where in very bad shape - legs missing - broken shelves - and the worst someone varnished over the original coating without even sanding, so the varnish was pilling off and he glued some pieces in a way that made dismantling them impossible.

I made a mortise leg - replace some broken hidden pieces - glue and screw to make them sturdy again - scrape the old varnish off and sand everything down to the veneer and gave them a few coats of polyurethane varnish.

The result was quite good considering how fragile they where.

Thanks for watching and commenting
Stelios Stavrinides
AKA Steliart

Gallery

Comments

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
I have one small bookcase that needs my attention too.
Nice work you did on them Stelios, they look very decent now.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
252 Posts
Great job Stelios, you took your time in the restoration and it really shows. I would be proud to have them in my home even if they are retro looking….. ha ha. Take care and looking forward to more.

Drew
RHWoodshop
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
JohnNIC, Drew0
Thank you guys
 

· Registered
Joined
·
818 Posts
Stelios
They look like new .
Great job restoring and keeping them alive !
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
Thanks kiefer
Actually I did had to cheat in way. Some veneer pieces where missing, and because I had no way getting anything close to it, I remove few pieces from hidden areas to fix at least the front look.
 

· Registered
Joined
·
4,477 Posts
Oh yeah, it's always fun trying to fix what someone else already made a mess of! LOL
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
joein10asee
I can't tell how old they are but the guy how build them had a funny idea of woodworking.
Under the drawers there's a long one that when puled out has a top the lifts upwards. Now that's a nice feature, but the hole drawer is not supported when puled and was hanging at an angle lol
 

· Registered
Joined
·
5 Posts
A great job, well done …
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
vanzemaljac
Thanks man
 

· Registered
Joined
·
29 Posts
You did an excellent restoration job, made them look like new again…
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
aussiedave thanks for visiting and commenting
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
Stelious is that a gloss varnish?
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
Yes it is John
 

· Registered
Joined
·
3 Posts
Sorry to be asking again, but was there any reason you choose gloss. Just trying to decide what to use on mine :)
 

· Registered
Joined
·
535 Posts
The only reason was to make them look more fresh and give a striking different look from what they look before. If the customer likes them, he has two more and maybe he will ask to restore those also.
 
Top