Posted 12 years ago
Amanda.Rog…
(1 item)
This was a gift from a friend of mine, she said it was in her family for a long time. That is all I know about this piece. Someone has spray painted it and I would love to restore it, how do I get started? What colors are appropriate for the grape print? What more information can someone tell me about this piece?
Lovely done top trunk circa late 1800's to early 1900's. When you say you wish to restore it what did you have in mind? Two approaches as I see it -- strip off all of the paint both from the wood and the metal and start from scratch -- big job but doable. Second is to choose the colors you want and repaint what has already been painted.
What would I use to strip it down and start from scratch? What colors are appropriate for that time period? I like a challenge and would love to start work on this.
A strip down requires a chemical paint remover like Circa1850 or the like. It will not harm the wood or metal. It is a gooey messy job so get lots of newspapers to get the goo off or your scraper. You will use a lot of steel wool as well, first with rough grade then fine grade. There are tips on other sites out there on how to proceed and the embossed metal underneath can be treated according to taste and style. Some leave the tin bright and shiny while others would attempt to two-tone it to bring out the relief pattern. There is help on the web to do a step by step. Good luck with the project and make sure you post the result. I do have an example on my site of one but I do not have a before picture -- just after. It was completely painted over like yours.
Please post pictures on the progress! Love these types of projects and your ambition!