Suggestions needed for painted cottage furniture repair

[Baxter Smith]

I am looking for some sugggestions as to how to repair the finish on a piece of painted cottage furniture. A couple months ago, my Uncle gave me a bureau that he thought I might be interested in putting back together.
It has has spent the last 60 years sitting on the floor of a cellar in a 215 year old family farmhouse.
Moisture has taken its toll as many of the glue joints had failed and most of the finish within two feet of the floor is in poor shape.

I have reglued lots of parts and pieces, and replaced the two lower drawer sides, backs, and bottoms as they were warped beyond reasonable use. I also put a piece of pine in the back for a piece that was lost. It is now about as solid as it ever was but I am not sure about what to do next. It was pine, painted then perhaps varnished. Where the paint is gone, perhaps a dark stain? When I wipe a little mineral spirits on it for cleaning, those places seem to blend in better. Where the varnish is cloudy... I don't have a clue. It never was or will be a fine piece of furniture but I would like to do the best with it that I can. My wife thought it would look nice painted, or stripped and left natural. I am sure it would but then it wouldn't still be the piece I have looked at in the dim light of that cellar for the last 50 years and thought, too bad someone didn't fix this up! Or should I just leave as is and consider the blemishes to be a part of its history. Thanks for any suggestions!

[Jim Rimmer]

What a project! I have been hooked into a few refinishing projects that I completed while muttering to myself that this isn't worth the effort - it wasn't good furniture to start with and won't ever be. As to your question, I would do anything except paint it. Maybe the strip to natural and leave it would show the character.

[keith ouellette]

In the pictures it looks like parts of it are natural pine with a (slightly worn) clear coat surrounded by paint on the drawer fronts. The second picture of the side shows it best.

If it were me I would re paint the painted parts in a similar color. You could trace the stencil on the side so you could sand/refinish the side and then re paint on the stencil. and do similar to the fronts.

[Baxter Smith]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. I was really hoping for the name of some magic concoction that could turn the clock back 100 years!

Jim-I haven't gotten into the refinishing part yet so I haven't started muttering to myself. Enjoyed making the drawer parts and cutting the dovetails to match. Didn't even mind cleaning up and regluing all the parts! But now I feel like I need to be more artist than woodworker and that I'm definitely not! The woodworker part is sometimes shaky enough.

Keith-The parts that looked like clear pine were actually painted in several shades of yellow to duplicate birds eye maple I assume. I will probably try and redo some of the simple stenciling in spots. I hate to sand anything off. Whats the medical saying "Do no harm"? I will attach a couple more pictures. The first is of one of the small drawers, then the same drawer just wiped with mineral spirits. Any ideas on how to keep that brightness, in the black drawer pull for example? In less than a half hour it goes back to the dull appearnce again. I have sometimes used Minwax Antique Oil finish when I had some worn spots on pieces with old varnish that I was never going to strip. I am hesitant to try that now if I had to apply paint or stain over it.
The third picture shows what may appear to be grain but actually runs perpendicular to the board. So a lot of what appears to be grain is actually painted grain.
Maybe I should just try and find an old mirror, cut it to fit and be done with it. My house is full of old things with character anyway! Thanks again.