Good news and bad news......the good news is I'm pretty much done with refurbishing this old steamer trunk. The bad news....the before pictures that I took I didn't realize that I didn't have a memory card in my camera when I took them and so they really didn't take. My husband tried his best to see if he could get them off the camera and they are no where to be found. So I'll just tell you that this thing was kind of a mess before. Whoever painted it before I got it had gotten the ugly yellowish beige color all over parts of the wood so there was a lot of sanding that had to be done and most of the metal parts on it had been painting over with the same ugly color and weren't even noticeable unless you looked closely.
The reason I said this trunk was "pretty much done" is because I don't have my new leather handles and end caps yet to redo on each end. Those are on there way though and will be the finishing touch to it. Those little "feet" that are on the bottom I didn't even realized they were there until I was refinishing this piece...they were covered with paint and blended in so well that they weren't noticeable at all.
This is the back view.....
And here is a close up of the front latch. I used tung oil on all the wood after I did all the sanding to bring out the color of the wood and put some life back into it and used silver paint on all the metal parts. I lost count of how many hours I had in it but can tell you it was back breaking work BUT was so worth it and I'd do it again. I just love these old steamer trunks and think each time that I'm refurbishing one about all the miles that they have surely seen and about the owner that actually used them for there original purpose.
I'm pleased with how it came out and have moved on to painting that mirror that I found on a local classified ad. It's painted and complete now, it just needs to dry before I can share it with you. I decided to start with the miscellaneous things that are being changed in the living room before I dig into the ceiling, walls and trim in there. That way once the major painting is done I can put everything in it's place and not have to wait on the accessories to be done. I was hoping to have the entire living room done before the end of January but that's ok.....this isn't a small project and I have to take my time be extremely careful not to hurt my back and neck even worse.
If you also have one of these steamer trunks or see one but it looks rough...I hope this gives you an incentive to go ahead and grab it and can see by this post as well as the old post of the other trunk that I did a couple years ago that these pieces can make beautiful pieces in your decor.
How much do these trunks cost?
ReplyDeleteHi Keyla, If you happen upon one that has all the parts on the inside that I refer to as the "guts". I wouldn't pay over $100 for it. Here in my area I run across them for that with the insides still in them but have never and would never pay more than that for it. Also when paying that ($100) price be sure that your latches and hinges are all there because if they aren't remember that you will have that extra expense in having to replace those as well as more time. I've never found one that had the leather handles in tack before due to the fact that those were what was worn out first by the original owners. I hope that you find one and have fun refurbishing it. I love mine and they are super useful for storage as well as being gorgeous in my home. Thanks for reading and commenting. If you have any other questions feel free to ask. Thanks again. Robin
ReplyDeleteDon't know if this is still an active site, but what kind of paint did you use?
ReplyDeleteHi, The paint that I used on the metal part was an oil based silver paint. I do apologize that I don't know the exact brand but I do know that it was an oil based silver paint that was in a small round can. I'm wanting to say that it was a Minwax brand but I'm not completely certain if that was the brand or not.
DeleteYou did a beautiful job with this trunk! It has a lot of features that are very similar to the one I just bought for $45 at a used furniture store. Some of the decorative metalwork looks identical to mine. Do you have any idea of the age of the trunk? From what I have researched, yours and mine would have been made after 1880 because of the vertical wood slats, but probably before 1910.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl, Thank you so much! I'm not certain of this trunks exact age. All that I knew when I purchased it was that it was old, had the "guts" inside of it and it was screaming take me home and make me pretty again. :) It sounds like you've done loads of research on them and that you've pretty much nailed down an approximate date. They are just such a lovely and very useful piece of furniture to have in a home. I've found several more since I refurbished this trunk and had to pass only because I'm out of places to put them but my heart wants to buy them all and make them pretty again.
DeleteHi, it is beautiful work, what kind of paint specifically was used on ornamental parts and on the rest of metal ?
ReplyDeleteHi, Thank you so much. These trunks are truly a labor of love for me. I used an oil based silver paint. I do apologize because I can't remember the exact brand but I bought it in a small round can similar to a Minwax brand of can. But if you will look for an oil based silver paint, I'm sure that will do the trick. Just be sure to prime your metal first just to ensure that your paint sticks well. I use this trunk in one of my guest rooms now and it's moved homes twice now and it still looks as good now as it did when I first refurbished it.
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