A discussion of cabinet finish. - Videokarma.org TV - Video

ohohyodafarted · #1 03-05-2007, 08:06 PM

I would like input from members about cabinet refinishing. I realize that in the real world of antiques, it is considered a bad thing to refinish an antique regardless of how bad the piece of junk looks.

I have restored 2 sets so far. Each set had what I considered to be enough deterioration of the finish (scratches, watermarks etc) to refinish the cabinettes. IN one case the doors had to be striped and restained and clearcoated. The top of one set had to be striped, sanded stained and the set clearcoated. I am very good at this and can mach a stain spot on so you cant tell a refinished side from a side that was not reworked. IN the final stages I clear coat the entire cabinette with an industrial clear coat costing $150 per gallon.

I will conceed that if the original finish looks like it was loved and cared for with few if any scratches, that keeping it original is the prefered route.

My personal feeling is that If I am going to recap the set and get it working like new electronically, then I want the cabinette to look just as though it just came out of the showroom. And if the original finish is not very good, then I want to refinish it.

So I would like to hear the opinions of fellow collectors on how they feel about cabinette refinishing.

So please give me your opinions. Would you rather have a set that has a beautiful refinished cabinette, or would you rather stand on originality and keep the original finish even if it looks like it was beaten up, unloved and abused?

And if you could please discuss the effect of refinishing on the value of the restored set. Is it more valuable with it's original beaten up and abused finish or does the refinishing enhance the value?

Thanks
Bob Galanter

Fisherdude · #2 03-05-2007, 08:09 PM

If the item is quite valuable, refinishing it will reduce its value, unless the original condition is very poor.

If it's not particularly valuable, then refinishing it will either have no effect on the value, or it will increase its value.

If the effect on the value is not your greatest concern, then all that matters is what you like!

Hope this helps!

Clay

Chad Hauris · #3 03-05-2007, 08:28 PM

Personally I like to keep the original finish...usually some Old English scratch cover polish will really help it look better. Unless the refinish was done meticulously to match the original color/lustre something looks kind of unusual or off about a refinished old radio/TV to me.
I have some TV's and organs which have severe damage to the finish from rain and these will need some kind of refinishing. I will admit to having painted some of these really nasty looking cabinets and it did make them look a lot better.

Einar72 · #4 03-05-2007, 08:36 PM

Most decor schemes that will tolerate an old radio or TV succeed when the piece is understated or at least complementary in style and in a condition similar to the other "fine furnishing" items in the vicinity. Some of the finest cabinetry ever made in America housed a TV chassis, DuMont and Magnavox coming to mind.

My ex-wife would simply say "it's ugly" whether it was a CT-100 or RCA 812K. Only my Philco Lazy-X fared well; the speaker was attractive to her mom and the Louis XIV-inspired radio consolette was used as an end table. She later refinished my Zenith 12S268 fat-boy console with a clear-coat of slimy-slick polyurethane to shield from child/pet mishaps, but the re-staining did bring out the faded beauty of the fine wood on the massive cabinet.

Just be sure you can replace the decals with new ones!

"You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself" - Rick Nelson

ohohyodafarted · #5 03-05-2007, 09:08 PM

Thanks for the input so far. So If I have a very rare and valuable set, I should leave the finish alone so as not to reduce the value. Otherwise "whatever floats your boat"

So far I have not had to be concerned with any decal issues. If and when I have to do a restoration where there are decals paresent, how does a person work around this issue? Are there places that can make new decals for you?

Thanks!

zenith porthole · #6 03-05-2007, 09:58 PM

From the couple of radios and antique furniture pieces that I have restored, I have had considerable success using natural shellac varnish, rather than a synthetic finish. I know all to well the extreme disapointment that occurs when you go to the trouble of stripping and refinishing a piece, only to have it end up looking like it has been dipped in high gloss sugar glaze. The shellac doesn't seem to be as forgiving as the newer products, as far as touching up/overlapping brushstrokes while wet, but the finish is far superior in matching the original finishes used in the first half of the 20th century.
I do agree that if you are going to go to the trouble of saving a piece of history, unless it is a museum piece, make it look as good as possible while preserving its historical integrity.

ChuckA · #7 03-05-2007, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohohyodafarted

IN the final stages I clear coat the entire cabinette with an industrial clear coat costing $150 per gallon.

Bob,

Why would you use a $150/gal clearcoat on a cabinet that originally had a $1.95 coat of lacquer?

If you are going to refinish a piece use the original type of material; shellac, lacquer, or oils; not polyurethane, or clearcoats. These are correct for just about any piece from the 1890's through the 1950's.

Nothing I hate more is to see a "refinished" piece that looks like a bar top.

Chuck

ohohyodafarted · #8 03-05-2007, 10:48 PM

The clearcoat I use is an industrial acrylac lacquer. And today because of the EPA and the rules about high VOC products that polute the environment, the price of this stuff has reached $150/gallon. Back in the 70's you could buy the same stuff for about $25/gallon. As for looking like a bar top... the addition of flateners to any glossy clear finish can easily create a very nice original looking satin finish.

I have a EPA mandated license to do referigeration work. Do you have any idea what the price of referigerant went up to when the government regulated it's use and disposal? Any time the Government gets it fingers into something it is going to cost you big time.

I have also used other products shuch as Deft, and various types of varnishes in refinishing furniture, but I like the durability of the acrylac lacquer, and the fact that it is easily sprayable and very fast drying. I use shellac for 2 coats over the stain as a sealer. Then I spray several coats of lacquer, wet sanding between coats to get a nice finsh.

Everyone has their own method of refinsihing furniture and preference of various types of materials for finishing.

I have a 19" Dumont. A most magnificent peice of furniture. Unfortunately the previous owner decided to try and refinish the top of the set. It has what looks like coagulated varnish covering the top. Oh God so ugly. So what do you do? Leave this botched mess, or refinish? I think fixing the yuck is preferable to leaving it ugly.

So many projects....so little time ... thanks for all the input

Chad Hauris · #9 03-05-2007, 11:01 PM

We worked on (electronic repairs) a 1937 Philco radio where the owner had the cabinet refinished and they were able to have a cabinetmaker carefully "feather" out the old finish around the original Philco decal and blend it in to the new...the radio really looked great.

ohohyodafarted · #10 03-06-2007, 12:21 AM

Wow Chad, that must have been a delicate and time consuming procedure. Decals are so fragile, you would have to work like a portrait artist painting a work of art. Don't know if my skill levels are up to that just yet, but I am willing to give it a try should I have to.

compucat · #11 03-06-2007, 11:36 AM

Another thing to consider is the SAF of the set, the Spousal Acceptance Factor. Right now, my wife thinks my Zenith roundie is a piece of junk. I'm sure it is because the cabinet looks rough. I just got a quote from a furniture restorer in Richmond that will refinish and repair the cabinet. If you want the two loves of your life to get along, i.e. your wife and your radio/tv, then refinishing is sometimes the only answer. I also think it makes a set more valuable in the long run. People consider TVs and radios to be more appliances than furniture these days.

bgadow · #12 03-06-2007, 11:59 AM

One of these days I really need to learn furniture refinishing. On one hand it could be easy...my business paints cars, though I don't do it myself. But the equipment is all here and waiting. The laquer sounds like the way to go as far as being close to original.

I have very few pieces, radio or tv, with a great finish. That's why I have so many, I guess, because they were kinda worn and not as desirable. There are some radios I own which really need redoing. The current finish is just shot to the point that nobody would really want it to look like that.

Some decals are easy to get-for, say, a late 30s Philco you should be able to get most anything. Radio Daze, Antique Electronic Supply, Rock Sea Enterprises, are names that come to mind. Not as easy to find TV stuff but for some things close enough is good enough. Not sure how easy it would be to find a decal that reads "DuMont" though.

kx250rider · #13 03-06-2007, 12:42 PM

I leave it to the pro's. There's a refinishing plant that I use WHEN REFINISHING IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY, and they do a very nice original-looking job. I've tried it myself many times, and never been happy. I pay about $100 for a plain console to have it done nicely.

It's an art, and either you have it or you don't. I don't.

Charles

ohohyodafarted · #14 03-06-2007, 05:08 PM

Considering the time and effort involved in refinishing a TV, $100 per set seems quite reasonable to me. Unfortunately I don't have a big budget for my hobbie, and as a reasult, the sweat equity I put in allows me to use the funds for something that I must pay for. (like parts). Sure would be nice to have a big budget and be retired so I could putts around on my old tv sets all day long. Well maybe someday I will win the lottery.

Big Dave · #15 03-06-2007, 05:26 PM

I will not refinish unless absoloutely necessary. In my definition, this means water damage, missing or veneer damaged beyond repair, structural integrety issues, or being previously refinished with an incorrect finish, like polyurethane. If I can, I clean the cabinet. Most of the time, cleaning is all that's needed. My Halli looks like it's right out of the box. One of my RCA sets meets my definition of needing refinished.

As far as repainting metal cabinets, the same applies. I will be repainting one set, since rust and multiple scratches are present. I will clean, then decide.