Category: mid-century furniture

Erik G. Warner Decorative Salvage on Chairish

Posted on by Erik W in danish modern, mid century, mid-century furniture, minnesota, modern, retro, vintage
Pair of Laurel Mushroom Lamps, 2015.
Pair of Laurel Mushroom Lamps, 2015.

At Erik G. Warner Decorative Salvage we are continually looking for new avenues through which to offer our vintage mid-century and modern items. While we’ve been using Etsy for some time to offer small items, we did not have an online method for sales that we could manage that dealt with the shipping of large items, like our furniture. And then we stumbled upon Chairish.

Chairish started a number of years ago as a way individuals could move higher-end used furniture without running it through Craigslist. Chairish curates the items its sells, so a certainly quality level has to be met. Over the years, Chairish has shifted focus and brought on professional dealers in housewares and furniture along with individuals.

The great thing about Chairish is that it helps arrange shipping of large items for sellers. Buyers pay for white-glove service, which means that the shippers come in and wrap the item being purchased and transport it carefully to its delivery location. For a small business like ours, this is a huge help, so we’ve signed on with Chairish, in addition to our other sales avenues.

Check out the items we currently have available on Chairish.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly at warner (dot) erikg (at) gmail (dot) com.

*****

Update (December 13, 2015) – After giving Chairish a whirl, we have found it isn’t the venue for us, so if you click the Chairish link, you’re not likely to find anything there. Please do check our Etsy Shop, stop in at MidModMen+friends in St. Paul, MN, or contact us directly.

Mid-Century Credenza Restoration

Posted on by Erik W in danish modern, mid century, mid-century furniture, minnesota, modern, retro, vintage

We thought we’d share the process we used to restore one of the treasures we found. Not necessarily THE right process, just one that works for us. Here are the steps.

Pic 1 - West Michigan Furniture Co. credenza as found, stains on top, compression damage, split front leg.
Pic 1 – West Michigan Furniture Co. credenza as found, stains on top, compression damage, split front leg.
Pic 2 - Detail showing damage to credenza top, including two very obvious black water marks.
Pic 2 – Detail showing damage to credenza top, including two very obvious black water marks.
Pic 3 - Applied Citristrip paint stripper to wood surfaces.
Pic 3 – Applied Citristrip paint stripper to wood surfaces.
Pic 4 - Preparing to deal with water marks.
Pic 4 – Preparing to deal with water marks.
Pic 5 - Water marks were treated with Savogran wood bleach (oxalic acid), applied with a toothbrush per manufacturer's directions.
Pic 5 – Water marks were treated with Savogran wood bleach (oxalic acid), applied with a toothbrush per manufacturer’s directions.
Pic 6 - Before and after treatment of water marks.
Pic 6 – Before and after treatment of water marks.
Pic 7 - After addressing all surface defects (water marks, steaming out compression damage, etc.), all wood surfaces were sanded to a minimum of 180 grit sandpaper.
Pic 7 – After addressing all surface defects (water marks, steaming out compression damage, etc.), all wood surfaces were sanded to a minimum of 180 grit sandpaper.
Pic 8 - Depending on type of wood, some may require pre-treatment with a wood conditioner which will help with even absorption of stain. Some woods (i.e. birch) absorb stain unevenly, resulting in a blotchy appearance if not pre-treated.
Pic 8 – Depending on type of wood, some may require pre-treatment with a wood conditioner which will help with even absorption of stain. Some woods (i.e. birch) absorb stain unevenly, resulting in a blotchy appearance if not pre-treated.
Pic 9 - After pre-treatment, apply stain. For this project we used Old Masters brand American Walnut Wiping Stain.
Pic 9 – After pre-treatment, apply stain. For this project we used Old Masters brand American Walnut Wiping Stain.
Pic 10 - After staining the piece, lacquer was applied as a top coat. We're trying to transition to environmentally sensitive products in our restoration work and to that end, used Valspar's Zenith Waterborne Lacquer. Zenith is a Greenguard Certified product.
Pic 10 – After staining the piece, lacquer was applied as a top coat. We’re trying to transition to environmentally sensitive products in our restoration work and to that end, used Valspar’s Zenith Waterborne Lacquer. Zenith is a Greenguard Certified product.
Pic 11 - The lacquer was applied with a Fuji Mini-Mite 3 HVLP spray system. This spray system makes the application of top coats a snap. With HVLP, there is less overspray, so there is less waste of product. Also, in using the waterborne lacquer, clean-up requires water instead of noxious chemicals.
Pic 11 – The lacquer was applied with a Fuji Mini-Mite 3 HVLP spray system. This spray system makes the application of top coats a snap. With HVLP, there is less overspray, so there is less waste of product. Also, in using the waterborne lacquer, clean-up requires water instead of noxious chemicals.
Pics 12-16 - The finished credenza. The entire project took about a week.
Pics 12-16 – The finished credenza. The entire project took about a week.
The finished top of the credenza.
The finished top of the credenza.
Before & After shot of coffee stains.
Before & After shot of coffee stains.
Again, the finished credenza.
Again, the finished credenza.
Pic 17 - Repaired leg of finished credenza. We did not get a before shot of this leg, which was split down the middle and had to be glued and clamped.
Pic 17 – Repaired leg of finished credenza. We did not get a before shot of this leg, which was split down the middle and had to be glued and clamped.

Links to products used:

Citristrip

Savogran Wood Bleach

Minwax Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner

Valspar Zenith Waterborne Lacquer

Fuji Sprayer

Greenguard Certification

Broyhill Brasilia Gentleman’s Chest

Posted on by Erik W in mid century, mid-century furniture, minnesota, modern, retro, vintage

Broyhill’s Brasilia line is popular among mid-century modern aficionados because it mimics the iconic architecture of Oscar Niemeyer, who designed buildings in the capital of Brazil in the early 1960s.

Mid-Century Vibe has this Gentleman’s Chest (called a Door Chest by Broyhill) available for sale.

Dimensions: 44″ wide x 19″ deep x  49.75″  high

Condition: Very good vintage condition. Age-appropriate wear.

**SOLD**