lvjake7761

I hope I have this question in the right area
I just got home from vacation where I picked up an antique cedar chest
Handed down to my wife from her great grandmother
It’s a little beat-up but that gives it character

I want to build a whole bedroom set around it so all the pieces match I’ll distress the new pieces so it all looks antique

The finish on the chest now is very glossy it Looks like some time ago someone did a bad refinish on it
The finish is not that bad it’s just the fact that’s it so glossy bothers me
It seems wrong like it is but maybe I’m just big dealing this

I’m torn as to whether I should strip the finish from the chest and go for a more accurate finish
Or should I just match the new pieces as close as possible and not change anything?

I’m just looking for opinions here
What do you guys think?

jerry

What kind of wood is the chest made of ?.
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Rick Mosher

The simplest method I can think of if you don't want to strip it down and do the same finish as everything else would be to scrub the whole thing down really well with tsp and then wipe down with VM&P naptha. Use fresh paper towels with the naptha everytime you wipe so you don't just spread the contamination around. After cleaning scuff sand with 220 or 320 sandpaper and apply a fresh coat of a matte urethane or varnish. This should be as flat as you can get. After it dries for a couple days use #0000 steel wool as an applicator and wax just the "high" spots. This will give the look of an antique where there is more shine or wear to the high areas and a flat dirtier look to the lower areas and inside corners. If you have an old piece of furniture to look at you can get a good idea of what this should look like. I hope this helps...