Sunday, November 18, 2012

Broyhill Emphasis, Birchcraft by Baumritter and some new aquisitions...

As many of my regular readers may know, I'm a big fan of all the Broyhill Premiere collection from the mid 60's. Brasilia, Saga, Modern Classic and the Emphasis series. Some friends of mine (J & B)who are long time customers contacted me regarding an Emphasis chest and dresser that they had thrifted awhile back and asked my advise on these. B had originally considered painting the chest. Nooo...please don't do that!
Although I neglected to get any before and afters of the dresser it was not in terrible shape and just needed some cleaning up. Cleaning up still entailed quite a few hours but it turned out quite nicely.
Now the chest was a different matter. It had some heavy gouges down one side. Probably not there originally, but some of the people that pick things up for donations really don't care about what they are handling. The top had some deep dents in the top from someone sliding heavy items around over the years but hadn't gone all the way through the finish. Good candidate for more than just a simple clean up!
 




 
They didn't want to spend a bunch of money trying to get this up to speed (who does?) and here is the solution! The face of the cabinet was in pretty good shape but the top and at least one side really needed my full attention. Well, you can't do just one side so I stripped both sides and the top leaving the face of the cabinet for a heavy cleaning...
 

 
Here's how we look after taking the top and sides down. Pretty darn naked! Couldn't get all the flaws out, but enough so no one is likely to notice some of the imperfections. This is vintage furniture and you can't always expect perfection! Here's after I restained...
 

 
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that this chest was missing one of it's pulls on the left door. I managed to find an old brass door plate that had enough stock in it to cut down make a replacement handle. Not a perfect match but pretty damn close! So here's the chest as it's getting ready to get loaded and go home. Looks about 200% + better and B is now happy she didn't paint the piece. It found a great new home in their guest room!
 



 
Next up is a set of furniture that I'd not had the pleasure to work on previously. Birchcraft by Baumritter! Now I know I've heard the Baumritter company mentioned along with some major designers of mid-century furniture, but frankly I can't put my finger or brain into where. I'll work on this later. Another new customer had contacted me on refinishing these pieces from the 50's that were apparently sold through Ethan Allen outlets. To me, they look a bit like the Heywood-Wakefield "Cadence" suite.
 


 





 
Finish was pretty dry and worn on most of the pieces. The nightstand in the bottom pic is not original to the set but someone did a pretty nice job of trying to recreate the look. Obviously a cabinet type guy. Still pretty nice job!
 
The dresser and bed are still original finish (thankfully) but I think the owner had tried some type of redo awhile ago on the chest that didn't turn out quite as expected. I guess I should have quizzed him on what he put on this as it was a lot more trouble than expected to strip. Live and learn, should have charged more for this one! Although not original to this particular set, I'm refinishing in what I use for Heywood-Wakefiled "Wheat" finish for the redo as per customers preference.
Here's how we look stripped down and the first coat on.
 



 
and the first coat..
 


 
This is just the seal coat and will look totally different with the next 3 coats... I think my customers will be totally amazed at the transformation. They were thinking of buying some new furniture to replace these pieces but made the decision to save these. Great choice! Quality stuff and will be around for at least another 50 years! Even I can't wait to see how these turn out when finished!
I'll post the finished product in a few days!
We've gotten in some nice pieces lately in the store and I'm going to look at, and hopefully bring home a pretty nice collection of Adrian Pearsall furniture tomorrow! Here's what's new in house right now!
 
 
1962 Barcalounger Z frame recliner. I may have to take this one home!


 
Just in...Solid walnut modular room divider!

Pearsall inspired occasional chair. Refinsihed with new cushions and upholstery.
 

 
One more piece...A super sweet mid 60's Zenith X960 console stereo cabinet with louvered speaker doors and some great lines with a newly refinished top. Yup, the componets are all intact but it does have some fidelity issues...

Back soon with the end results of the Birchcraft for Baumritter tale and other mid-mod mayham!
BTW, It's been rumored that the Winter issue of Atomic Ranch may have included us in their issue. Let me know if you come across this and what you think... I haven't gotten my issue as yet...
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



16 comments:

  1. Everything looks great! I especially love the room divider. I'll be looking for you in Atomic Ranch.

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    1. Thanks Dana, That room divider is really nice and likely won't be around long. Even if you don't care for style, that Barcolounger is killer comfortable!

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    2. I'd totally have that Barcolounger! Don't know where I'd put (fit) it, but I'd have it!

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    3. This is uber comfortable! It lays all the way back as well. With this you don't need a bed! And what super nice lines. It weighs a ton and it was a struggle to get it in the store.

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  2. DAMN A Mod! You go a whole month without posting diddly and then post about half a dozen things all at once! Worth the wait but it might be nice to hear more from ya in smaller bites. Hope to see you in Atomic Ranch (another great publication that comes out all to infrequently!).

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    1. I'm really bad about doing that. I suddenly realize it's been forever since I posted and then the muse strikes and everything hits at once. I'll try and be a bit more regular and less long winded. :)

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  3. That's more great furniture than I can find in a whole year! That Barca is sweet!

    Have you ever tried steaming out dents in wood furniture?

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    1. So far I haven't tried steaming and I probably would only attempt on solid wood. You'd probably do more damage than good trying to use on anything veneered. If the back of the recliner were just a couple of inches higher it may not have made it into the store. :)

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  4. The Emphasis dresser is beautiful! The stain is a perfect match - mind if I ask what color/brand you used? I have almost an entire bedroom suite of Emphasis cobbled together but I may need to refinish one piece. My only missing pieces are the elusive pair of nightstands.

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  5. Hey Jamie, I've found the Minwax early american oil based stain in a near perfect match over the walnut veneers of the Broyhill Premiere series pieces and many other pieces as well. Just make sure you let it dry thoroughly before top coating with lacquer or polyurethane. I normally use the Minwax satin canned lacquer for smaller projects like this. More expensive, but it's saves the hassle and clean up of the HVLP gun. Nightstands always seem to be the hardest pieces of any to find.

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    1. Hi. I've been reading your refinishing posts and think they are great. I went to Home Depot to buy some Minwax early American oil based stain and couldn't find any. I looked online and found it (I think ) on the Home Depot web page. Would you please tell me if this is what you use: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Minwax-1-Gal-Oil-Based-Early-American-Wood-Finish-Interior-Stain-71008/203003549#.UXQjRtfCc6I

      Thanks,
      Steve

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    2. Hey Steve, This is the stain but you won't need anywhere near a gallon. A quart will be way more than enough to do many pieces. I'm amazed your local HD doesn't have in stock.

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  6. Hello. I found a Broyhill Emphasis bedroom set (including a KING headboard) at an estate sale. I paid $500 for two night stands, the high boy, cradenza, mirror, desk and a bookcase. The bookcase has the original label but I cannot find any pictures of a broyhill emphasis bookcase. Have you found any? It's two pieces, a bottom cradenza with three drawers and a three shelf bookcase that goes on top and is secured with brackets. Have you seen anything like this before? If so, can you direct me? I haven't been able to track down any information. Thanks! (jeffrey.trzeciak@wustl.edu)

    I love your posts!

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  7. Hey Jeffrey, I've been a bit remiss about checking in on the blog so pardon the late response. I just acquired an Emphasis china top and base that I will likely split up and turn the top into a curio and sell the base separately as a credenza although I need to refinish the top. If you have a chance, send me some pics of your "bookcase" as I'd love to see and research. E-mail me at amodernline@gmail.com

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  8. Hello! I know I'm late to jump in on this article. I just purchased a Broyhill Saga chest of drawers and dresser from an estate sale. Would you recommend the same Minwax Early American oil-based stain that you used on the Emphasis for the Saga as well? Or would you recommend a different stain for this line? Thank you for your time!

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  9. Hey Rachel, Sorry for the delayed response. The Early American will probably work but you may have to mix part of it with a darker walnut to get the desired tint. I've used several combinations of EA with golden oak for lighter pieces and with Jacobean for darker pieces. Trial and error, but I can normally hit it the first time most of the time. Test on a small spot first.

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