Antique China Cabinet Restoration
I drilled the holes for the wires…
Pro tip: wear safety glasses when drilling. Don’t be a doofus like Captain Pencil Head shown above and below. Especially when drilling above your head.
As it turns out, flying sawdust didn’t soothe my eyeballs like I thought it would.
We needed to fish the wire that we would stick up from the ceiling out the back.
Turns out this wasn’t very easy with just a tiny hole to work with. So I did what any sensible antique restorer would do: I grabbed a reciprocating saw and tore a huge freaking hole in the back.
Antique purists may want to avert their eyes.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I KNOW!
Listen, it’s our antique, and we’ll treat it any way we damn well please.
Besides, I’ll patch things up later. I promise.
After snaking the wires up and out, we attached the lights with double-sided tape.
We moved the cabinet back inside the house. We were getting close to the end. But we still had to install the hinges.
I had ordered two sizes, unsure of which would fit.
With the weight of the door, I was leaning towards the big ones. Of course, if I had paid more attention to detail, I would have realized that the big ones were way too big for the cabinet. There’s only a small strip of wood on the sides on which to mount hinges. Okay, the small ones, it was!
Although they were billed as “flat lay,” the center pin prevented them from truly laying flat. Handan solved that issue by suggesting I make shims to go behind the hinges. Brilliant!
I drilled holes though the shims and super-glued them onto the hinges. That solved the problem, and we mounted the doors.
The hinges we bought have removable pins, so the hardware could stay on the cabinet and the door when we removed them to install the glass. We just pulled the pins, and I took the doors back down to the basement to install the glass and the inner trim.
When the glue dried, we taped off the glass and the door frame so I could gel stain the trim.
Handan made me smile. Usually, I prefer to work with a slight sneer and a scowl 🙂
As promised, we patched up the holes in the back.
Next, we installed the doorknobs, which we also bought from House of Antique Hardware.
I drilled the knob hole with a piece of scrap wood underneath. This not only allowed me to drill all the way through without damaging the table, but it also prevented tear-out on the opposite side of the door.
Once the knob hole was drilled, we installed a magnetic door catch on each side of the middle partition.
And we installed the metal plate onto the inside of the doors.
I finished installing the knobs. We were so close to finishing!
Click on ‘Next’ to continue.
Wow. That looks spectacular!
Thank you, Nicole!
Wow this is a showstopper! Great work and a stunning addition to your home!
Thank you, Sara! We love it! 🙂
Absolutely beautiful! A one of a kind treasure. I just love your posts!?
Thank you so much, Susan!
You’re a great writer. Thanks for the entertainment. And welcome to the “Monkey Do, Monkey See” Club, one I originated. The piece looks great by the way.
Thank you, Teddee! 😀
I absolutely LOVE it! Great job!
I cannot believe you work in the garage however – it has been soooo cold in CT lately! Hope you have a heat source! I have to work on the porch so not one project has been done yet this year. Hopefully we won’t go right from winter into summer. 🙂
Thank you, Laura! Oh no, I don’t work in the garage usually. My workshop is in the basement, but this piece was too big and clunky to carry down, so some work had to be done outside or in the garage. 🙂
Magnificent!
Thanks, Derry! 🙂
Well…IF I can stop laughing (tears) from Page three to type this…it turned out FABULOUS!!! Send a photo to that antiques place and address it to the wife…nah. franki
Lol, thanks, Franki! Oh, I don’t think she’d be too happy with that photo! 😀
Wow. Just Wow. That looks absolutely amazing, and all of your souvenirs are fantastic! (Handan, I am a little disappointed in you, after all, you weren’t wearing pajamas in any of the pictures! As a happy, pajama-wearing woman, I thought I’d found a partner! LOL!) Good job, both of you! I can’t wait to hear the story of the garage renovation. (That should prove to have lots to keep us entertained!)
She was wearing pajamas, Terra! I guess none of those pics made the cut, though, lol.
I swear that woman with the boobs has a bigger smile on her face now that she’s been refinished!!!
I think you’re right, Cheryl 😉
Greg, what a story! Well, it turned out fantastic! You are an awesome carpenter. Congrats on a job well done!
Thank you so much, Melva! 🙂
this is freaking awesome and i do not even like antiques very much lol, these are great posts, a story inside a diy,you guys are the best xx
Thank you, Chris! Everything is better with a good story! 🙂
You two always do such great work and this is no exception! She’s a stunner!
Thank you, Barb! She sure is!
It is absolutely gorgeous!! Great job.
Thank you, Shirley! 🙂
Wow! It turned out beautiful. Well done!
Thank you so much, Janice!
Wow!! Great job bringing an old piece back to life. It looks beautiful with all your treasures in it.
Thank you, Sandy! It really does!
Wow! It turned out amazing!
Thank you, Revital!
Absolutely gorgeous! I love the hinges!
Thanks, Giselle! Yes, those hinges are awesome. House of Antique Hardware has really cool stuff.
That is an amazing blog. And a GORGEOUS Piece! Love that you brought it back to it’s beautiful self!
Thank you so much, Dawn! 🙂
WOWZA! Gorgeous. Happy birthday Handan!
Thank you, Karen! 🙂
Thank you so much, Karen! 🙂
Wow! That cabinet looks fabulous!!! When can I hire you two to come to my house? LOL! Love all your posts! 🙂
Thank you, Jennifer! We should be finished in our house in about 2037, so we’ll be right over after that! 😀
Wow. That looks absolutely amazing, and all of your souvenirs are fantastic. Great job bringing an old piece back to life. You two do such great work and this is no exception. Hope so your experience will helpful for all and thanks for the sharing with all of us.
Thank you, Jason! It was worth the effort!
Stunning!! You all did an amazing restoration job. What a unique piece that deserved nothing by the best, and that’s what it received. Haven’t used the GF gel stain, but thanks for the user tips. I’d like to try it sometime.
Thank you, Amy! The General Finishes Gel stain is a wonder – you’ll love it!
That’s the best boob job I’ve ever seen guys. It looks amazing
LoL, thanks, Michelle! 🙂
That china cabinet is a treasure which is housing treasures. Beautifully and lovingly restored. And Greg we all make mistakes. So many measurements and so many numbers to remember. What matters is that it turned out brilliant in the end.
Thank you, Mary! You know, as it turned out – I was correct in my measurements! The glass shop made the error. They made the new glass for no charge. I never bothered to update the post with the new info, lol.
I went through all four pages but never saw the finished Cabinet. Where is it?
That’s odd, Russell. The finished cabinet pictures are all there on page 4. Perhaps try again?
Have to say, that’s one best way to restore old cabinet. Thanks for sharing the tips….
Thank you, Amir!
Wow, what beautiful piece of furniture. I understand why you wanted it so badly. Gorgeous fine! Your work also, gorgeous. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Ivory – that one was a labor of love! 🙂
Wowza! Wowza!! Wowza!! I love gel stain. I used it to refinish an old dresser and I think that java is so warm and the perfect shade for your project! It’s a gorgeous addition to your home. Keep the fun projects and the amusing blogs coming! You and Handan are inspiring all of us do-it-yourselfers.
Thank you so much, Barb! Have a wonderful holiday weekend! 🙂