Transforming a Lane Acclaim Side Table

Most mid-century enthusiasts are very familiar with Lane Furniture.  The company was started in Virginia in 1912.  They are famous for their quality craftsmanship and you can spot their pieces by the presence of dovetail joints, tapered legs, metal details, and rounded corners.  While my mother and I were shopping the Longest Yard Sale this past summer, I came across a Lane Acclaim side table.  It had seen better days for sure, but I couldn't pass it up.

I snatched her up for $20.

According to the serial number, it was manufactured on September 10, 1966 (I found out that you read it backwards).  The extra number (2 in this case) represents that plant where it was made.

After wiping it down with a wet washcloth and letting her air dry, I started the long laborious sanding process.  I had to sand quite a bit to get most of the discolorations out and was never able to entirely eliminate the pink stain (nail polish???).

I went overboard with the sanding trying to get the pink stain off and ended up gouging the wood.  :(  Sad day.  

It makes things more difficult when the grain is running in different directions around the dovetails.  Oh well.  The good news was that I was refinishing this piece for the nursery and have no plans of selling it.

Next, I applied Minwax's Special Walnut stain (while wearing a mask to help protect the babies from fumes) followed by two coats of Acrylacq.

Another great option would have been to use some Restor-a-Finish in walnut instead of stain.

It appeared that the original tips of the tapered legs were painted black (?).  If I was going for the most authentic look, I should have repainted them black.  However, I decided to do something a little different and spray paint them gold (revealed below).

And here is the finished product in its new home.

I'm pleased with how it turned out.  It's not perfect, but it has some character.

And I like the gold tipped legs.  Even if they aren't authentic.

Next week, I'll show you the overhead light and floor lamp that Seth and I made for the nursery as well as a sneak peek of the accent wall!