1950’s 6-Band Rattan Resto

Posted on September 4, 2011 by Hepcats Haven

Here is one of the chairs and the middle section of the couch.

I am so sorry I haven’t posted anything significant lately, Mel’s sister is visiting and we have been spending time with family.

Anyways, I started to restore the “Holy Grail” rattan set we acquired recently. It has really nice bones but needed a lot of cosmetic help to bring it back to life. As you can see from the picture above, with a lot of elbow grease and a lot of time you can bring these great pieces back to life. I have never restored bamboo furniture before so this is all new to me. I knew it needed to be sanded to get rid of the years of grime build up and old finish. I would have tried to strip these pieces but with all the crevices it would be a nightmare to get all the stripper off. Instead I have spent two full days sanding, oiling and applying polyurethane to it. I think it really glows now. Here are some pictures of it before and after.

Here is the chair before I restored it. I can see the possibilities.

You can see the build up and wear from the years of use. Each band needed to be sanded separately.

Here I am hard at work on the 1,000th band! Arrgh!

Here is an arm after sanding and staining but before the polyurethane.

Here is the chair all cleaned up and with a couple of coats of polyurethane.

Here they are basking in the evening sun.

I hope to have the other 4 pieces done soon and then I have to drop off the cushions to be recovered to my favorite upholstery shop. I am thoroughly pleased the way this restoration is playing out.

6 Comments

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6 responses »

Sherry @ Girls Day Out | September 4, 2011 at 8:48 pm

WOW – these pieces are so beautiful! You are doing a great job! I can’t wait to see them all together with their cushions on them…. just beautiful!

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- hepcatrestorations | September 4, 2011 at 9:29 pm
  
  Thanks Sherry, I am excited to see the final results as well.
  
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Vickie | September 5, 2011 at 5:57 am

Oh I KNEW you were busy as a bee working on these! And, your post’s are NEVER insignificant ~ they are always interesting and fun & I think we all know when you’re working in the garage making beautiful magic! We just enjoy ourselves with the videos & wait in eager anticipation. Anyway, gosh, the rattan is looking FABULOUS, as I knew it would. There’s just no way (almost) that between you and an old girl with such beautiful bones that she couldn’t be made to shine again! Simply gorgeous Hepcat. BTW – there’s another one of the adorable Mz. Kitty?! The world was blessed with two then eh? Hope she had THE greatest birthday.

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- hepcatrestorations | September 5, 2011 at 9:10 am
  
  Thanks Vic. I have been sanding like a mad man. The reward is when you apply the stain and you see how warm the piece becomes. I hate sanding but I love the results.
  
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  - Anonymous | April 30, 2014 at 2:34 pm
    
    I got one of those chairs–what kid of stain did you use?
    
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  - Hepcat Restorations | May 10, 2014 at 10:21 pm
    
    I used Ipswich Pine.
    
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