Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
This is a Lane cedar chest from mid-century. The wood of the lid is unfinished, unvarnished, bare wood. The tag inside says it is walnut. The lid is getting more dried out and has some watermarks in places. There are 2 pics that are close ups of the wood lid (outside).
The sideways one is of the lip of the lid and side. What is the best way to care for and clean this family heirloom so it will last?
This will probably be a very slow process unless you are used to doing refinishing work.
I cannot tell from your pictures if the wood on the top is starting to separate but if that is the case you may have to talk to a professional about doing that repair.
I do not believe you can just clean the wood and expect it to look good or to be safe for very long as it looks like the top is pretty rough.
You'll have to decide if you wish to refurbish just the top or the complete chest but the first step will be to sand whatever you decide needs to be done.
After that decision then you'll have to decide if you are going to sand it be hand or if you will use a hand sanding machine.
There are certain steps to follow next but you will need detailed instructions for that and since there are several ways to do this it would be best if you looked at some videos and read several articles.
These will also let you know what type of job you will be undertaking as that is the first decision - can I do it/do I want to do it?
www.google.com/
homeguides.sfgate.com/
I normally use a wood wax on all of my wood items here in my home. I live in the tropics and wood does dry out here. I know they have a wood paste or wax that people use on hardwood floors. This is a great way to add back life to the wood and stop it from drying out more. You basically brush this on with a paintbrush and then allow it to dry. After this you will take a clean cloth and buff out the wax and it will add a natural shine to the wood and also help protect the wood.
I have a cedar chest that was mine as a young girl. The top is now gone and for many, many years it has held toys for my kids (now grown) a nephew, and now my grandson. I love the old chest and now that I'm older I appreciate it.
I would love to strip off all the old paint, have a new lid made and try to restore it. My question is how do you get the old cedar smell back or does it just die out and can't be revived? I'm just curious if anyone would know.
By Sharon, KY
I believe you can restore the cedar ordor by sanding with fine sand paper. I bought cedar hearts to hang in the closet and it came with sand paper to restore the odor when it faded.
I am refinishing an old Lane cedar chest, style 610115-E. I need an original photo or ad so I can see what it looks like.
There are several ways you may be able to find information about your cedar chest but it will take research on your part.
You may never find an original picture but you may be able to find a chest like yours listed for sale that would probably give you a good idea of the original look.
If you will add a picture to this question/post someone may be able to help you locate a chest like yours.
Model numbers are rarely used by anybody because most people do not know the model number so they just list them as vintage Lane cedar chest..
You will find lots of information on using serial number to find the age but that does not tell you anything about the chest itself.
Here is the contact information for Lane but I'm not sure they will help you.
You never know about how companies will answer this type of question.
www.lanefurniture.com/
This might help if you can find the date on the bottom of your cedar chest. The company made cedar chests from 1912 until 2001 in Altavista, Virginia. In 1972 the cedar chest division was shut down. It appears there were 3 different styles of cedar chest the company made.
The traditional cedar chest this one is their traditionally one they made that has a look of antique. The top is hinged and pulls up to open and has a lock and key.
Mid Century or modern design chests. These styles have clean lines and angular feet. The Mid-Century Modern designs often featured patterned wood stains, with looks that appear more industrial, the only decoration being the hardware.
The last is their Flapper style cedar chests. There were made in the 1930s and 1940s which were made in the style of the Art-Deco movement of the time. These designs often featured inlaid woods that highlighted bold geometric shapes in the inlay areas. Some cedar chests, when the lid opened, had hinged shelving boxes lined with felt that provided storage for keepsake items.
Identifying your design and the period it was made can help you to find one that looks similar to yours to help you restore yours. Hopefully this will help you to narrow down your search to find a chest that looks similar to the one you want to restore.
When I want a picture of something, I do the following...put what I want an image of into Google....in this case I used the phrase:
old advertisements for lane chests
This is what came up:
www.google.com/
I tried it with the model number first, but it did not yield anything.
Perhaps this way you will see yours in an original advertisement.
Post back with updates and before and after photos of your pet project!! Blessings!
What do you use to strip varnish off the chest and what would you to put back on the chest?
By Kervin
If you visit a store that sells paint products, you will find products to use. You may find booklets or books that will help you. You could search on Youtube for information as well. There are directions to just about everything on there. You could also visit the library for books on furniture refinishing to help you.
2 gallons of varnish stripper or the kind to remove paint it's gummy like not like water. You can tell which one is which when you pick it up and give it a gentle shake; one sounds more sloshy than the other.
steel wood pads w/o soap
paint brush
a lot of old rags
screwdriver
catch all container (for liquid stripper only)
"thick" non rubber gloves
Remove all knobs, drawer pulls, chains first
Put wood item in the catch all and with paint brush, keep stripper brushed over the surface doing one side at a time until you have only the raw wood showing. With rag, swipe off cleaned off wood in direction of grain. Wrap screwdriver edge with old cloth to get into corners/crevices/drawer pull holes.
At this point, repeat procedure on all sides before doing this next step: Use steel wool pad in direction of wood grain to smooth the grain and wipe off the dust with a lightly dampened rag only. Continue to wipe with clean old rags until all dust/debris is removed. The key is to stay with the grain only for a smooth surface.
When the raw wood is cleaned well and looks even in coloring and is totally dry then you can stain with a clean cloth or leave natural wood and paint Varathane over the surface in light layers repeating after each is dried. You have choices of clear gloss, semigloss, satin finishes.
From experience, I've tried the gummy stripper on stain/varnish/shellac and it's a real mess to clean/wipe off. It's my opinion the liquid stripper remover works best and fastest. It's also able to be used again over the wood until too much varnish/stain/shellac is added to the solution making it too thick to work with and doesn't remove all, but rather puts it back on making the wood look darkened. With practice, you'll know when it's time to change the old for the new stripper.
If you're good with an electric sander, you could also remove the old finish and go with the grain; use the finest grain of sandpaper as a final sand job and wipe off all dust/debris from surface continually using a clean rag and then with a slightly dampened clean cloth go with the grain and wipe off any remainder. If the rag becomes dirty; get another clean rag and do it again.
Use a steel wool pad without soap going with grain if the wood isn't smooth enough and wipe off dust as stated above. Apply your choice of finishes as directed on label and let dry.
I want to paint the inside of a cedar chest which is unvarnished, does it have to be sealed or does the paint do it? I am repurposing it without the lid.
I tried stripping with electric sanders and it gums up the sand paper then I used a belt sander and it gummed up the sand paper, so I used chemical and it was a mess, what I settled on was electric planner and was able to strip of a 1/84 slice and it took it down to the wood, then I came back with sand paper, it worked the best and a lot less trouble
I have a Lane cedar chest in great condition inside and poor condition outside. It was made in Alta Vista California:
Serial - 431531
Date - 10/9/38
I think you should restore it.
Most people selling Lane chests don't sell them by number and what I know of them to value is by look. Do you have a photo you can post?
Without a photo it is hard to value it as is. You stated it is in bad shape outside, but good inside. I am not sure what that means. Some peoples good and some people's poor are different than mine.
So, are you thinking or restoring to flip it? In my mind that is not the best reason to fix them up since most people want one that is pristine (NOT redone) OR they want to redo their own.
If you are asking because you want to redo it for you, go for it!! Have fun with it and love and enjoy and use it!
Post back with an update!
I found one for 20 that had duct tape and black paint all over it. Spraying cheap with Brake cleaner helped scrape off the duct tape/adhesive and sanding, 60 grit, and scraping when gummed up got it pretty well cleaned up. Moving on to finish sanding next, but wanted to share how I accomplished the removal. Mines a 60s model, perfect inside but trashed outside. Worth the work to store vintage textiles inside safely. Oh, fine grit sandpaper used inside does restore the cedar scent.
How do I repair a cedar chest with brittle and dry wood?
You would have to remove the damaged wood, make a template and put new wood in. Instructions are here:
There are some nice videos on YouTube. Here is a sample:
www.youtube.com/
It is a lot of work. It could be quite rewarding if you are handy!
I believe this a question that would require more information for anyone to really help you.
1) What type of damage are your referring to? Dried out sides? Bottom? Top? or legs?
2) Do you have knowledge and experience in doing repairs like this or will this be beginner's job? This is very important as most instructions are given for people with at least working knowledge of repairing furniture.
3) Do you have any type of woodworking tools or will this be done with just normal home tools?
4) Is this a keepsake or will it be okay if it does not turn out the way you envision?
5) How much did you plan to spend on this project?
I would suggest you think about these questions and maybe take several good pictures (cell phone may be okay) and pay a visit to your local Home Depot or Lowe's and ask them for help.
I have found they have some very good employees that should be able to help you with how much wood and other materials you will need and they probably have some free repair videos that might help you. There are also several books/magazines available that may have something on repairs (or make a trip to your library).
How does one refresh an old cedar closet?
By Olga from Houston, TX
If you mean to bring the scent back, I would think just a real light sanding with a fine grade of sand paper would work.
Sanding will do the trick. An easy way is to sand with a sanding sponge. You will have better control. Hope this helps.
