Hope Chest Refinishing

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I love old furniture, it’s no secret. Everyone in my life knows this about me as well. So when I was asked to take on a hope chest refinishing project for a friend, I was more than happy to do so.

It’s an antique Hope Chest, with gorgeous cedar lining inside. There are no tags or markings on it which led me to believe it wasn’t a Lane Cedar Chest, but regardless it’s a beauty. 

Aside from the top having scratches and some damage, this vintage hope chest was in great shape. 

Tools & Supplies to Refinish a Cedar Chest

• 220 Grit
• 80 Grit
• Bosch sander
• Minwax Stain – Red Mahogany
• Minwax Brush on Lacquer
• Paint Brush

Restoring a Cedar Lined Hope Chest

Before I started the cedar chest refinishing process I accessed the inside of the chest to see what condition it was in. In this case, it was like brand new!

The cedar was still fragrant as ever and there wasn’t a visible scratch anywhere.

If you aren’t as lucky as I was and you need to give the cedar inside the hope chest some love there are 2 ways you can go about it.

1. Cedar Oil. Using 100% cedar oil will restore the aroma of the cedar lining as well as repelling moths and mildew.
2. Lightly sanding. A sure-fire way to restore the lovely, fragrant cedar smell back to your hope chest is by lightly sanding it with a fine-grit sandpaper. Sanding will open the pores of the wood, exposing new oils.

The first course of action was assessing the damage the vintage cedar chest had and giving it a good cleaning.

As I mentioned, it was not bad at all. The top of the chest is what needed the most work. There were a few deep scratches, water rings, and your normal wear and tear scratches. Nothing a good sanding couldn’t handle.

Once I thoroughly cleaned the hope chest, I got my Sander ready to go. 

Sanding the Vintage Cedar Chest

In preparation for this project, I went out and bought myself a new Bosch Sander.
I had an older porter cable sander that I bought years ago, while it worked great it would tend to disappear every now and then. I don’t want to name names here, but you know who you are.
So I decided to purchase a new one that was a little bit more powerful. I highly suggest investing in a good sander, it’s amazing what a difference it makes.
In addition to my new sander, I also picked up a contractor pack of sandpaper and a few different grit sanding disks for my sander.

I began sanding with 80 grit sandpaper, which was perfect to remove the layer of polyurethane as well as the previous stain. 

Sanding the cedar chest took quite a bit of time, which was expected.

I started with the top which had the most damage and worked my way down, leaving the feet for last.

The feet of the hope chest required some elbow grease. I used the sander when I could but, the majority of the time I had to sand them by hand.

Once the entire vintage hope chest was sanded with the 80 grit sandpaper, I then switched to the 220 grit. I wanted to ensure the cedar chest was completely smooth and ready for the next step, which was the stain.

I used the air compressor to clean the dust of the chest. I wanted to make sure it was completely free of any dust to prepare for a smooth stain application.

Choosing a Stain for the Antique Chest

When it came to the stain color for the refinished hope chest, my friend wanted it dark, but not too dark. 

I had shown my friend a few pictures of lane cedar chests for inspiration. The one she was drawn to was the lane hope chest with the red-ish stain. 

After testing a few different Minwax stain colors, we decided to go with  Minwax Red Mahogany.

Ultimately, the red mahogany stain resembled the refinished Lane cedar chest I had shown her as inspiration.

I think it was the perfect choice for the newly refinished hope chest. 

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Staining the Hope Chest

To apply the stain to the hope chest, I used 2 rags, one for the stain and one to wipe off the excess. 

Starting at the top of the hope chest, I lightly applied the stain in the direction of the wood grain and eventually finishing with the feet.

I decided I liked how the cedar chest looked with one coat of stain and left it at that. 

I let the cedar hope chest fully dry overnight before I moved on to the next step.

Applying Lacquer to the Hope Chest

The last step to this hope chest refinishing project was applying a sealer.

There are a few different sealer options on the market today, most popular being polyurethane. However, because I wanted the refinished cedar chest to a bit more durable, I opted to go with Minwax’s Brush on Lacquer. in a semi-gloss finish.

Just a few tips when using this lacquer. This stuff is no joke. You need to wear a mask in a very well ventilated area. I highly suggest applying it outside. Also using a high-quality natural bristle brush is recommended for the best application.

A good rule of thumb is to always fully read the directions on any product you use to ensure you apply it properly and safely.

I applied one layer of lacquer and let it dry, about 30 minutes or so. 

As soon as the lacquer was dry I hit it with a light sanding using the 220 grit sandpaper. This was just to ensure a completely smooth finish for the last layer of the lacquer.

I removed all the dust from sanding the hope chest and applied the final layer of lacquer and this hope chest refinishing project was complete. 

The finished product is gorgeous. It resembled the Lane cedar chest I was using as inspiration to the t,  I am so glad I had the opportunity to restore this beauty. 

 Now, off to find the next project.  Who am I kidding? I have a garage full of projects!

Looking to buy a cedar chest? Check out Etsy. They have a ton of antique cedar chests available as well as refinished hope chests.

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