Norm, a buyer and seller of lovely old collectible high end pianos, found one that was so beautiful and unique that he could not let it go. He had to keep it for himself but it needed much work.

The original finish was in very rough shape and needed to be stripped of its dark, muddy varnish and refinished so as to integrated well with Norms much lighter mahogany dining suite.

The first step was to disassemble the entire piano in preparation for the job ahead, a time consuming task but one necessary to approach a piece of this scale and detail.

Once all the individual piano pieces were stripped it was gently scrubbed with a special solution in order to pull out as much of the old dark stain as possible.

Next an oil based clear stain is applied to add to the protection of the wood and bring out the gorgeous mahogany grain. This is where the piano starts to reveal it’s true beauty.

Sanded, grain filled, sealed, and finished with a durable and water resistant satin lacquer, the final steps are completed and the piano is close to being ready to be reassembled.

A client brought this beautiful cherry bedroom suite to us with the hopes that we could repair and restore it. This suite once belonged to her grandmother as a child in the late 1800’s, and although it was in rough shape we were happy to be trusted with the task at hand.

The design of this suite is “Eastlake”, named for Charles Locke Eastlake (1836-1906). The specific use of vertical lines and floral detail are two distinguishing trade marks of his style of furniture.

Our client received the furniture when her grandparents home was sold in the mid 1970’s. Although she loved the beautiful cherry wood that it was built out of, she was never really happy with its dark and distressed appearance.

Stripping, sanding, repairing & refinishing each piece of this suite was a lengthy process, yet knowing how beautiful this suite would be when complete, and anticipating our clients excitement, made the work well worth it.

All the hard work now complete, the newly “lightened” finish better suited our clients personal tastes and blended much more aesthetically with her current decor.

Thanks to our clients desire to hang on to this beautiful suite, it’s story is still unfolding. From her grandparents summer cottage and many years stored away in an attic, to her home here in Victoria, this furniture caries with it a connection to her past and a sentiment that will endure for years to come.