should I buy this cupboard?

[Corsetière]

Yum! I love all of the pieces you posted! I am a Craigslist enabler!

[phil]

I really lik ethey way they put the trim between the drawers and cupboards. I wonder if it would help not wet the doors if you had a spill?
Im a craigslist Junkie in a bad way. I check free often. Usually it's crap but there have been a few times I felt like a bandit.and I love recycling leftover materials. It's saved me lots and lets keep it out of the landfill if we can. you can easily heat your house with all the Chinese Ikea crap but there is almost always nice firewood too

[oaktree]

I really lik ethey way they put the trim between the drawers and cupboards. I wonder if it would help not wet the doors if you had a spill?
Im a craigslist Junkie in a bad way. I check free often. Usually it's crap but there have been a few times I felt like a bandit.and I love recycling leftover materials. It's saved me lots and lets keep it out of the landfill if we can. you can easily heat your house with all the Chinese Ikea crap but there is almost always nice firewood too

I totally agree about craigslist vs. ikea.

So, I got the cupboard!!! It is lovely. However, I just used a lead test swab on it, and it indicates lead paint. What should I do?

[Gothichome]

Oaktree, my first recommendation is to open a bottle of wine (or local craft brew)and relax. Just looking at the areas were the paint has chipped off, I would think it's been shellacked. I think I would use a heat gun in a open fresh air environment.

[lovesickest]

Use it as is, don't sand it, don't nibble on any paint chips ?

[oaktree]

Oaktree, my first recommendation is to open a bottle of wine (or local craft brew)and relax. Just looking at the areas were the paint has chipped off, I would think it's been shellacked. I think I would use a heat gun in a open fresh air environment.

I'm enjoying some whiskey. The cupboard is so beautiful...I was hoping to use it immediately in the kitchen, but I guess I have another project on my hands. But it has way less coats of paint on it than my other projects, so it shouldn't be quite as bad. I don't regret buying it!















I didn't take a picture, but the bottoms of the drawers are made of old wooden boxes with ads on them. If I strip it and repaint it, is it safe to store dishes in? Or is there still residual lead?

[oaktree]

Yum! I love all of the pieces you posted! I am a Craigslist enabler!

Thanks! Enabling is welcome!!

[oaktree]

it looks professionally made. it would probably be possible to take apart if you did want to do the whole bit and strip it completely. lots of stuff like that was put together with hide glue and glue blocks, maybe a few dowels. probably no screws or nails. If you just give them a tap it can often break the bond and come apart, then you could deal with it piece by piece. I bet it's nice wood. nice panel construction. notice how the front has what is called full frame panel construction , when the doors are closed the surrounding wood is flush with the front of the doors. that's a sign the maker knew what he was doing. you can see how even after a hundred years it still all lines up pretty accurately if you notice that when the doors are closed they sit flat with the face frame. you cna see the gaps around the doors look pretty even. some guy in his backyard shop or a carpenter who built it while building a house probably wouldn't get those things so right.

...

if you were interested in buyingit you could ask them if it's got lead paint on it and if you can test that. If it's a distance you might just ask them to flip a drawer over and take a pic of the bottom to see how it's constructed.

Wow, thanks for this detail, phil! I will examine it closely once I have daylight again! So far, it seems to be in pretty good condition!

[Mick_VT]

don't worry about the lead unless its chalky and / or falling off. It will be fine to store plates in right now if it isn't and certainly will be if you refinish

[oaktree]

don't worry about the lead unless its chalky and / or falling off. It will be fine to store plates in right now if it isn't and certainly will be if you refinish

It is flaking off...so it looks like another refinishing project!