What would you offer for this cupboard?

[Olson185]

That very much appears to be how the bottom half of my 1920s built-in was made

That's kinda neat! I come from that stock of folks from the Depression era grandparents on both sides, so it's part of where my mindset grew from. My dad was more the "plan project, go buy materials, make it" sort. The one time he attempted to refinish a certain set of end tables, he got the stripping part done, but my mom never made up her mind on the finish, so when they were handed down to me there were still at that stage. That reminds me...I need to re-find the info on dealing with condensation rings from drink glasses.

I'm more inclined to believe the bottom piece might be vintage and what you say leads me to believe it might be. I saw nothing that would indicate otherwise but I'm a relative newbie when it comes to such things (I go by what I've seen in old homes).

The clusters of fake wormholes, in the top piece, however, indicate a contemporary piece made to look old. I am, however, confused by the two-piece legs of the top cabinet. That looks intentional as the front, curved-cut piece is flush with the front of the cabinet.

[Lily left the valley]

I'm more inclined to believe the bottom piece might be vintage and what you say leads me to believe it might be. I saw nothing that would indicate otherwise but I'm a relative newbie when it comes to such things (I go by what I've seen in old homes).

The clusters of fake wormholes, in the top piece, however, indicate a contemporary piece made to look old. I am, however, confused by the two-piece legs of the top cabinet. That looks intentional as the front, curved-cut piece is flush with the front of the cabinet.

I used to do a lot of "distressing" when I did painting and prop work in theatre. We never did that on any props that were in really good shape.

An entire decoration movement has grown into a driving force for the "Shabby Chic" trend which involves all sorts of distressing techniques, which includes methods such as the fake worm holes you saw, "weathered" painting and the like.

What bothers me about that movement is not that it exists, as I have no issue with the style itself. However, some folks use perfectly good pieces as their base which often ruins what was a better quality piece. It's one thing to take a table and chair set that's already seen better days and give it the Shabby Chic treatment, it's an entirely different thing to take an almost museum quality piece and give it the treatment.

I've seen some how to videos where the latter is done and I wanted to throw something out of frustration. There are so many pieces available that would be much better candidates for such a process, but some folks just blindly follow the trend, with little or no regard to what they're ruining in the process. I just recalled when ripped and various washes became popular for jeans, and lots of folks took brand new pairs of jeans and distressed them in similar fashions.

As to the work that was done on the piece in question, someone did try to make the two meld in a believable way with details such as the legs you mention. They may have only had whatever materials were about to use, and that was a solution they felt worked to such an end.

As to the not really a key hole behind the plate bits, if they didn't have a key/locking mechanism or know how to make a lock within, they figured the look was all that was needed. Sometimes form rules over function.

[Gothichome]

Olson, there are companies that dip whole pieces of furnature into a tank of stripper. Being totally submerged no crevice gets missed. Only down side, many formulations will also dissolve natural glues.

[Mick_VT]

I have heard that dip stripping essentially emulates 100 years of being exposed to the elements. i.e. do not do it... it removes glue from joints and dries out wood horribly

[Olson185]

I used to do a lot of "distressing" when I did painting and prop work in theatre. We never did that on any props that were in really good shape.

An entire decoration movement has grown into a driving force for the "Shabby Chic" trend which involves all sorts of distressing techniques, which includes methods such as the fake worm holes you saw, "weathered" painting and the like.

What bothers me about that movement is not that it exists, as I have no issue with the style itself. However, some folks use perfectly good pieces as their base which often ruins what was a better quality piece. It's one thing to take a table and chair set that's already seen better days and give it the Shabby Chic treatment, it's an entirely different thing to take an almost museum quality piece and give it the treatment.

I've seen some how to videos where the latter is done and I wanted to throw something out of frustration. There are so many pieces available that would be much better candidates for such a process, but some folks just blindly follow the trend, with little or no regard to what they're ruining in the process.

[briefly, so as to not hijack the "what would you pay" nature of this thread...]

For the reasons you mention above, I become livid when someone takes a "better quality piece" and Shabby Chic's it. There's a website (we all know) in which such things are encouraged and praised and I try to politely (as politely as one can be when they're a red corpuscle away from having an aneurysm) encourage them not to do it; to pick a different piece that isn't 100 yrs. old. Same as, "no, paint is not how one should respond to the worn leather inlay of a 100 yr. old desk or table!"

"I used to do a lot of "distressing" when I did painting and prop work in theatre." Me, too. It wasn't at LTJ, was it?

[Olson185]

Olson, there are companies that dip whole pieces of furnature into a tank of stripper. Being totally submerged no crevice gets missed. Only down side, many formulations will also dissolve natural glues.

I thought that was a myth, lol. Actually, I know it as "a bath" or "bathing" and only on single piece items (ie. siding, flooring, hardware, etc.). There's also a similar method for reversing/removing rust that involves electricity.

I worked at a place that would bathe metal, to strip it, prior to eventual powder coating (ie. auto rims, bicycles, metal fencing, etc.)

[Lily left the valley]

{snip}"I used to do a lot of "distressing" when I did painting and prop work in theatre." Me, too. It wasn't at LTJ, was it?

I haven't worked in theatre in a while. I want to say around 2005 or so? That said, I can't recall any names that had those initials. Most of my non-academic painting and prop work was in NJ, NY, and MI. After I graduated from undergrad, I mostly did lighting design and general stagecraft techie/union sub work, with some stage managing and board op thrown in here and there. Hee. I just remember I still have the stuffed severed head in a box somewhere I made for a production of "The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged)" in Cape May, NJ. I totally forgot about that when we were decorating for Halloween. I knew a head was missing...

[Olson185]

{snip}"I used to do a lot of "distressing" when I did painting and prop work in theatre." Me, too. It wasn't at LTJ, was it?

I haven't worked in theatre in a while. I want to say around 2005 or so? That said, I can't recall any names that had those initials. Most of my non-academic painting and prop work was in NJ, NY, and MI. After I graduated from undergrad, I mostly did lighting design and general stagecraft techie/union sub work, with some stage managing and board op thrown in here and there.

LTJ = Little Theatre of Jamestown (renamed, Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown). I volunteered there between 1980-1987 (w/ breaks). Pres. of (short lived) StageCraft Guild (primarily set/scenery construction & production crew). Applied to Rochester's Blackfriar's Theatre (they're union) but didn't get in (their loss).

[Lily left the valley]

LTJ = Little Theatre of Jamestown (renamed, Lucille Ball Little Theatre of Jamestown). I volunteered there between 1980-1987 (w/ breaks). Pres. of (short lived) StageCraft Guild (primarily set/scenery construction & production crew). Applied to Rochester's Blackfriar's Theatre (they're union) but didn't get in (their loss).

Ah-ha! Nope. Haven't worked there. (And I was still in grade or high school back then depending on the year, living in North Wildwood.)

Unions can be a PITA. I found out once I didn't get called in for a job when they were short because one of the Arena's union lead's hairdresser thought doing stagecraft might be "fun". Those poor regulars! They could not wait to scare her away. I heard she was useless.