Fresh Find: Danish High Boy

We realize we have been absent for quite some time and for that we apologize. However, the break in communication doesn't mean that we haven't been up to anything. No sir, that is most certainly not the case.

In fact, we have been quite busy working through the first phases of a project that we have been plotting for some time now (more on that later). Unfortunately, in order to start that project it meant we needed to part ways with some of the wonderful pieces we've managed to obtain over the past year or two. While it was tough to see a few of these items go, we are sure they now reside with individuals who will care for them just as much as we did. On the plus side, moving these items provided us with a bit of extra cash flow and room to accommodate a few new pieces. The hunt for those pieces went well and we're quite pleased with our new acquisitions.

The highboy before it underwent the rejuvenation process.

The piece you see here was the first of our finds. I found this slightly abused, Danish inspired highboy online and thought it would be worth having a look at to alleviate some of our storage issues in the bedroom. Though the chest was in need of some love to address the abuse it had taken over the years, we decided that its style and price were worth the extra effort.

Tools of the trade.

We started the rejuvenation process by wiping the chest down with some Murphy's Oil Soap to remove dirt, dust and grime that accumulated from the previous owner. Once we got it cleaned up we progressed to working on the various scratches and dings found on front, top and side of the chest. Some of these areas were handled quite easily, while others like a large scratch on the front of a drawer required extra attention.

A scratch on the front of a drawer that required extra attention.

To tackle this problem we used some wood filler to fill in the damaged area, let the filler sit overnight and then sanded it down with a high grain sand paper to get a nice smooth finish. Once the sanding was complete, I decided to try something a little different to make the touch up less noticeable. I grabbed my Exacto knife and began etching a faux wood grain pattern into the filler. I then traced those lines with a black marker for more contrast and then used a walnut stain to blend the filler in with the wood. The end result turned out pretty decent if I say so myself and the touch up was no longer as noticeable. After addressing the blemishes in the wood, I worked on straightening and cleaning the metal pulls attached to each drawer, stabilized a loose leg and finally waxed everything down to protect the wood.

Before we knew it, the rejuvenation was complete. All in all we are pretty happy with the chest and have found it to be a nice solution to our storage problem. Refreshing vintage furniture is a very satisfying process and it's great to bring life back to a piece of furniture that has been neglected for so long.

Complete and placed in the bedroom.

Details.