The Speaker Cabinet

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As usual, this find has a story that began late last Fall at a yard sale.  When we walked up the driveway, I recognized the man holding the sale. You see, I'd met Mike before - twice.  He does sales for other people and this one was no exception. My husband spotted him first and started to laugh.  When Mike looked up and saw me, my husband announced, "She's back!"  

Mike responded with an unenthusiastic,  "I see that." 

You see, I drive a hard bargain, my husband has even called me 'ruthless', but, I get good deals.  This day was no exception..... 

 

I spotted this cabinet in the back of the garage and asked Mike how much he was asking for it.  

He looked at me and asked, "How much are you thinking?"

Dangerous question....The top wasn't even attached!

My response?  "I want it for 5 bucks."

He laughed. 

I smiled!

Long story short?  I picked up a few other items and ended up getting the cabinet for $8.

I know, Ruthless!  (She says with a big smile!)

So, what did I love about this piece of furniture?

The beautifully carved trim.

Those legs!

Beautiful speaker detail.

And those tiny little flower knobs!

Where to begin?  The inside.  It contained a pretty big speaker that was no good. 

There were screws holding it to the front and large bolts on the bottom.  After removing them I was left with several holes in the base of the cabinet. Wood glue and dowels to the rescue!  The glue was spread into each hole.

A dowel was tapped into each hole and cut flush with my hacksaw.

Later, with some sanding and paint, you could hardly tell they had been there.

Notice the light coming in on the left?  There's no back on this cabinet.  I'll address that later on.

It was time to give the outside some attention and as you can see from the close-ups, the finish on this cabinet was pretty rough. The good news was the veneer on all of the sides was in great condition - no chips, splits, cracks, or lifting!  After gluing and clamping one leg that was pulling way from the side and the cracked trim along the bottom. I started applying Citristrip to the sides.  After carefully scraping off the old finish, I found this beautiful wood veneer:

Sorry, this pic was taken after I started applying some stain.

A light coat of red mahogany stain was applied and I was loving the color.

This was taken outside and appears more red than it actually is - you'll see in upcoming pictures.

I used Citristrip on the legs and decided to finish them with a combination of paint and stain.  

The weather had turned cold and I was completing the finishing touches on the dining room table.  

To carry the gold through the piece, I added gold paint to the carving on the front and sliding doors.

At this point, it was time to put a back on the cabinet.  Since it was a speaker cabinet, it originally had no need for one.  I had other plans for it, so a piece of thin plywood was cut, painted, and attached to the back. 

Glue, clamps, and weight all played a part.

Which brings me to the subject of the top - the one that wasn't attached?  It was in very poor condition.

The finish was rough and the veneer was either missing, splitting, or lifting.  After much gluing, filling, and sanding, the top was painted black with chalk paint. I applied a gold stencil and sealed it with 3 coats of polycrylic, along with the rest of the cabinet.

It was time to turn my attention to the inside of the top.  You see, the intention was to have it on hinges so the inside needed to be pretty.  After painting the center white...

I attached some pretty fabric using Mod Podge.

Some pretty trim was added to finish the edges and it was done.

Two hinges were used to attach the top to the cabinet.

I can't forget those pretty flower knobs.  They were brought back to life with some polish.

Love them!

I ordered some vintage speaker fabric and used tacks to attach it to the inside.

This is where it really matters:

I love the texture in it.

Now I could declare this project done.

Isn't she pretty?

How to use it?

Filled with your favorite spirits and glassware, it's a bar. 

Or you could just fill it with those extra throws and blankets.  You don't really need a picture, do you?

My favorite idea involves a little light.  

Some battery-operated candlelight for some evening ambiance.  What do you think?

That's the story of the dirty, decrepit speaker cabinet from the back of a garage.  I just love a happy ending, don't you?

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