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Woodcraft Blog Features Upcycling Makeover of a Gossip Bench

By: Woodcraft |  6 Shares     130 Reads

Woodcraft offers a blog series on how to update a vintage telephone table, an example of a project that saves money and adds charm and value to a piece of furniture from the past.

PARKERSBURG, W. VA. (PRWEB) June 30, 2015 - Today’s DIY home decorators have myriad options to suit their pocketbooks and tastes, thanks to upcycling – partial or total makeovers for out-of-date or aging furniture like the Gossip Bench project featured in “Woodworking Adventures,” the Woodcraft blog.

“Woodcraft wants to help customers with their furniture makeover projects,” Vince Grlovich, vice president for sales and marketing said. “We offer a wide range of tools and products to support them, from General Finishes Milk Paint and the new Pearl Effects to the Fortiflex Heavy Duty Flex Shaft Tool and the Fein MultiMaster. Stores also offer woodworking classes on topics such as finishing techniques and the use of power and hand tools.”

The perfect antique, vintage or retro furniture candidate for a makeover might already be living at your house, but if not check out the local estate sales, flea markets, antique stores and Habitat for Humanity ReStore sites. Keep in mind that experts say furniture has to be at least 100 years old to claim the antique title. Vintage pieces should be more than 20 years old and a good representation of the age in which they were popular. Retro is something outdated and out of style but sometimes not very old.

Gossip Bench Makeover

“A few months ago, I stumbled upon this find in a thrift store and knew I had to have it for an upcycling project,” Lori Haught, Woodcraft marketing manager, said. “This adorable seat-and-table combination is a relic from rotary-dial days called a gossip bench, telephone bench or a telephone table. Gossip benches have been around since shortly after the telephone was invented, but really became trendy in the 1940s and 50s, when women were primarily housewives and husbands were away from home.”

After minimal sanding, Lori applied General Finishes Java Gel Stain, followed by the new General Finishes Pearl Effects in Bronze Pearl around the bench and then a High Performance Satin topcoat. She re-covered the seat cushion and added a new feature – inlay.

“For the inlay on the desk portion of my gossip bench, I chose a circular-patterned marquetry kit called Altairian by Digital Wood sold by Woodcraft,” Haught said. “This timeless design seemed perfect for the vintage feel of the bench and complemented the cushion fabric I selected. These wood marquetry artworks are unique designs from artist Christy Oates.”

To add the inlay, Haught had to first fit the small inlay pieces into matching open spaces in a circular frame to create the finished design. Next, she carefully routed a precisely measured hole in the bench tabletop to accept the circular inlay. The final step was gluing the inlay in place.

“I will admit I didn’t know exactly how this inlay thing worked, but the instructions were pretty simple, and they directed me to a how-to video that helped me to visualize the process,” Haught said.

To learn more about the Gossip Bench makeover, click here http://blog.woodcraft.com/2015/06/gossip-bench-part-i/ to view the first segment of Lori’s three-part “Woodworking Adventures” blog.

Check out the Upcycling Resource Center on Woodcraft.com (http://www.woodcraft.com/media/upcycling.aspx) for more information about upcycling, including a tips and tricks section and a link to the Woodcraft Pinterest page that offers lots of project ideas. To view more Woodcraft upcycling projects, visit “Woodworking Adventures” http://blog.woodcraft.com and type upcycling in the search box.

About Woodcraft

For more information about Woodcraft, please contact the store nearest you, visit http://www.woodcraft.com or call (800) 535-4482. To learn about Woodcraft franchise opportunities, visit http://www.woodcraftfranchise.com or email woodcraftfranchise@woodcraft.com.

SOURCE Woodcraft

Contact:

Lori Haught
Woodcraft Supply LLC
+1 (304) 865-4107 Ext: 2107

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