Vintage TVs Turned Bars

DIY: Staining Furniture

Thanks for sticking with me through part two of my furniture overhaul! I know in the last post I focused heavily on the curio cabinet, but today I'm going to show how I stained my accompanying tables and then reveal the finished camera holder.

As I mentioned, the curio cabinet was made of pine wood. The end tables were already cherry. Since I wanted the two to match it was easier to use a red/cherry stain on the cabinet versus trying to dull down the redness of the tables.

Miniwax (found at your local Lowes / Home Depot) makes some great stain that enhances the quality of the wood without looking overly waxy/finished. I did my due diligence and scoured the internet for feedback on how to match pine to cherry and landed here. I'm very happy with the result but I'll leave it to you to determine how well it worked.

I started by adding one coat of stain to the tables and leaving it on for five minutes before wiping away the unabsorbed stain. I didn't want the tables to be much darker than they already were so the less time the better. I then took the bottom side of one of the curio cabinet shelves and tested (in five minute increments) how long it would take to get the closest color match. The result - 20 minutes!

Here's a half and half of the table progress. Talk about instant gratification!

This is the color difference between a stripped pine shelf and one being stained (before excess was wiped).

And now... the end result(s)! The staining took a bit longer (~1 week) with application AND dry time. I did this during the summer months (in humid Indiana) and it remained tacky longer than I'd hoped. 

*More on my fabulous lamps at another time.

How to Haggle

In my January 2014 post, Vintage Finds, I alluded to haggling and bundling to get items at antique stores for less than tag price. I wanted to dedicate this post to understanding the art of haggling.

Here are the basics:

• When a price tag does not say 'firm' then you know that you have some negotiating room. If in an antique store booth, look around for any hanging signage to validate your inkling.
• If a price tag does say 'firm' you know that the seller is offering their bottom dollar on the item. Don't negotiate. If it's too pricey for your taste, just walk away.
• When an item is old it's probably got some wear and tear. Understand the condition of the item before you negotiate. The pricing could reflect that item in fair, good, or excellent condition. Just because it's old doesn't mean it's worth anything.
• If you really love it, don't walk away. Items in these places go fast. Don't hope that it'll be around the next time you're in the area.

I collect vintage Brownie Cameras from the 1920's - 1960's. When I find one that I would like to add to my collection I need to have a thorough understanding of the condition, age, and overall value. Some sellers don't know what they have and just slap a price on an item because "it looks old and must be worth some money." Not the case - if you're starting a collection get up to speed on the average values and conditions before you get ripped off. Don't fret about learning it over night, some things are learned over time.

Now that many buyers have the ability to use their phones to quickly reference selling prices of vintage items, there is less likelihood of geting taken on a deal. Exhaust all resources before you buy.

When you are preparing to haggle:

• Consider this: most of the objects in an antique store have been sitting around awhile and are hard to sell. If a seller sees you're interested they are more likely to deal with your offer because it's hard telling how long it will take for another buyer to walk through the door. This is specifically true for random items and not collectibles or trendy pieces. 
• The more you show interest in an item, the more leverage the seller has. If you want to 'feel out' the seller before negotiating on an item you really want, grab another item from their booth and use it as a 'tester'. Say I want this stunning Brownie Camera. I may grab another camera from the same booth and take both to the check-out counter. I'd start with the second camera and see how far the seller would be willing to budge before proceeding to the Brownie. If they have unrealistic prices I know that the deal isn't worth it for me.
• Sometimes you can walk away. If you have seen half the store and have an item you like, try haggling before looking through the rest of the store. That way, if you can't come to terms, the seller will have some time to mull over your offer. This is a great tool for big-ticket items such as furniture.
• In antique shops especially, there are many booths. If you want to haggle you usually do it over the phone since the booth owner isn't on-site. Don't expect the person at the register to be the one that you haggle with every time.
• Bundling is a sure-fire way to get a great deal on multiple items from the same seller. Did you find five camera's at one booth that you want to buy? Get the seller on the phone and make a deal for all of them at once. In this situation, I'd weigh the total value of all camera's combined and subtract the value of one full camera. Sort of like a buy one, get one scenario.

Thanks for stopping by the Humble Hammock and looking around; do come back! 

Cara