Mid Century Modern Craddock Buffet

When I came across this set, I hadn’t heard of Craddock Furniture from Evansville, Indiana. Thanks to some helpful refinishers (that could also double as amateur sleuths!), I was able to learn more about the company.

Materials:

Annie Sloan’s Athenian Black chalk paint
Annie Sloan’s clear wax
Walrus Oil’s Furniture Butter
Howard Products Feed-N-Wax

How I refinished this piece:

I started by cleaning this piece with Rustoleum’s Krud Kutter. It’s incredible how much dirt and grime can build up unnoticed! I spray, wipe with warm water and then clean. Following this, I change the water and with a new cloth, wipe any remaining residue.

The biggest learning was when I started sanding and uncovered the GORGEOUS wood grain. The whole piece is solidly built with different wood varieties. I’m in awe of its incredible construction.

There were a few areas that I knew would look good painted to highlight both the shape of the piece and the grain. I used Annie Sloan’s Athenian Black. Prior to painting, I taped and used General Finishes high-performance topcoat to seal the edges. This gives crisp lines after painting when the tape is removed. For the hard to reach spots, I used a small paint brush and for the rest, I used my Zibra Paint round brush. So satisfying when the tape is removed

The wood was brought back to life with Walrus Oil’s Furniture Butter. I applied in a circular motion with a final pass in a straight line to remove the excess. After 24 hours, I repeated the process. I just LOVE this product and it provides amazing protection once cured.

The handles were actually two pieces! I removed the back plate and cleaned up the pulls. For this, I used a 1:1 ratio of water to white vinegar with a couple drops of blue Dawn dish soap. I brought to a boil, dropped in the hardware and let simmer for 10 minutes. I gently removed piece by piece with tongs and scrubbed using fine steel wool. I gave them final rinse and dried. Look how they shine now